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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Class of 18. No need for new school shoes

739 replies

OhYouBadBadKitten · 29/08/2019 07:16

Old thread:www.mumsnet.com/Talk/further_education/3478916-Class-of-18-now-in-2019-blimey

A thread for those of us whose kids left school/sixth form/college a year ago. Friendly chat :)

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UrsulaPandress · 02/10/2019 15:53

I’d love another but as he can’t be let off the lead and I’m a bit doddery I don’t think I’d cope if I had to manage two.

There are some bloody sad cases though waiting for foster homes. One that hasn’t been out of the house for 6 weeks!

HesMyLobster · 02/10/2019 21:27

@UrsulaPandress stop! My sil is very involved with a rescue shelter and is constantly sending me photos of dogs with big sad eyes and horrible stories. I'd love to have them all, but it's impossible while I'm working full time. So I just keep throwing hefty donations at them instead.
We have fostered then adopted a cat from them recently though.
I'm like you with fostering, couldn't bring myself to uproot him once he was well again and settled.

DD is having a ball in her pre-term weeks. She helped at a subject day yesterday, but apart from that has been exploring the new area and bonding with her housemates.
They're an eclectic and international bunch so she's had authentic Italian pasta and Spanish paella this week. Her offering was a full roast on Sunday which went amazingly well for her first ever!
Love that they are eating communally. Not sure if they'll keep it up once term starts though.

Ginfordinner · 02/10/2019 22:40

I donated a load of old duvets to a dog rescue kennels today, so I hope I get some brownie points from the dog lovers here.

UrsulaPandress · 03/10/2019 05:08

🐶🐶🐶

OhYouBadBadKitten · 03/10/2019 08:01

I'm getting more and more tempted to get a dog against all common sense.

How do you integrate a new dog in with existing cats when youu have a little house?

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Ginfordinner · 03/10/2019 08:41

With difficulty. We always had both when I was growing up, but we had the dog first before getting a cat, and they got on fine. After we lost our English setter we got a dalmation, and he just didn't understand that cats weren't just for chasing (we still had the cat - a siamese). We had to separate them all the time.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 03/10/2019 08:52

That's what I thought and the cats were there first. Ah well. I'll have to train one of the cats to come for runs with me.

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Knotaknitter · 03/10/2019 09:02

If your new dog is a puppy it will be fine because the cats will establish who is boss. If your new dog is an older model used to living with cats it should also be fine, probably, maybe. If it's an older dog, not used to living with cats then nope. The rescue listings I've seen say whether the animal is used to other dogs/cats/children.

Ginfordinner · 03/10/2019 09:06

Our dalmation was a lively young dog, not a puppy. His previous owners were older and couldn't cope with him so he was rehomed with us.

The cat had established himself as head of the household with our previous dog, and he couldn't understand why this young usurper wouldn't bend to his will.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 03/10/2019 11:12

I think I'd be worried about the cats refusing to live with the dog. I'll think about it some more though.

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Nettleskeins · 03/10/2019 13:24

Our two cats have quite a love hate relationship with the dog, but they aren't frightened of him. They were there first. But it definitely has been difficult to have all three in the same room, they weave in and out of each other's territory. Perhaps it is to do with the sort of dog. Terriers might not be very cat orientated (small furry objects remind them of rats) The cats sleep in their own section of the house at the moment with a door and have a cat flap. The dog doesn't bark at them though (unless he is chasing them in garden), he is used to always sleeping on the other side of that door and used to their noises, and comings and goings.

Nettleskeins · 03/10/2019 13:29

I cannot say I have managed to train the dog to come on runs with me...Blush I haven't managed to train myself to go on runs either...Shock I have lost a half a stone though since I got him. Maybe it is the stress Confused If you already take plenty of exercise a dog may not increase your output......Hmm tbh I like the way that dog exercise is less goal orientated, and more just....trees birds sky play waggy waggy

Nettleskeins · 03/10/2019 13:34

Gin I would say that a Siamese cat - not your common or garden moggy by any stretch of the imagination - would have a low tolerance of a dog..miaaaowww. All the siamese I have known talk non stop and follow their humans around intelligently.

Ds is home this weekend. But dd and I are going to an Open day at his University for Foundation Art. Not very well planned...He has come back for the Film Festival I think?? Not sure, will be glad to hear from him as there is limited feedback as per usual.

Hardwickwhite · 03/10/2019 17:32

DD is coming home for the weekend tomorrow. It feels like she has been gone for ages. She has activities planned with her sisters, which is great, because she started much earlier than all of her home friends, and they won't be back home yet.

Our dogs have always learnt pretty quickly that they come further down the pecking order than the cats. One particularly dim dog had to have a cat untangled from her face when the cat felt a need to point it out to her. That same dog and cat subsequently curled up together in the same basket and were pretty much inseparable. Current dog and cats co-exist much like toddlers playing along side one another. One cat cuddles up to the dog when they are all standing, but neither cat will walk past the dog when he is lying down. They are endlessly amusing to watch. All of our dogs have been sighthounds too, so theoretically should chase, but never really have.

Ginfordinner · 03/10/2019 17:35

All the siamese I have known talk non stop and follow their humans around intelligently.

You have described our family cat to a T Grin
All my friends used to say how amazed they were at how friendly he was. I adore cats, and so did my dad so the cat was used to having loads of cuddles and loved human attention.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 04/10/2019 13:02

Say some soothing words at me!
We are taking dd back tomorrow.

She woke up feeling quite poorly (probably caught my awful cold). Then her phone totally died - cue lots of understandable upset.

Once we came up with a plan for sorting that, after watching her struggle down with her packing, I suggested we go through it, to find that the reason it is so heavy is that she appears to have packed half a ton of tinned food. Shock That was evicted, with a promise that we will drive out to a big supermarket when we get there.

And breathe.

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NoHaudinMaWheest · 04/10/2019 13:10

kitten it is hard to have a less than promising start.
Once she is there and properly settled it should be easier.
Is she staying in college this year?

UrsulaPandress · 04/10/2019 13:36

Has she forgotten they have shops in Cambridge? Or is she stocking up for Brexit? Grin

OhYouBadBadKitten · 04/10/2019 13:56

She is staying in college NoHaudin. I think it is a bit scary for them still. I'm looking forward to seeing her room. Hope it's ok! She's happier now we've sorted out the phone and a game she's ordered is about four stops away. I need to lie down.

I think both Ursula Grin I did laugh quite a lot.

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marmiteloversunite · 07/10/2019 11:54

Perhaps she's been reading the Brexit threads!! DD1 is home next weekend for DD2's birthday. We are lucky that she is only an hour away on the train so quite easy to come home. DD2 is going to be 17 so we have all the joy of driving lessons again.

Then on the 16th I am having my other breast removed for symmetry and peace of mind. This is as long as I can get my sugars down. They diagnosed me type 2 diabetic last week which was brought on by the steroids during chemo. Hmm So I am try to get my head round all of that.

Hopefully by Christmas I will be all sorted and have a good one this year!!

Ginfordinner · 07/10/2019 21:52

Oh no marmite. You have had enough to deal with already. Good luck Flowers

OhYouBadBadKitten · 07/10/2019 22:17

That's a lot to get your head around Marmite.

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raspberryrippleicecream · 07/10/2019 23:23

Oh Marmite. Good luck with it all.

DS2 is 17 next month, his provisional licence came last week. He seems so much younger than the other two but I don't suppose he is really!

We went to see DD at the weekend and she is happily in full swing with her term. She will spend reading week visiting her friend in Oxford as usual, so despite the coach actually passing within sight of our house (literally) we won't see her then.

Hardwickwhite · 08/10/2019 17:29

Good luck with the op Marmite. I’m sure I would do the same.

DM managed type 2 by diet for many years. She didn’t find it too hard, but MIL has found it impossible and is now on medication. MIL however does not believe that fruit has lots of sugar because it is good for you, and has been know to eat a punnet of grapes in one sitting. She does not eat veg either apart from in soup. 🙄

Knotaknitter · 08/10/2019 21:31

I hope the op goes well Marmite and that it does give you peace of mind.

The diabetes is another blow but it's not in the same league as what you've had to deal with so far. MIL has type 1 and to be honest is clueless. Supposedly no-one ever told her what her blood sugar readings should be so she took them and wrote them down and that was all there was to it. I googled it which is more than she did in five years and discovered that her morning reading of 15 was Very Much Not Ok. I am certain that you will make a better job of managing it than she has done.