Thread 35 - Covid Cohort from GCSE 2020 'What They Did on Their Summer Holidays'

[OrangeCinnamonCroissant]

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting. It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, please don't within this thread. Please also be sensitive when responding to threads about grades. It's all relative!
Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue.
Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will find a thread within the Further Ed board.
Possibly a move to Parent of Adult Children Board in future? Post Results?

Previous Thread

@Monkey2001 thanks so much, that's a big help. I can't see that Megabus does Temple Meads. It seems to do Bond Street (by Blacks- back entrance I think ), UWE or the Airport. She doesn't know Bristol well and on her own so am happy to pay for taxi on this occasion as need it to be as incident free as possible. Have given her V cars and also Club cars who I have used but I think a little but further away. It was simply going to be one train when we planned it.

Ugh @JustHereWithMyPopcorn ds would be exactly the same. His data doesn’t last him a month as it is and he has a huge allowance. It’s all the films and videos… Hope you can get something sorted without breaking the bank. It will be a learning experience for him…

Well done to your ds1 @icanbewhatiwant !

@EspeciallyDeIighted really hope you avoid covid! 🤞

Thanks @icanbewhatiwant I must admit it seems anecdotally from people I know that it's finally catching a lot of people who haven't had it at all. DH didn't get it when I had it this is his first dose. Also I have been out a lot this week so not actually spent much time with him.

@EspeciallyDeIighted yes I hadn't had it before. Dh ds2 and ds3 still haven't had it to our knowledge.

@icanbewhatiwant mine is BSc (Hons) 2:2 but once I'd got my first job I dropped the grade off my CV.

Thanks for the new thread.

just caught up as away and signal a bit patchy.

Huge congrats to @HoneyMobster and @Horace123!! Such great news!

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn I’m also on O2 and currently in France. They don’t charge you for using the data within your plan whilst you are here and you just use your data as normal so I guess he must have been streaming, downloading and/or Snapchat to use so much so quickly.
I think the constant Snapchat these kids do uses a LOT of data as my DS keeps running out each month since he joined it

It may be worth thinking about mobile phone contracts for DC going away. DS1 needed to change because the Three signal was rubbish in St Andrews, didn't work in his room, so although he could use WIFI for WhatsApp, it is a pain if texts don't arrive. He switched to Lebara SIM only which is £6.90/month for 15GB, unlimited texts and calls and 100 international minutes. It uses Vodaphone which has the best signal where he is. I also like that you can't accidentally overspend.

Congrats on the 2:1
I too only got a 2:2 ED and thus never mentioned the classification on my CV.
Don't think my 2 have ever got an award.

I need to be careful here because might be outing, but worse still because I was so ill, I lost my (Hons) for not finishing my year abroad, and worse than that because of this, they downgrounded my certificate so it doesn't even say what my degree is in. Eg say you studied Chinese by they just put 'area studies' and you think wtf? Area studies of what? Mongolia? Bombay? Porn? Dogging? What?

Thanks all for the mobile data feedback, I have topped him up now and forbid him from streaming anything, he also knows I won't be topping it up again! Because I am the account holder, I can check how much data he is using so will know when he's using too much and will text him appropriate warnings - mainly in swearwords I would think! 😂
@Oblomov22 I've never heard of that before, how can they award a degree without saying what it's in?? 😦

@Oblomov22 that's strange not saying what the degree is in. Made me smile when you said dogging...When I last visited dm one of her friends had gone with her dd to dog training classes and dm told me said friend had gone dogging and goes dogging quite regularly 😳

Ds is back from NCS and it was fine, except that they fed them an appropriate amount of food for a four year old girl apparently and he had to supplement with expensive minstrels from the slot machine. In addition to the two friends who lost their places, he discovered his other close friend had signed up to the wrong one and spent the week with a load of strangers in a different location! 😩 He said he’d have enjoyed it more if his 3 best friends had been there, but he’s very sociable and got on fine, thank goodness!

There's an episode of Peter Kaye's Car Share with similar confusion 😁

Thanks for not making me feel silly about the whole prize giving thing, and you make an excellent point about better grades being their own reward, crazy.

Your boys make me chuckle, icanbe, but you must pull your hair out. Congratulations to your DS - excellent result!

Keeping everything crossed you avoid the dreaded C, Especially.

Just checking in. Thank you @OrangeCinnamonCroissant
@EspeciallyDeIighted hopefully you avoid covid. We have all had it last week and this. It is the first time for all four of us. Poor DD missed her long planned girly trip away as she tested positive on the morning they were due to go. She was gutted.
Congratulations on the excellent IB results.

DS headed to prom, looking very handsome! DH rationed him to two pints!

Oh poor dd @Hattifatteners that’s so sad 😢 I hope she has some other things planned this summer?

Hope ds enjoys prom @Piggywaspushed . What colour suit did he go for in the end?

DD’s passport finally arrived the other day so she’s trying to plan her Rome trip for Sept.

@Hattifatteners Unlucky timing. I'm sure she'll find ways to enliven the rest of the summer.

@Piggywaspushed Rationed him 😂Hope he has a great night.

I think DS was fine with rationing. He can wait til uni to vom!

The suit was blue, grey check with a burgundy tie. Skinny fit. He actually really suits a skinny fit suit as he has that long, slender frame. He has blue suede shoes!

Next was cleared out if suits when I went to get socks. Combo of proms and Minions...

How can it take SO LONG to pack 5 bikinis, 5 dresses, 5 pairs of pants and a wash bag?????

Oh, and a folded up IKEA bag for their big shop at the Lidl by the airposrt.

@KingscoteStaff that's a great packing list 😁. Oh, to be young again.

Seems that so many plans have gone wrong due to Covid. DD was pretty low few days, but luckily she has other things going on including a three week trip to my home country.

In an alternative universe, it took DS 12 minutes to get ready for prom!

5 bikinis @KingscoteStaff ?! DS was looking for a couple of pairs of swim shorts 15 minutes before he was due to leave (but he did only go to Devon).

I think that’s a great list @KingscoteStaff , hope she has a great time, so lovely hearing of them all having a good time.

Can’t wait to see DD later and where we are going to move to - which I’m having slightly cold feet about the location so hoping today’s trip will help with that. DD the. coming back here for a bit so that will be lovely to be altogether with no exam stress.

I have managed to stay covid free so I can go to DS's school event today, so relieved. It's a shame DH can't come but DD is going to provided she tests negative too.