Heading towards year 2 exams (uni 2017)

[brizzlemint]

Starting uni 2017 continued.
Tales of radiators, errant boilers, tomatoes and potato mashers...oh and university students.

DH is back with DDs clobber, last I heard from her she was at Gatwick.
The car was pretty much full to the gunwales, plus bike on rack, and there wasn't room to bring her airer back.

She only requested I wash the bagful of towels and bedding and tend to her plants - the rest is piled in the dining room, I guess most of it can stay there for the rest of the month till she goes back again.

Took DS back today. Pleased to report that his new house is much better than last years. Lovely sunny bedroom. Nice studenty area, lots of coffee shops and a pizzeria opposite. Quite relieved after the horrible house he had last year.

That sounds lovely. I think my twins have reasonable houses this year too. One registered with the university for year 3 at the weekend and I expedct the other will do so when he gets back from abroad next weekend. He gets back here with about 15 - 30 minutes to spare before going out to someone's dinner jacketed 21st party in London and his friends are coming here to get ready first. As I suspect he will be later than planned, although thankfully is not flying BA, I will probably have to send the friends into Central London with his dinner jacket if he's late and he can go straight there from the airport on Friday, so he's laying that out now before he goes to the airport today. I did suggest booking an earlier flight yesterday but he thinks it will be fine.

So lots going on here before they go back including 2 university friends of theirs who stayed last night.

Errol has stuff piiled up which always seems to be the case here. I am hoping my son will take back on his day visit to Bristol tomorrow the stuff the boy who stayed 4 weeks earlier in the summer left here - that's piled up in one place.

It’s sounds as if there were some great summers. Sad to think that for some, including medic DD, it will be their last long summer break.

DD has already done a full week but came home this weekend to see her brother who is back from the States, where he is studying for a PhD. She only gets two weeks off at Christmas, which makes it a really long term. She is not sure if she can join us then in the US, as she does not know how much studying she can fit round full time placements, so thinks she may need the Christmas break for catchup.

That said she seems happy to be back. Sports training has started, whilst a surprising number of her friends are on fitness/health kicks. There are plans for weekend cycling trips, and she has been challenged to bake a gluten free, sugar free, nut free cake. We found a recipe using black beans and carrots. The spec did not require it to taste nice. She also took back a surplus crate of beer. It seems that healthy living only goes so far.

Gluten free beer is available. 🙂🍺

She has also taken back a packet of delicious butcher's own dry cure bacon, despite being the only red meat eater in her flat. Orthodox Jews live in the flat below. Bacon with a streak of conscious.

a gluten free, sugar free, nut free cake. We found a recipe using black beans and carrots.

Sounds like a veggie bake to me...

Bacon with a streak of conscious.

I do hope not!

Sounds like a veggie bake to me

Probably, but with low fat yoghurt frosting.

The bacon smells wonderful. Isn't the theory that each bacon butty takes half an hour from your life expectancy? This is definitely worth it.

The bacon smells wonderful. Isn't the theory that each bacon butty takes half an hour from your life expectancy?

Not if you only inhale.

Perhaps that is is the solution. Rather than worry, DD should take the attitude that the smell of bacon frying is kosher, halal, vegetarian, gluten-free, and sugar-free and so something to be shared. Low calorie to boot.

She can also rejoice that she won't have to share the bacon itself.

I got a Bright Minds catalog in the post this morning. I wonder how long these companies keep us on their mailing lists after we've last ordered? Though I suppose some of us, like Xenia, are on round 2 of Xmas present buying for younglings.

Like the Bright Minds catalogue, I still get Amazon suggesting I'd like to by GCSE revision books. [cpnfused] Surely their algorithm tells them that if you bought GCSE guides in 2014 you'll be more likely wanting guides to fast hangover cures and recipes for pot noodles by 2017.

I feel like I've missed out by never seeing a bright minds catalogue .

DD told us she had a problem with a delivery this week. She hadn't changed her address on the website and it went to her year 2 house.

Remind your DC to change addresses on any online ordering.

I thought bright minds catalog was required reading. Honestly, there's probably stuff in it I DD would still quite like.

Never heard of Bright Minds

...another parenting fail.

Probably a budgetary win though.

I've never heard of Bright Minds either!

However, am hooked already as have a few young 'uns to buy for. 🙂

We relied on the Science Museum gift shop for those sorts of presents. Whilst the Wellcome Institute gift shop is brilliant for books and stocking fillers for aspiring medics.

About halfway through her first year DD announced that her friends had decided she was posh. Why...school? No. It was because she had never heard of Wilko. For the record there are no Wilko's in Central London. She is now a complete convert.

Catalogs were invented for those living in less civilised parts.

DD is also a wilko fan, that and Aldi.

Yse, do remind them to delete year 2 addresses on Amazon etc to ensure they don't accidentally send things there.

My son and his friend got access to their house yesterday. It smells a bit musty as no one has been living in it since their tenancy startedon 1 July but that will soon clear. He went out to Ikea with his friend and bought a lovely easy chair for his very large bed room and also moved the desk in the room to under the window and it all sounds fine. He picked up keys and I will post one to his other housemate today I think by special delivery.

His residents' parking permit had arrived at the house so he was able to stick that to the car and park outside although the 50 free visitor permits are with Roysal Mail and he suspects will be returned to sender as he will not be able to collect them in time - he goes there back finally around 20 Sept. Hopefully royla mail will hang on to them. It seems a bit strange they post the parking permit normal post to the bristol house (so he got that) but the council treats the other permits differently and requires them to be signed for. Anyway that' s just a minor thing.

I've not heard of the Bright Minds catalogue either.
The other twin seems to have arrived fine in Amsterdam and is home on Friday. His new corner desk comes on Thursday so hopefully he can get it all set up at the weekend with his other unit (this is at home - he has is switching bed rooms at home and the old desk was tiny and really hard to sit at with no space other thanf or the computer so as the twins plan to move home to study for 2 years in 2020 a new desk sounded like a good idea).

If the parking permit is specific to a car reg or individual, it probably has little monetary value whereas visitor permits do.

DDs visitor permits last year were hand delivered. Any resident can apply, you dont need a car. The same applies in London, though where we live you have to pay. They help as many pay and display spaces are limited to two or four hours. (And our parking restrictions are 7 days a week. Seeing the tow truck out is a regular Sunday treat!)

Thank you. That explains it.

He by the way just got back from the GP and has shingles. At least that explains the headaches and the new rash all one one side and tingling (not caused by eye strain at all although he did need the glasses so that was worth getting so may be that was two things - A&E the other week when the GP sent him there decided it was probably eye strain as all the other tests were negative and separately shingles now).

It was only a few months ago he had mumps. His immune system needs to be boosted somehow once he is over this.

At least he has this week and next week at home.

Poor lad, that's nasty.