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.

Ds is supposed to have a hospital consultant mentoring him through his hospital placement. He's met him twice for a matter of seconds. Last week he was supposed to have a mid placement review which involved various forms needing to be filled in (to say if he's doing ok and what further experience he needs.) Ds says the group waited for an hour, the guy popped his head round the door said Is everyone Ok? Any problems? Great. Got to go. Bye!

Welcome to the wonderful over-stretched world of the NHS, ds! He's now left with his forms unfilled and no evidence that he's done anything on his placement and too over-awed by the consultant to ask. He said friends in other hospitals have had much more structured support. At least it's teaching ds to use his initiative and find his own stuff to do!

This reminds me of my 2nd teaching practice in Jan/Feb 1987.
I met my mentor when I visited the school for a pre-practice briefing. She told me she hated the kids, hated the school, hated teaching and took as much time off as she could get away with and not to expect to see much of her.
I naively thought it was just her sense of humour, and that it was some kind test of my response. Needless to say she was true to her word and I barely saw her for the whole time I was there.
I got a really good report at the end where it was acknowledged I'd worked well under my own initiative and had actually covered some lessons of my absentee mentor.

DS2 has had a good experience with his tutors at Birmingham but some of his friends at other unis haven't been as fortunate. It's a shame that it's so hit and miss.

Kind of test, not kind test.

DD1 is now home again after her jaunts around NW Europe. She spent a week working in Manchester for a company in the field she thinks she'd like to go into. They gave her a case to work on that they had already done the groundwork on, to see if she came to the same conclusions and when she met with them on Friday, she had thought of an extra reason for whatever it was that they hadn't, so brownie points to her. They criticised her report-writing because it was a bit too "English Lit A level style" & flowery. Apparently scientists use simpler language. DD remarked that Cambridge seemed quite happy with it and they laughed. She has spent this week sorting her stuff out and helping DD2 who heads off this weekend. She's also done loads of washing and cleaning (admittedly lots of the washing was hers but she did all of it) so the place looks a bit better. Only 10 days til both are gone...

It's a strange feeling as you head towards them all being away after years of parenting. Our DCs were quite worried about how we'd cope, but we've managed just fine! It's surprising how quickly you adapt to a new normal and then, before you know it, they're home for a weekend visit and somehow that just seems normal too.

I was at college during the days of just landlines and my dad used to take bets with my mum about how long it would be before the phone would be ringing when I went home for a weekend.

We had a nice surprise yesterday morning when DS2 phoned to wish his dad a happy birthday. He's sent him a parcel of Australian goodies including Tim Tams.

@latedecember1963 that's a lovely surprise. Australia seems so far away!

Yes, it was lovely to hear from him. It's strange with the distance element as it doesn't feel so different to him being in Birmingham. I find it hard to comprehend a distance of 10,000 miles! We keep in touch every few days via WhatsApp messages as we have for the last 2 years. The main difference is he used to phone us most weeks whereas yesterday was only the 2nd call in 2 months but we know he'd phone more if he needed to. He also keeps in touch with his brother and his Oma.

Had to Google Tim Tams, they look good!

DS is starting to get his stuff together to go back at the weekend.

I'm looking forward to seeing their house. I imagine things like carbon monoxide detectors are mandatory, yes? Is there anything else he (first house share) or I need to be aware of? Gas certs etc?
Any tips gladly received. 🙂

DD is packing up now. She's going back tomorrow with DH. She started thinking about what she was taking today of course. I'm sure it will all be fine. It's the first time I haven't taken her back, because I'm working.

DS is home for a flying visit tonight for the single reason that we are collecting a new kitten tomorrow and he wants to meet his new fur sibling. He seems pretty exhausted but is flat out on the sofa, headphones on writing up some case notes.

Latedecember, your ds's Tim Tams reminded me of our trip to Oz and an entire aisle in the supermarket devoted exclusively to Tim Tams. Has your ds introduced you to the Tim Tam Slam yet?

It was my turn to google to find out what a tim tam slam is. I can see it becoming a thing at family parties.😁
Hope all goes well with the new kitten. 🐱

My twins drive back to Bristol this morning with a busy term ahead. They seem to be really happy so that's good and we had no guest in my house last night (just one of their friends over here for part of the day).

She's going in to year 3 with much less stuff apparently. Minimalist she said. I'm sure this is more than she took in year 1 🤣. Now to get it in the car.

I'm off to google the Tim tam slam now.

No idea what Tim Tams are!

I hope the fur siblings got on. I dont know if other Universities have the same, but I can sometimes be found lurking on the Brispets Fb page. Cheering on one level, but sad that DD does not have any pet pictures to post. (DD and I have failed to persuade DH that we need a dog on our lives.)

DDs extraordinarily long term will roll on from the start of September till just before Christmas. She is lucky, in that for her the main impact seems to be no time for the traditional medic pre-Christmas ski trip. (The dates for the main University one dont seem to work either.) However others are apparently struggling to stretch maintenance loans designed for 10 weeks, to last 15 or 16, with little scope to get a part time job. DD is expert at cooking up a cheap risotto so ought to be popular in the run up to Christmas.

Don't forget to post the obligatory kitten photo Haff! 😻

Packing not started here...

That quantity of stuff looks a bit more than one of my twins' had. The other one didn'thave too much as he left most of it in Bristol over the summer.

I know mine arrived safely as one asked for money for his lunch - I pay for food in the university holidays so as they are great negotiators they take that to mean until the second they arrive back and for the other one the car was too full (they drove themselves to Bristol) to do a shopping trip with me beforehand so apparently that is due too. Anyway at least they got there by lunch time. I hope the parking permit is working out and they didn't have too far to walk to the house etc and I know they had to mvoe the house TV from twin 1 to twin 2's house (1 kept it for them over the summer at his flat).

So all sent for year 3 term 1 when they are supposed to be making job application - and if they don't they may end up working for me which surely is a fate worse than death.

Definitely need to see the cute piccies!

One very tired and emotional boy.

And that's just ds

Aw. That reminds me of our cats. Lovely photo

Awww, so sweet! 🐾

Aww, what a sweetie pie. 😍

Well it took me a while but I finally tracked you all down and caught up with what your DCs have been doing over the summer.

Needmoresleep - we've been trying to pin down the plumber for a month, if your DD is passing through London, maybe she could fix this missing part?!

Xenia, are your two applying for law?

DS went back yesterday as he has a random lecture on Wednesday, even though this is welcome week. He is thinking of job-dodging for another year by applying for a Masters.

Good luck to all - I can't believe this is their final year! Apart from those doing Medicine I mean

Mine is only half way through as it's an integrated masters anyway. She reckons a lot of her friends in other courses want to stay and do masters - I think for some it's also an extra undergrad year MSci.

We spent last week in the Peak District which although quite close we'd somehow never really been to before. Excellent weather, and Chatsworth had a special exhibition 'The Dog'.

I wonder what career paths might link medicine and DIY?
Implant surgery, which I guess in the future may increasingly have electronic components?

Welcome back ono.

And yes, there are good (selfish) reasons why I am encouraging her DIY interest. Though last week was a new lesson. The dashboard on her small but shiney car suggested she had a flat tyre when she was on a placement somewhere near Wookey Hole. (She has consistently vetoed a trip to Wookey Hole when I have visited, so now taunts me when she has a placement nearby.) The time honoured trick of kicking the wheels did not work so she took it to a garage in her lunch break. The mechanics were great, checked each tyre in a water bath, and generally gave the car a once over. Then did not charge her. I had to explain that this works when you are 21, but not forever.

And I think Errol is right about the area of medicine DD would like to end up in. She had a bit of a wobble around A level time over engineering or medicine, and now has her hopes pinned on a particularly interesting intercalation. So like others, we face application nerves all over again.

In the meantime more kitten pictures places.

please..not places.