Dad, that made me laugh! Thanks for that!
Hoghyni, I'm glad your DD has such good pastoral care at her college and also access to lots of lovely libraries. She's doing amazingly well coping without her family at a time of bereavement and that's so much to be managing along with everything else. It puts things in perspective for those not facing that kind of additional challenge and you must be very proud of her for showing such courage.
Hobbema, your DT1 seems to have a very supportive and sociable household with their film nights. What a very creative idea!
DS2 is having a brilliant time, with a good group of new friends and working in a selection of different libraries around O, often more than one a day. He's getting through copious amounts of work, goes for very long runs each day and is often the first up and out in the morning in his college, which he likes. He really thrives on being very busy and is still managing to do choir at his college which is apparently 'educational' and participating online in lots of other societies. The food is apparently excellent in his college and he describes enormous meals plus gets takeaway food and hot drinks on his way to and from various libraries.
I think it's partly because DS2 is having a 'peak experience' time at O that DS1, by contrast, has focused - with hyperbole - on his very 'different' experience at C but when pushed, he says he's also having a very good time overall. He's discovered that if the fire doors are shut, along his corridor, the night-time noise is much less, although he still doesn't want to report anyone for the noise. He likes to 'fit in' and is fairly easy going and unassuming and won't want to cause any problems.
Ofteninaspin, he doesn't really have any contact with his tutor who he only met briefly online for a few minutes at the start of term and again, he won't want to say anything about noise or the 'different' supervision method he's experiencing. He's not unhappy at all, just having a different kind of experience at his college, so far, to the one he'd hoped for and expected at C. He's very very pleased that his brother is so happy however and tends to 'put himself down' in order to 'big up' his bro.
Neither wants to Skype or talk on the telephone and DS2 says he's far too busy for that kind of thing! This seems like a good sign. DS1, who injured his leg on his first run after coming out of isolation, is still managing to go on walks - usually calling in for takeaway hot drinks and food at cafes too - and whilst he seems more isolated than DS2, managed a brief get-together with some old school friends also at C, just before lockdown.
DS1's the most easily sociable one of my DCs and I hope that in time, if things can become a bit more normal at some point across the next few years, he'll get the chance to find some proper friends at C. He enjoyed a face to face supervision outside in the college grounds the other day and although it was very cold by the end, he said face to face contact made all the difference.