2017 seems so long ago, now they're fledgling graduates.

[latedecember1963]

4 years since A Levels and the wait for August and confirmation of where our chicks were about to fly the nest to.
It's been 4 years that has sprung a few surprises along the way, not least this lovely series of threads.

The concept of an 'Easter break' seems to be entirely absent from our discussions!

I now have both twins home. Their law exams (finals for this one year course) start at the end of next week so they will definitely not be doing much except work over the Easter weekend. The exams are on about 4 or 5 consecutive days into the following week and then they have until about 19 April to finish course work and that is it. They were saying last night it was actually quite good to have it all over in April and be free until September.

Glad you got the vaccine Malbec. I think half the country now has antibodies including those who have had CV19. I have seen my grandchildren twice (for about 4 hours) since Dec 2019 so hopefully there will be some chance to see them at Easter and they should be at my other daughter's church wedding (the one without a reception and with 13 guests) in April which will be the first time I have been with my children and grandchildren all together since Christmas 2019.

DD called tonight, seems in quite good spirits. They're being consulted in some way about possibilities for graduation, it seems parents may have to make do with live streaming though possibly colleges might have the parents in their grounds for the screening and a garden party ... obviously the uni/colleges can't make firm plans yet.

She and her housemate have somehow acquired a dog to take for walks, belonging to a lady with a medical problem who therefore can't walk it enough - seems like a mutually beneficial agreement, she sent a picture of her and her bestie and the dog all with big smiles.

Errol - glad your DD has a dog as company. It’s been a benefit of working from home having our dog and cat sitting with me whilst I work. Both have joined a couple of zoom calls with colleagues and clients. Don’t think the dog has ever had so many walks with DS at home from Uni.

Are they dog walking for The Cinnamon Trust @ErrolTheDragon? I'm a volunteer for them & it's such a worthwhile charity. Unfortunately the dog I was walking had to be pts at Xmas 😥 & currently no dog needing to be walked in my area - I really miss my little canine friend but have remained in contact with her owner & if she gets another, she's asked if I will walk again for her.

DS is currently prepping 2 assignments, due in on Tuesday & is meeting outside with a couple of friends later.
I'm really pleased he's catching up with them, as he hasn't seen them since Sept!

I'm not sure how they hooked up with the dog, we wondered if the uni had a scheme but it might be CT or ad hoc. Our dog has just turned 15 and doesn't do long walks any more, we ought to investigate Cinnamon Trust ourselves.

It's well worth doing, I hope I get another to walk soon. 🙂

DS is practicing a presentation very loudly in the study , two assignments due in Easter Sunday which seems a bit unfair! Lovely to have him home - and DN who can't travel abroad to her family so is here for her Easter break and some dental work . She's wearing DDs clothes around the house abs as DD is stuck in Dublin for Easter is freaking us out every time I see her as they look alike too.

Happy Easter everyone. Hope you enjoyed the chocolate and chance to meet up with friends and family.
We’ve had a miracle! When DD finished her degree last summer she said she was never studying anything ever again or even opening a book. School and Uni was for her the social event. Even from age 11 her phone would start ringing early with calls from friends to discuss the boys in their class, where to go at the weekend and what they should wear to school.( DT’s went to a non uniform school and boys and girls usually wore jeans and a hoodie).
She has surprised us all by signing up for a 12 month post grad qualification starting this September which she will do whilst working full time so an ambitious task. Apparently this qualification will enable her to act as a conference translator and candidates with it are sought after. Perhaps she has grown up after all!

Happy Easter to you too @Parker231. Your dd's plans sounds great and will give her ongoing options for an interesting career that might give her the fun social element too. We're quietly crossing our fingers that our ds1 has been through a similar miraculous conversion. He also declared he'd never study again or work anywhere except a supermarket but he's now applying for some pretty serious jobs and post grad courses in science.
We had a lovely Easter with glorious walks, grandparents and chocolate cake in the garden and both galumphing adult sons decided they weren't too old for Easter egg hunts so set each other hunts complete with rhyming clues and prizes at each stage.

DD was home for Easter. She did an Easter egg hunt, but wouldn't let me film her 🤣. She forgot to take her big egg back with her, so we've promised not to eat it.

SMaCM - are you to be trusted with a big Easter egg!

That reminds me when m y youngest won the nursery school giant Easter egg prize aged about 3 and I ate most of it ( so save him from death by sugar).. they never let me forget that.

All well here. The grandchildren did an Easter egg hunt in the garden outside on Sunday. Both twins recorded their oral exam today and submitted it. Fitting in the time but not speaking too quicikly was hard. They only discovered after that the words you say are then reproduced as text on the left side for the marker who then presumably is saved having to listen to your whole 20 minutes in your suit, jacket and tie outfit trying to pretend to be a real lawyer.

I feel l like I have been running an exam centre for 2 days, seeing random notices up asking for silence people put up, not being able to flush the loo, told not to walk heavily upstairs.

Tomorrow's exam is not spoken and is just typed on line so not so bad although one twin says if he hears a single thing like a door close his concentration goes. Then I hd a session last night and today ordering with each of them what is left for their sister's wedding. I have bought them a new suit each (as it is not a morning dress wedding as only 13 guests) so that should come in for work (if people ever work in law offices again in suits). Whether the one who ordered today gets his before the wedding is another thing. I wanted them ordered weeks ago.

Hair cuts will be their next job - hopefully booking for late next week after the exams early next week and before the wedding.

How exciting @Xenia! I haven't even tried to book a haircut. Well done to @Parker231's DD and @Haffdonga's DS too.

DD1 was home for a week which was lovely. I took her back on Saturday then went on to collect DD2. Their unis are only 70 miles apart so although the triangular trip is just over 500 miles, it's one long trip, a nice medium one then a less long one home again. She had to self-isolate but the porters in her college managed to get her an additional test on Monday meaning she was released yesterday. Her bf is there now too so she's happy. She was interviewed about a month ago for a job. The results finally came in last week. She was unsuccessful but the feedback was brilliant. It turned out that the company was looking for a life sciences specialist; had it been DD's specialism of materials science, they said the job would be hers, so at least she knows that she has the requisite interview skills. Now it's full steam ahead towards the PhD I think.

DD2 is very different. She's good fun to have around but I can feel an argument is brewing. It doesn't help that we have very similar personalities (2 Aries) and she is hopeless at making decisions. She should hear by the end of the month whether or not her year abroad will be going ahead so I suspect that is stressing her out. She is planning to be here until the beginning of May.

In other news, I am FINALLY taking my dad home next week, some 13 months after he came to shield. He had 2 weeks at home in the summer before coming back for DD1's 21st and then as Covid rates rose, stayed here so we could shield him. He had his 2nd dose of vaccine 3 weeks ago and rates have fallen dramatically in his local area. He misses his friends and siblings and his inability to plan ahead or listen to things is a whole extra layer of stress I simply cannot handle any more, along with his need for the Daily Telegraph in paper format when we live in an area with no deliveries. So I'll drive up one day, probably stay over there, then return here the following day.

Right, I'd better start doing some marking. I have more than 20 Extended Projects that need the interviews writing up and then the whole thing marking. I can't really procrastinate any more...

We didn't do an Easter egg hunt here, they did receive some eggs though. 🙂 Last year we did a virtual one via video call and I ate them (Cadbury's Creme Eggs) - not all at once I hasten to add! 😆

DS2 submitted 2 assignments yesterday & now has 3 weeks off, so I'm looking forward to him being available to go for walks with, etc. He doesn't move much from his room/desk when it's term time unfortunately.

I'm also hoping he can get his washing mountain cleared whilst he's 'off'. 🤞

Glad to see other people's exams/courses are going well. 👍

@Parker231

SMaCM - are you to be trusted with a big Easter egg!

DH has hidden it from me at my request 🤣

Just enjoyed catching up with everyone's news. It sounds like things on the whole are going as smoothly as possible considering the current circumstances.
The last few weeks here have been a blur of recovering from the 1st vaccine, work and looking after parents.
DS2 decided not to come home for Easter as he wanted to crack on with assignments and revision. We had a family Zoom call on Monday where he introduced us to a game called Among Us which was good fun.
Hair cuts have become a bit of a bone of contention. DH keeps muttering about the fact DS2 last had a haircut in July just before he left Adelaide. He's been such an easy child if this is his only rebellion I think we've got off lucky!
DS1 got so fed up with his hair a few weeks ago he took clippers all over it. Unfortunately he didn't warn his fiancee in advance ( I suspect it was done on impulse) and when he walked into the bedroom she apparently screamed thinking an intruder had got in the house.
Glad the wedding plans are coming together, Xenia. Safe journey with your dad, Malbecfan.

Hairdressers - have an appointment for next Wednesday! Am on a countdown. Have very thick, very curly hair which is usually cut every six weeks. Was tempted to cut it myself but didn’t know where to start as it’s gone so wild. Have also booked a facial and massage- not much work will be getting done next week!

That sounds blissful, Parker.

DD has got the signed job contract back at last so we cracked open the champagne we've been saving for some auspicious occasion.

Congrats to your DD (and yourself & DH) @ErrolTheDragon. 🙂 Exciting times for her!

Congratulations and enjoy the champagne!

Well done on the job contract.
On the Daily Telegraph father it took me until about 3 years ago to give up the paper Financial Times I had had delivered since 1985. (I now read the pdf every day). It was quite hard to give it up and a bit of a shame.

Meanwhile here all is well. The twins continue law exams next week - they are on consecutive days last week and this other than the weekend but last they finish next week other than course week due on 19th and then they can relax until their September LPC course.

The wedding is now on the day of the royal funeral - you just wonder what else can go wrong.... given the March wedding date had to be changed because the Government guidance was wrong - it originally by mistake said weddings were allowed again from 6 March and they means 29 March. Anyway I don't think we need to wear black or mourning arm bands and the funeral is in Windsor not London so I think we the chosen - i call us the disciples as we are the 13 permitted guests, who are not even allowed by law to sing the hymns as that breaches the legislation....... 12 apostles but there was 13 - Judas -I will not be suggesting any of us 13 as Judas anyway....

Surely it will go ahead fine and over in just over a week's time after the longest wedding ban I believe since the 1500s in England. The sisters of bride and groom are each doing a reading. The rules of the state say people have to speak in very low voices so not much spit comes out yet we are a family of public speakers. Presumably you can say your wedding vows audibly?

Let us hope we can get rid of these mandatory rules at some point and return to freedom even if that be freedom to catch flu, covid, TB and all the rest....... The couple's next challenge is their 17 May trip abroad.... I think it is to an amber country not green and it would be too expensive to switch. Anyway that's not a priority. As long as they can get married I will be content.

Surely they have to be allowed to say their vows loudly / clearly enough for at least the celebrant and two witnesses to hear them...

@ErrolTheDragon great news ! And Xenia your daughter's wedding story will Be epic in a few years time