Thread 46 - GCSE Covid Cohort , Searching for Summer Solstice

[OrangeCinnamonLatte]

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). 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, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

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. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Be warned there might be lots of 'Uni Freshers' chat this time of year. My experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and advice to be had.

Previous Thread

Sorry to hear about exam stress @omnishambles

This flew over our house yesterday before landing in the wood next to us. It was chased in by a red kite. We had about 12 red kites circling us yesterday.

DS played college cricket last week for the first time which he enjoyed. He has picked next year's modules and is going to Rome for a night with course friends after teaching ends and before the ball just for a night. He's never been away without us before so big step! Going to see something archaeological.

Glad you had a better journey back @PhotoDad

@estherfrewen we've had a heron before now in our garden trying to steel the fish. They are amazing to look at but can be annoying when you have a pond of fish.

We get lots of hares round here in the arable fields. I walked right past a leveret recently, it was laying really still beside the footpath in long grass, hoping to not be noticed, even my 2 dogs walked right past.

We have a pond and is dearly love a heron to take the fish … we’re decommissioning it later in the year and finding someone to take the fish is going to be a PITA. But we’ve only seen a heron once and it was such a surprise! That’s a really really big bird to see just standing there in your suburban garden.

DD is in Paris. Flew on Saturday, did very little yesterday (made beans on toast 😂) but has made it to the major sights today.

We’ve got a small hiccup moving her out, in that the storage place is only open 10-1 on Saturday and 11-1 on Sunday; and unlike eg Big Yellow there’s no out of hours access. So we’ll need to adjust our very vague plans.

We have a pond and is dearly love a heron to take the fish … we’re decommissioning it later in the year and finding someone to take the fish is going to be a PITA. But we’ve only seen a heron once and it was such a surprise! That’s a really really big bird to see just standing there in your suburban garden.

Try cleaning it so they can see the fish?
Dm had a friend who moved into a new house with an overgrown garden. She was delighted to find a pond hidden under the undergrowth, and spent one Saturday cleaning it thoroughly, and was even more delighted to find fish in the pond.
Early Sunday morning she woke up to see a heron who also clearly until that moment had been unaware of the fish in the pond, but was equally delighted, for a different reason.

In our town centre there is an artificial pond owned by the council. They normally restock the fish about 1-2 times a year. This occasion is marked by a heron who takes up residence on the building next to the pond for about a week.

Sorry to hear of exam stress Omni.
Ds1 had his 1st exam today, the most difficult, 1 of 5.

@PhotoDad you've been to my neck of the woods :-) it is indeed "on the Wirral" and not in Wirral, not sure why though ....

Agreed Port Sunlight is lovely and I have to admit to visiting about 2 years ago going to Lady Lever gallery despite living here for almost 17 years! I could have spend a whole weekend there, such an eclectic mix of art and items to see.

Glad you're trip home was ok.

DD now revising which is good considering first exam is 30th May with 3 others the week after... I'm having to bit my tongue re workload as she has scored 75% on a lot of her tests during the year so is obviously doing well so hopefully knows what she is doing. She will be very pleased when exams are out of the way and she can forget about it all. Her bf and friends all finished weeks ago.

I really hope DD decides to go back to uni to take her 1st exam as it's online she can do it at home, but all I can think about is the stress! what happens if we lose wifi etc. would much prefer her to be at Nottingham so it's there problem and lots of others would be affected too :-)

Exams following week have to be at uni so she will def have to go back then. Then final one is online but again hoping she stays and comes home after.

Love the photos @PhotoDad your DS and DD are both very talented.

The Wirral was great to visit, @Heifer! And I love grey herons (and their relatives, the egrets).

DS is halfway through GCSEs now (12 down, 12 to go). But the big news is that DD has landed an illustration summer job, working for her uni drawing stuff for a new online module (working from home, but available during office hours on Teams)! She decided to do it as one month full-time (they also offered the option of two months half-time). Not only is it paid, it will also look good on CV/portfolio when she comes to apply for year-long placements. We're all pleased as punch.

DS is 10 hours into a 24 hour law exam and has so far completed one question out of three. I wish he was at home @Heifer so I could keep prodding him and providing snacks. I can see him taking the whole 24 hours at this rate. And he has an in person exam tomorrow 😱
DD's A levels are going okayish apparently. Politics and Harry Styles tomorrow - she's currently asleep.

Well done @PhotoDad DD. That's great news

Ds’s last assignment is due in mid day tomorrow. It’s a 1000 word analysis. He is finding it easier than the last written work thankfully.

@mummyinbeds ds1 had a 24 hour exam for his biology degree. It took him almost the full 24 hours to complete!

I had 8 hour exams, 24 hour exams and a 72 hour exam!

That is good news Photo!

Ugh so 1 down and 4 to go I think. I think I would be less stressed if DS actually followed any advice given and spoke to tutor etc.

Still what can I do from here. And enjoy the heron chat (which I am!)

That made absolutely no sense! I'm enjoying the heron chat!

24 hour exams are an evil concept @icanbewhatiwant He has another one this week too.

OMG @Piggywaspushed 72 hours!!!!!

@PhotoDad The Northumberland County Show - on this Saturday- is a good day out.
Huge congratulations to mini photo!
@estherfrewen what a fabulous end to year one for your DS!
In our’ news, DD has somehow managed to secure her ‘most desired’ second year accommodation - against all odds! 🤣
Sunday, for me, was spent reading her texts about how the room ballot was going- what had gone etc- whilst grappling with my small but shockingly overgrown garden…

@DontCallMeBaby i hadn’t thought about using a storage facility 🤔 is that just for uni stuff for the summer?

I don’t hear much from DS anymore, he seems happy but I’ve no idea how’s he getting on with actual uni work. I know he doesn’t have any exams though just essays.

Great news on the job front @PhotoDad that sounds right up her street.

Loving the heron tales. We went to a heronry and it was amazing what little twiggy branches they chose to build their nests upon. Precarious.

Congrats to min Photo on the job.

DS finished his last exam today. All online and with 24 hour windows. He's going back to uni on Friday to socialise.

@MargaretThursday they’ve evolved, the little sods - they’re goldfish but most of them are black, so remarkably well camouflaged! They also hide when anyone or anything goes near, which has served them well in nine years of sharing a garden with our cats plus visitors.

@Fiddlersgreen yep, for uni stuff for the summer. Kitchen stuff, plus the storage bits we bought her to make her room more practical. It’s fairly cheap, and a good alternative to hauling it all down the M5/M6 and having to find somewhere for it all to live for four months.

@Heifer I've never thought about the whole ' on the Wirral' rather than in, it's now got me thinking!! I can't think of anywhere else that's on rather than in? We do say it's on Merseyside but wouldn't say it's on Yorkshire/ Cumbria/ Essex etc?
Great news for your dd @PhotoDad. How did your ds find chemistry today - is he combined or triple science?

On Merseyside is because its a river? We also say on Clydeside , on Tyneside etc.

Is The Wirral viewed a bit like an island? So like on The Isle of Man?

Think people say 'on The Lizard'