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

@Monkey2001 Yes, it is a gamble. I think we should start having the conversations with him about how much he really wants it to become all-consuming.

@Heifer Oooh, how lovely to meet someone who knows about windsurfing! Is your international windsurfer at the Junior/Youth stage, or in the adult categories? If the former, DS has probably met them at various national competitions (and might be a team-mate at the T293 Junior Worlds)!

The thing is that the 16+ racing classes have now all switched from using RS:X kit to IQFoil (following the new Olympic class), and because it's so new, there's no second-hand equipment around yet. He loves windsurfing, and is getting into foiling, and enjoys the racing side; but he is also very academic (not normally a problem) and can see the argument for focusing on his studies for the next few years. As you say, I think it's got to be all or nothing (as far as national squads go, obviously he could still compete). Good idea about Wales (or Scotland, in our case); something to look into, maybe!

I miss my musical Samsung! My new one just bleeps ferociously at me.

It's tight when they're also academic. Another friends dd was amazing at swimming and won everything she entered, but at 15 gave it all up to focus on exams. She's now at medical school. I do think that all the early mornings did help her though at being organised, determined etc.

Tough not tight.

@PhotoDad I think as your DS is academic, A levels plus competing will be doable if he is truly committed. Don't know any windsurfers but DS does know a couple of high flying tennis players and one who made U18 England hockey squad. He just needs to accept the price is the other hobbies will have to go. Then he can revisit the decision in a couple of years with greater insght. The kit may be super expensive but presumably it will nearly hold its value if there is no second hand market yet? A pp mentioned sponsorship and that is worth pursuing. DS and mates found a hockey company that gave them all a hefty discount even though they were only county level. All about building the relationship early 😉

Don’t know anything about windsurfing or elite sport but those washing machines - great till you forget you’ve paused it, if you pause ours for more than 5 mins it switches off completely and then when you re-start it it bases the timing on the weight of the now-wet load and takes 2.5 hours instead of about an hour.

@ExtremelyDetermined Eeek!

It's those "I'll just pause it and go and grab the handtowel from the downstairs loo" then getting distracted en route moments. Ours is an LG. It also has a fairly fine cut off with the weight sensor thing, if you overload it it takes 2.5 hours as well. Otherwise its great!

I haven’t been around for ages but have enjoyed catching up on how everyone’s doing.

I’ve had more than enough of the washing machine this weekend and it’s beeps & chirps.

I picked up DS & most of his stuff last weekend (he went back & cleaned & brought the rest back mid week).

Saturday we collected DD. Oh my word! So much stuff. She has an obsession with throws & cushions & frankly they all needed a wash.

Both have enjoyed year 1. Can’t believe it’s flown by!

Posting this for fun: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/OrysVE9x2YI

I'm in Nottingham, at the Orchard Hotel which is right next to Rutland, with my mum, for Ds1's baptism which was very beautiful and made me cry.

Cake

@Oblomov23 Fab cake! Glad it was a lovely day.

That is lovely @Oblomov23 , which character on the cake is meant to be him? Looks like there is a doctor and a swimmer, don't know how a budding accountant would be represented!

Fab cake @Oblomov23

DS finally has a student support plan in place! Better late than never. He can now have extra time in exams, rest breaks, small exam rooms, deadline extensions etc etc. He could have done with this at school - he never finished an exam. He's also going to get extra support organising his year abroad which we didn't ask for but will be very much appreciated. The plan will also be passed on to the French university. He's still dreading his exam results in July but at least something is in place for the resists.

This is good Mummy.

Monkey he's the 2nd. Medic, then ds1 who got sunburnt this week when they all went to watch cricket, the weightlifter, the swimming drummer.

Took 6 hours to get home from Nottingham, left at 7am. M1 closed. Sat stationary for over an an hour. Moved to A1M. Stationary over an hour. Nearly 6 hours later... phew.

Love the cake @Oblomov23 - glad it was a lovely occasion. Sorry to hear about the traffic. We had a good run to Nottingham and back last night.

@mummyinbeds I might need to pick your brains about how your ds/you got all that sorted, as dd really needs some support (and was supposed to look into it last week, but spent all her time socialising/clubbing!).

What a fantastic cake, @Oblomov23!

@crazycrofter it was surprisingly easy in the end. The hardest part was getting DS to take the evidence form to the GP to get it completed.

Is everyone home from Nottingham now? Just watching the news.

I think all our Notts people are home now? Dd came back on Sunday and is off to Morocco today. Scary stuff, as some of her friends are still there and have been out on the town every night.

Just awful and scary what happened

DS is still in Nottingham, totally oblivious to the news. I just woke him up.

@mummyinbeds at least you know he is ok.

Really hoping it's not students that have been found dead, but the bodies were found in Ilkestone Rd. DD's house for next year is literally a side street off there so definitely student quarter, in the Lenton triangle. Apparently another road has now been cornered off and 2 women taken away by the police (Sky news).

@heifer DS's house for next year is pretty close to there too. Scary stuff.