Thread 47- Covid GCSE Cohort - Summer's running away from us!

[OrangeCinnamonLatte]

...it will be Christmas before we know it.

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). 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 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/parents_of_adult_children/4792342-thread-46-gcse-covid-cohort-searching-for-summer-solstice

Thanks @283nouveauxnoms @crazycrofter @Oblomov23 @Monkey2001 & @JustHereWithMyPopcorn re DDs house.

Nothing sorted yet, she is at her bfs house this weekend so I'm not sure where they are up to... Hopefully will hear something positive soon,
Worryingly the ones they were looking at have now disappeared off the website so not even sure if her friend and Mum went and looked at anything on Friday. There is the odd one being added every day - but to answer those that said hopefully cheaper - doesn't look like it sadly. The ones mentioned were around the same price pp pw but will get a bigger house with spare rooms.
They have paid a deposit which I believe one of the mums is working on getting back but again need DD to clarify that.

Re Cornwall, @Oblomov23 I'm not keen on Newquay myself but agree with Polzeath, it's been a while since going there so thanks for the reminder.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn where abouts in Cornwall are you? Can you let me know where you visit etc and what you think. Hope it stops raining for you, although I've already decided not matter what the weather we will still be going down to the beach at some point during the day for a swim and bodyboard. Will just have warm towel and clothes on hand for afterwards :-)

I meant to mention @Piggywaspushed, loved your DS's article, sounds like he has had a productive summer so far and has done really well. Has it finished now?

@Heifer were in north Cornwall, not too far from Bude. When the weather is good we’ll head to Bude beach or Widemouth Bay for a bit of surfing or bodyboarding for DS2 and DH - I’ll watch from the shore! Otherwise we’ll visit most of the well know towns down the coast Rock/Padstow (good to get a bike from Wadebridge and cycle the Camel trail to Padstow and reward ourselves with a nice lunch and ice cream. Don’t drive to Padstow, it’s a mare. Tintagel if you fancy a bit of Arthurian history but book in the summer. Port Issac if you like Doc Martin 😄, we’ve done some kayaking out of a small cove further south than here but can’t remember the name, I’ll ask DH. Also Eden if you’re into that kind of thing? Newquay just for a visit but I don’t like it that much.

Thanks @JustHereWithMyPopcorn that's really helpful. Would be interested to know the small cove. I seem to remember being disappointed with Tintagel but can't remember why. We will definitely go to Wadebridge & Padstow (quite local to us) and DH also mentioned he would like to go to Eden (again) I said I didn't think DD and her bf will be up for that and he reminded me about the zip wire etc so guessing they will be.. Not that it matters as we can do our own thing anyway. Wonder if worth venturing East as we do always seem to stay West side..

Seems some of you have been busy on the Higher education thread ;-) @piggy was very impressed how you handled yourself and calling people out, good for you. Also liked the back up from @crazycrofter & @Oblomov23 Nice to know that we have each others backs on here ;-)

I was supposed to be going to our boat in Beaumaris today but cancelled as it's so wet, instead watched the women's football, napped and tidied the bedroom (well not completely, but put a lot of stuff away).

Ha! Thanks heifer

#teamcovidcohort

DS has finished his work experience and had 8 stories published. Nice free labour for the paper 😉

He now needs to get a LinkedIn account and create a portfolio. On his to do list!

I was on that thread too, although I only posted once early on and didn't get stuck in, I was quietly cheering on the team.

Well, DS has also finished his work placement (6 weeks) he is going to carry on volunteering there a couple of days a week while he looks for some paid work. He has started with a new driving instructor here and driving most days with me too (I enjoy his company but it isn't exactly relaxing, I am a bit of a nervous passenger at the best of times). We went back to Cjrencester today for a day out (in the rain!) which was nice and got more driving practice done.

DD is working at weekends but not really enjoying it, so looking for something else, thinks she's possibly chosen a wrong A level (she's having a bit of tutoring in it to resit y12 exam in Sept), not sure what she wants to do uni-wise. She's going to do some work experience with DH but seems a bit lukewarm about that too (probably because it relates to the A level in question). Quite cheerful otherwise though. Hmmm.

DH and I have been googling trying to see if we recognise where it is but it was two years ago and we both clearly have terrible memories! It’s north of Padstow and a very long tight windy road down, there’s a small NT property there and there’s a barn/cafe thing on the windy road with amazing views. Helpful hey?! 😄

@EversoDetermined ds is also having A Level problems and we’ve realised he should probably have done RS instead of one of them.

Dd has realised she’d much rather do the joint honours Psychology and Philosophy course, as RS was always her best subject, she misses writing essays and hates all the stats/research methods. She’s sent an enquiry - but it probably doesn’t help that she’s still got to do half the year’s exams to see whether she can progress . We’re also trying to find out whether the joint course will be ok to go on to do an OT masters. There’s always something isn’t there?!

LinkedIn is definitely the way to go @Piggywaspushed , so much recruitment is done that way.

Is it the WIWIK thread? It’s a bit heated isn’t it!! I’m staying over here on the quiet and supportive side of MN.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn Ive just read your description out to DH who asked if it was Widegate?

No I think that’s on the south coastline, oh it’s going to bug me now!

@Heifer I think I’ve found it! Port Quin https://www.cornishcoastadventures.com/

I think this is the random barn cafe

Thanks @JustHereWithMyPopcorn i will take a look. Widemouth is just south of Bude.

Let me know if you go anywhere good or bad :-) hope the rains stops and the sun comes out

Fingers crossed!

The HE board seems pricklier than normal. There are a few regulars there that I can't quite work out! We've had a very quiet week, DD has been pursuing her own artistic projects for a bit in a low-key way, and we've all had coughs and colds to varying degrees.

DS(15) is now at a music camp for a few days, it's run by a music-teacher friend of ours, and they have a dozen kids (mostly her students) split between Classical and Jazz, staying at an activity centre in the Pennines. DS is one of the oldest there, he's been before and was looking forward to seeing the gang again (he's on the jazz side of things). He has a concert on Thursday lunchtime, then DW is scooping him up and driving him straight to France for his windsurfing championships. Hope that the logistics all work out...

I agree Photodad, one in particular threw me on last slightly chippy comments vs their usual rant on secure the best league table uni (subjective area in itself) that gives you access to high earning careers etc etc.

I am still rather proud of my in spite of 4 O levels only, managing to get on a grad programme which led to 25 plus years of decent employers and interesting industry sector roles. But they were different times.

I am just recovering from our last weekend away in Madrid that turned out to be a bit of a mercy mission. DD had had a set of bloods taken prior to leaving, which resulted in a do not fly directive until we had head MRI results back which we arranged in Spain. Without boring or too much detail, she will need an endocrinologist referral on return and has a small benign cyst on her pituitary gland, a common but needs monitoring size which accounts for a lot of her recent symptoms and behaviour. Kids…never cease to worry us!

@ealingwestmum Oh my goodness! Glad it's been found and hope it all proceeds well.

I’ve barely been on the HE board here, but have checked out the thread in question. Sigh. Very sucked in by one about MFL vs STEM, that’s making me sad that people are so convinced there’s no point in studying languages cos everyone speaks English and/or Duolingo is just fine. Ruling languages out because of year abroad costs is just heartbreaking too - no illusions about this however, 8 weeks working in the US has been expensive and a logistical headache, goodness knows what S Korea will be like.

I do find WIWIKAU has some similar attitudes, though more balanced out by the questions at the ‘what even is a university’ at the end of the scale.

I've made a bit of a friend on WIWIKAU, chatting about accommodation stuff for her DD who starts at my DD’s uni this year. She has another DD who’s just finished up at a FAR more prestigious establishment. She’ll quite often mention both in the same comment, and I suspect is doing it intentionally as a statement about RG vs the rest. Clearly very proud of both her girls.

That particular thread seems to have dried up. I did my best not to get involved (after I was sideswiped by a regular) and am generally trying to not to rise to things! But lots of support for those of you who were fighting the good fight.

Goodness that must have been a very scary conversation @ealingwestmum. So pleased to hear it is benign.

@ealingwestmum - how scary. Glad you are getting it sorted and hope your DD gets to see the endocrinologist soon.

Garden drama yesterday. A passing sparrowhawk tried to swoop on our birds having their lunch. V impressive to watch in a town garden but the blackbirds are going to need counselling ...

Ealing I’m so sorry to hear about your DD. Great that it has been caught and can be monitored but worrying for you all.

re the MFL thread - there is one poster with very firm views about engineering and always making v confident statements about all kinds of engineering, what to sturdy, where to study, what employers are looking for, how certain graduates are less good than others etc. noticed a few years ago that all these views were formed on the basis that her DH is an engineer - she is not! A bit wierd in itself. But I assumed that she must have some stem background herself. But no, she has revealed today she never went to uni at all. Still has firm views on MFL v stem degrees though 🫣

@Delphigirl Actually, to be fair, that poster says sensible and well-informed things about 80% of the time (I'm on lots of threads with her). Which makes the other 20% all the more surprising!

Really?

You may not have been here long enough. As DH would say ...could start a fight in an empty house.