Thread 49 - Covid GCSE Cohort - The nights are drawing in...

[OrangeSpicedBun]

Autumn 🍂 well and truly underway, has been chilly this week !

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 :

www.mumsnet.com/talk/parents_of_adult_children/4880640-thread-48-covid-gcse-cohort-summer-before-year-2-uni?latest=1

Don't know how I missed the new thread but glad to have found you all (with a slight name change because I think DD caught sight of the old one and I had a bit of a panic). MN were very good and changed all my previous posts to this name.

Sorry to hear about your FIL piggy and congrats to your DS for that brilliant article, you could never tell it wasn't written by a seasoned professional journo.

Also I am flabbergasted at what's happening to your DS, I hope he is ok and not too stressed by it all.

Also hoping your DD is ok Paddington and will soon find a new path. I am in Y4 of a p-t OU degree at the moment and enjoying it. Happy to answer any questions but it's not music and I think the finance is different here in Wales.

DS seems fine, he's typically monosyllabic on messages but coming home at the weekend for reading week so I will grill him then.

Another younger DD with suspected ADHD here, she had her first appointment today and seems much more positive about it all, the consultant was lovely. She has been very stressed with UCAS stuff lately but on half term now and currently at the 3rd of 4 halloween parties 😱

Sorry for the loss of your FIL @Piggywaspushed

Sorry to hear about your FIL @Piggywaspushed

I'm currently renewing car insurance. Amazingly ours is about the same price as last year for me, DH and an 18 and 19 year old and a lot less than what I'm reading on here. Cheapest quote is around £750 which didn't seem too bad last year when DD was using the car almost daily but with them both away it's seems a lot more than the £230 for just me and DH. So I'm leaving them off for now and will see how being a taxi driver again goes 🫤

I've managed to manufacture a work trip to North Wales on Friday so I'm coming back via Aber to see DD. It didn't look too far out of the way on the map but like everywhere to Aberystwyth, it's over two hours drive 🤦 I'm not even looking at the weather forecast between now and then. She's asked me to take her big coat, the one she definitely didn't need. She's not enjoying the wind and rain in the west of Wales poor thing 🤣

So sorry to read of your loss Piggy and family.

Very sorry to hear of your loss, Piggy. I hope you all have fond memories to see you through the sad days ahead. X

Sorry for your loss @Piggywaspushed

Well that's radiotherapy finished thankfully. Feel a bit rubbish but after effects generally start now so will be taking it easy for a few weeks and then hopefully that's it. My very very DM died of cancer four years younger than I am now so am a bit paranoid. Not breast cancer but still it makes me a bit aware of my own mortality!

Had a lovely unexpected facetime from DS last night. He and his friend who is a girl (!) had gone to the college halloween formal as a milk bottle (DS) and a cookie. He has started rowing this term and was up at 6 20 today so all seems good. I think next year will be an odd one for him as a few friends are abroad and his is a three year course. He has said he may stay an extra year which I think might be good for him if we can afford it!

Good to hear you’re taking some time off Craggy, hope you start to feel like yourself very soon. I get your comments about mortality; my father died at the age of 39 but we do break hereditary patterns - you’ve done so well to crack on like you have.

@ealingwestmum gosh that is young - very sad. My family is either young or reach 100 - am hoping I am more the latter!

Good to hear you're on the other side of treatment, Craggy. Your stoicism has been nothing short of amazing!

Well wishes and rest to you @craggyrat at the end of the radiotherapy part.

@craggyrat glad to hear that you're through the radio therapy, you're right to take it easy for a bit and let your body recover.

Is you DS a newbie to rowing? My DS2 rows and loves it. He's not bad but not outstanding at it but I think it's fabulous for his physical and mental health (maybe not so much the ergs as the river!) I hope if he goes to uni that he'll be able to carry on rowing but thought it might only be for those super competitive rowers.

@craggyrat glad to read that part over for you now echoing wishes for restorative rest.

Milk bottle and Cookie sound amazing costume ideas!

Thanks everyone.

@JustHereWithMyPumpkin - yes total newbie. Only started last month. College have a main boat and two novice boats. He has just got a place in novice boat. He is small but very strong. Competitive swimmer since age 6 so strong upper body. He says he does 1 29 average for 500m in the rowing tank which might be a guide as to standard but means nothing whatsoever to me. A friend from swimming went to Durham and also started rowing from scratch and loves it

@craggyrat Is that his split for a 2K? That's very fast indeed! DS has just come back from his erg training and has done a slow time for him and so is now sulking around in a mood. 😂 To be fair to him, he hasn't been for a couple of weeks and has a cold so his breathing is a bit hindered but obviously he's not taking that on board. 🙄

It must be hard with a cold. I'm not sure what it was to be honest. He just said he'd done a set and that was his 500m average across the distance

I’m so glad your treatment is over @craggyrat , I was watching Rhod Gilbert’s programme this week and saw how gruelling it is. He said the radiotherapy keeps working after your last session so you keep feeling poorly, I hadn’t realised that before. Sending you my very best wishes.

Thanks @cariadambyth . I love Rhod Gilbert and have seen him live a couple of times but am holding off watching that for a bit!

I think that’s probably a good idea for now @craggyrat . How lucky you have seen him live, I bet he was great.

@cariadambyth - he was definitely the best comic we've seen. So funny! My DH is from Cardiff so that helps!

@craggyrat Good to have the radiotherapy box ticked off. Go gently.

Another rowing newbie DS here. As far as I can work out, a friend of friend said something along the lines of you look the right shape to be useful. I have heard mention of ergs and he's playing catch up with those who do have technique.

@craggyrat glad to hear your radiotherapy is over but sorry to hear that you’re feeling crap. Take care and rest up.

Was it your window cleaner who is on MAFS? If so I feel a bit sorry for him, he seems to be being portrayed as really boring when I imagine it’s largely editing.

@EwwSprouts rhank you. Yes DS has saud ergs too. There seems to be a lot start at uni.

@286NeuerNahhhhhhhhmen thanks. Yes Matt is our window cleaner and he used to dive with DS years ago. He didn't enjoy the MAFs process one little bit. It nearly broke him. Most of them had done reality tv before. He was scouted through his body building. It is painful to watch as he is such a lovely normal gut.

@craggyrat aych a shame to hear that, he clearly looks uncomfortable. Even not knowing him you can see he is being edited a certain way.

Interesting to hear he was scouted which supports the idea that the whole thing is a bit of a set up for ‘entertainment’ rather than actually matching people. Shame as it started out so well in the earlier series.

@craggyrat Onwards and upwards! I liked Rhod on Taskmaster, and heard an interview with hom about the documentary when driving yesterday.

Currently on a short trip to Cambridge with DS, we blitzed DD's room with anti-mould sprays and wipes, then put on an electric heater (against the tenancy rules, but only for a few hours) and have left two dehumidifiers running overnight to get the room to a dry "baseline." (I'm taking the big one home with me.) She is having (quiet) fun and working hard, and has made a lovely group of new friends when it comes to looking for house-shares. Unfortunately the Fitzwilliam museum was closed due to a strike; maybe this morning? She has class this afternoon. Then driving home in the rain.

@PhotoDad -enjoy the trip and the demoulding. Hope journey back not too bad. I saw Fitzwilliam was closed with strikes. DS had a class there last term but luckily this term he hasn't as can live without more strike issues. Have you done the Polar Museum? We like that one. DS is in the house opposite, top floor dormer. Give him a wave from me!

@286NeuerNahhhhhhhhmen yes he said the strain of doing the programme was massive. He was there for 10 weeks. He couldn't say too much as we last saw him just before his first appearance but he said it was v v difficult. May find out more this month!