Thread 53 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Happy New Year 2025 to our fab young people

[Delphigirl]

New thread! Looking forward to traversing 2025 with this fantastic group 🎉😘

So, DS has found a house in Sheffield and 5 housemates but now the landlord says he doesn't do electronic signatures. I have never heard of such a thing in this century! He really seems to expect him to go to Sheffield just to sign something....

@Piggywaspushed - in that case, surely the contract can be posted, signed and then posted back? I’m sure that’s what we did back in the dim and distant past when I was a student. It’s slow, but surely still preferable to a needless trip to Sheffield.

Hmm, yes. I'll mention that!

Sorry about your health issues @Zebracat and @craggyrat 😢

@ExpensiveDecoration that’s disappointing for Ds but good experience for him nonetheless - best of luck to him as he looks for the right role.

Sorry to hear about the bad backs @Zebracat @craggyrat My mum has suffered for years - the result of being a district nurse back in the day when they they didn't do visits in pairs and health and safety didn't exist.

DS made it to Paris and back in one piece. He said he enjoyed the drive apart from Paris which was bonkers. I had wondered what company in it's right mind would rent a car to a pair of English students. Turns out a dodgy one would. They had huge car with dents down the side and smashed rear lights. Apparently the 'company' is just 'some blokes' who lend their own cars to people. DS thinks they had insurance. DS and friend are both law students 🤦‍♂️

@mummyinbeds glad your DS had a good time and made it back safely.

DS submitted extended essay this morning so two down, 3 exams to go. He had a 2 hour interview this week as an assistant at his college's International summer school, to assist with classes and then pastoral care and organising social activities which would be 7 weeks just after he graduates. I hope he gets it as it will take him out of his comfort zone, earn good money and show him the real world of hard work!

Thanks for all the back sympathy. Work have finally got round to doing an assessment for a standing desk for me after 6 weeks... back at hospital on Wednesday

I feel your angst @mummyinbeds and glad he's got through it all ok. Mine is currently taking a 'holiday' in Marrakesh. From coach at 2am today to Malaga for 6am flight, then 4 hours rental driving to wherever they are staying before going within city walls for last few days, I don't want to really know any detail, so long as between the 7 of them they get through ok to Monday night's return.

They have to create stories somehow though, and I am slightly envious of the laissez-faire that diminishes as we get older.

Really hoping your DS gets positive news from his interview @craggyrat, hope the standing desk works out, strangely standing for long periods for me brings on back issues.

@ealingwestmum the thought of car hire in Morocco is giving me palpitations.
Strangely, I'm quite relaxed about DD's upcoming trip back to Ghana. Even her two nights alone in a hostel in Accra isn't making me nervous (yet). She didn't book the £2 a night hostel as even for Ghana she thought was too cheap to be safe.

Ds has successfully finished the motorcycle loop in Vietnam and is on his way home! After his accident he decided he’d go on the back of his friend’s bike. They still managed to come off at one point but he said his knees weren’t too badly cut as he was wearing trousers this time!

Hope dd gets back safely @ealingwestmum - I’m sure she’ll be fine!

Hi all, sorry to hear all the back woes. Funnily (not funny) enough my DH is having similar and like others it appears difficult to diagnose. Main problem is the disturbance to his sleep. Physio and acupuncture appear to be helping but slowly, slowly.

DS submitted his dissertation today, woohoo! I proofread for SPAG and was so pleased at how much better he is at this now (though as always I found a few apostrophes to fix). One more essay and an exam to go. The exam will be the first one of his entire 3-year course so I hope it goes ok - he has always hated exams and was delighted that all his modules were essay based (he may have chosen them for this reason of course!) but it looks like he won’t get off scot-free in avoiding exams altogether.

@mummyinbedsyour stories about your DS crack me up. I think he’ll be an excellent lawyer.

DS got his dissertation and last assignment in on Tuesday. The final deadline was 2pm today and he could have resubmitted up till then so the wait was a bit twitchy. But that's it, he is completely finished. I suspect it will take him a day or so to unwind, it did me after my finals. I had to walk out of my last exam and catch a train to London for an interview the next day which included dinner with managers that evening and then I had to make slides for a presentation in my hotel room using acetates and a permanent marker. Then an all day interview process the next day. I was absolutely shattered, running on adrenaline. I remember going into town with coursemates the next day and suddenly this huge weight lifted off my shoulders, it was like walking on air, I can remember exactly where I was. And I got the job.

Wow @ExpensiveDecoration that sounds a full on experience!

It really doesn't seem a minute since they were the covid GCSE cohort. They've come a long way!

They certainly have. I'm so glad we've had these threads to share the journey.

Ds’s recital went well yesterday. Only got his ensemble performance ro do now in a couple of weeks time then he’s finished for the year.

@blinkbonny it's mainly capitalising proper nouns that I have to proofread for, there tend to be a lot of them in DS's work as he is constantly having to refer to statutory bodies, acts of parliament etc. DS does struggle with SPAG, he has had Grammarly professional software as part of his DSA which has made a huge difference but it doesn't catch those.

DS has got the job for over the summer so that's a good start for his Masters money pot. I don't know much about it yet as I'm trying to leave him to it during revision time...I think it will be full on!

@craggyrat I hope your DS finals go well. It is good news about the summer job. Will he reapply for the RAF after his masters?

My DS finishes university this year. It has been a long road for him. He was covid A level year and was given lower than expected CAG's and missed his offer. He then took his A levels in October 2020 and went up by 4 grades from his CAG's and got his university place, exceeding the grades by 3 grades. He then retook his 2nd year after his best friend tragically died in an sporting accident and DS was required to give evidence, which took its toll. DS is just about to start a Grad job related to his degree and has qualified for the senior world championship in his sport. (Similar unusual sport to @PhotoDad 's DS). Life has taken many twists and turns over the last 5 years.

Thanks @Aslockton

Gosh your DS has had a tough time but well done on his achievements. DS is now going through the Army process instead. I think it seems better as if you get to Sandhurst stage you don't have to apply for a specific role - you decide during the course of training and there are a few he would be interested in. It is a slooow process though and all on hold until Finals done. He is also at the last stage of London grad job but he's not sure about that

I’ve been catching up. Ds2 is still in Australia on his year abroad. He returns home early July. He has a few exams in June, they have to study something new each term, he chose Japanese which he’s really struggled with. He was pleased with his distinction in the Japanese oral exam, so he’s obviously doing ok.

All his mates here are starting to finish their courses and Ds still has another year left. He has sorted accommodation in Sussex for the last year through one of his mates who is on a 4 year course. So he will know him at least.

Ds also starts his summer job here in July so that will be good. Australia has cost a lot more than he thought. He couldn’t work his summer job last summer as he left for Australia early July.

Dh is 15 years older than me and now getting his state pension. So ds’s loan has dropped £4,000 compared to last year, that was a bit of a shock for us, he’s now on min loan. I didn’t think £10k of pension would drop the loan by £4k.

Ds is home. I won’t see much of him as I’m away tomorrow & Tuesday & working in the day & he is working in the evenings. He goes back Saturday night.

It doesnt 't take much for so much to happen on this thread! Congratulations to all the DCs so many achievements & breakthroughs - securing jobs, submitting dissertations, accommodation etc. It's always a pleasure to read.
@Aslockton Your DS has really been through the mill and come out of it amazingly well with superb achievements..A grad job AND a championship! just goes to show, resilience, resilience, resilience!

Commiserations to all those with back problems, they don't tell you that when you're young, all that lifting, sitting and standing the completely wrong way, that is until it is too late. I've been suffering with a flare up of tennis elbow on both elbows for the past 2 weeks. It was going so well with the class exercises i was doing with the physio then another lady filled in for him while he was away and got us to do press-ups..that was it! everything flared up now and back to square one. Like I've said before, if there was one thing i could change about the curriculum in schools, it would be to add Pilates as a mandatory exercise class for age 5-18yrs. A lot of these problems will not surface in adulthood.

Did he solve the signature issue @Piggywaspushed ? Mine was applying again for student finance. Careleavers are classed as independent students, but whoever phrased the question clearly does not understand the system, you can either be care experienced which they define as at least 3 months in the care of the LA post 16, or a Foster child. No understanding that you can be both or neither and still be care experienced / a care leaver.with no parents to rely on. She ticked foster child, although technically we were her Guardians, not foster parents. But we definitely are not liable for parental contributions, and nor is any one else. Makes me so cross.

I need to report a significant improvement in my back. I had 1 session, so far of Tai Chi, and suddenly I can walk much further and without pain, altho I’ve also cut out sugar which leads to inflammation, and lost weight. I’m so embarrassed, I wrote asking for a 2nd medical opinion last Tuesday and then took the class on Wednesday. I may have to eat a rather large slice of humble pie. The teacher also teaches Pilates. I do agree they should be taught in school.

So pleased for you @Zebracat , that sounds really positive. At least you now know something that works plus its enjoyable too. From the sounds of it you're going to be looking splendid this summer while I'm the opposite, I've gone back to consuming sugar and put gone up to 60.5kg , I'm only 5ft 1 so that's a lot to
carry. Why are you embarrassed? did you mean you complained you wanted a second opinion but the 1st opinion is now correct and the recommended treatment working?

Yes @Shimy. The consultant said I had no limp, no leg pain and no pain at night, and that therefore the slipped disc was only grade 1. But none of that was true, so I pointed that out and asked that someone else check the scan. It still does seem pretty strange that I had Spinal Stenosis 4 years ago, confirmed through x rays and successfully ameliorated with steroid injections, and now I don’t, apparently. But it is also true that it is much better, so I’ll take that!

I think so, yes. It does loo like post is OK but they are still looking for two housemates.

He starts his final (remote) set of exams tomorrow and then done.

It all feels a bit damp squib these days.