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 🎉😘

@NCTDN Nottingham! But most people seem to end up paying £140-150 on houses snapped up before Christmas - such a con!

Wow!

She's now got several options to decide between and they've negotiated them all at £115 inclusive of bills, which sounds ok to me, I think (includes electricity, gas, water, TV licence and internet). They've previously paid bills separately, with each girl responsible for a different bill, but they're thinking that's not wise for this year as 3 of the housemates are strangers.

I’ve loved reading up on all the swimming stories. At my Primary we did swimming lessons for the summer term from year 2/3 but DD never had that despite being at a Prep school next door to a gym with a heated pool. I would take her every week for lessons and fun swims at weekends as we were members. She started age 6mths as DH a competent swimmer who wanted her to be safe in water. Her eczema flare ups would mean lots of missed lessons so we’d get a block of 1-1 to catch her up when it was good. She’s not fussed to swim now but can. I fun swim on holidays only but DH goes weekly as he has back issues which the swimming really helps.

DD is on reading week now and is on a Teams meeting with her uni right now about an assignment they all have to do before finishing c10th June. She has one week left of placement and then I guess a couple of days of uni talking about dissertations.
She attended her Uni Ball a couple of weeks ago with no voice (so much teaching and school illness) but still had fun.

I think there’s still a few of us with DC carrying on for another year on here so it’ll be lovely to keep in touch with everyone and see how all our YP are doing with the next stage.

You know those WhatsApp messages where you just get a single word such as 'Erm...' and your heart sinks (or maybe that's just me 😁). Yesterday's was followed by 'How do you get a bird out of the house?' 😆
Somebody must have left the conservatory door open at some point, and apparently there was a very angry bluetit trying to get out. No idea how long it had been there. DD doesn't get on well with birds so I had to 'accompany' her virtually through to the door whilst she waved a tea towel around to stop it attacking her.
I think she's now handed in her final essay for Y2. Has her summer dance show tomorrow, and I'll collect on Friday for a partial move out before our holiday.

Ds has confessed that there is one assignment he hasn't handed in. He had three deadlines all at the same time and concentrated on his best two. He plans on doing the third as a resit and knows it will be capped at 40% but he is only bothered about passing, not the grade.

That's exactly what my two would do @Comefromaway ! Hope he's done well enough on the others for it not to affect his final grade! Is he graduating this summer?

Ugh @seeline, I'm not keen on birds either!

@AnneOfCleavage glad to hear your dd is doing well!

No, he graduates next year.

We had that last week with a bird too, a starling, one of the cats had bought it in (we knew because she had a tiny feather on her chin). I was the one shouting for DD, she fetched me a teatowel but luckily it flew back out the patio door.

I had an hysterical call from DD a few months ago when a starling found its way into her house. She locked herself in her room and hoped a housemate would deal with it. I just laughed and pointed out that at least it wasn't one of the seagulls that sit on her dormer window. I'm petrified of birds too so shouldn't really have laughed at her.

One of her friends arrived back to his house after Easter to find a pigeon nesting in his room. He was less than amused by the mess but apparently his landlord sorted it out for him He'd been told to leave the window slightly open to avoid damp.

I win. My tiny little cat once brought in a live baby bunny rabbit .

Eeek to all these bird stories! We had a pigeon get caught up in the air con unit in the sports hall (whilst invigilating) last week and the students were mesmerised by it - it was unhurt luckily. Fortunately it was near to the end of the exam so the caretaker took care of it after the students filed out so I never found out the outcome.

The prep school i work at just last week had a wasps nest in the sports shed that a small child discovered whilst I was inside getting games equipment for them and had a playground rat wandering around the week before that. Both have been dealt with now.

DD found a huge spider (she said the body was the size of a clementine) in the cupboard at her placement school. She has never sworn in her life - one thing all her friends are v amused at - but that day was the first utterance when it sprang upon her. Luckily no children around to hear. Her class teacher was amused by this and not scared of spiders at all apparently and went to investigate and corroborated the size of it and was horrified too. Arghhhh!!

ps @crazycrofterhas your DD got her new provision licence through now and so can book her theory?

Eek at all your stories @AnneOfCleavage ! And well remembered - weirdly, she actually passed her theory test today (having failed it over Easter because she didn't get round to revising!)! Next challenge is to book a practical!

@AnneOfCleavage Love your stories. I have a similar one, not me personally but my cousins, once found a bee nest in their wardrobe (hot tropical country) lots of wardrobe doors left open all the time and insects buzzing in and out. How it built up without them knowing i don't know but by the time they discovered it, there was honey pouring down.

Congratulations on your DD's driving theory test @crazycrofter

Yikes, I am staring to feel wobbly. DS moves back from uni on Saturday, all done. But no job apart from hopefully his part time one from last year however that doesn’t start for a few weeks. There have been some he could apply for, but he has been too busy socialising (can’t blame him for that at this time really!). I think he’s just missed out at one where DD works, she spoke to them about it a couple of weeks ago and it sounded promising but he didn’t get his letter done on time for her to take in last week (it’s old school hard copy forms there).

Then we have got DD to think about, she has firmed RHUL and insuranced Lincoln. We had agreed a few weeks ago to pop back to Lincoln for a couple of days this week to check it out again, which we have done and it was lovely, I think if it were nearer she’d have preferred it. It is a right old trek from here though. She’s finished her exams now.

@AnneOfCleavage I will definitely be sticking around on the thread with DD going off to uni.

I can imagine it's a bit worrying @ExpensiveDecoration - but from everything you've told us about your ds, I'm sure he will get on with applying for jobs (with your help 😂) once he's back from uni. There will be something out there for him... Might be worth looking out for internships too? I'd be feeling the same if dd hadn't moved back onto the integrated masters!

RHUL sounds perfect for your dd - best of luck with the results when they come round! Ds is still changing his plans by the minute 😂- well not quite, but he wants to make sure he can do at least 50% Economics, because he's seen some interesting civil service grad schemes which require that. So PPE at UEA (his firm offer) doesn't look ideal, as it's strictly 1/3 each subject. PPE at Lancaster looks likely to be in clearing, and is more flexible, so we might go to the open day at the end of the month. He's not sure he wants to be in such a small city/town though - although he does like the idea of going to the Lake District regularly to do cliff jumping. We'll see! He's still really hoping for P&E at Nottingham in clearing...

Ds chose his A Level subjects on the day of his GCSE results - and then switched one of them in the October - so I'm used to last minute changes, but it's tricky not even being sure he'll have affordable accommodation if he goes through clearing.

Yes, DD could change her mind at clearing too but then there is accommodation to sort out as you say. She's going to make sure she has some other clearing options on the table too because she felt one of her exams didn't go brilliantly. Sounds like tricky decisions for your DS @crazycrofter. Congrats to DD on the theory test. That's another thing on DS's list, get his driving test changed.

Had a chat on the phone with DS after posting, he is very chilled and has been really enjoying the socialising the last couple of weeks, that's what counts, job hunting can wait a bit longer. He has some friends in the year below so hopes to be able to go back and visit next year which will be nice.

That's really good @ExpensiveDecoration , social skills are just as important as other things and it sounds like he's come on leaps and bounds at uni. You've always said he's taken longer to get there, compared to his peers, so he probably just needs time to find the right job. It's great that he'll have friends to visit next year.

Dd is excited that one of her closest friends from year 2 is back from her year abroad now and going to see her on Sunday (dd's birthday!). She's going to enjoy having her around next year. Dd has also signed up for a house, £110pw inclusive of bills, so better than this year and she can move her stuff straight in when her current contract ends on 31st July. This is perfect as she's going to carry on working at Nando's during the summer so will need somewhere to live!

Enjoying the Bird and swimming discussions.

Ds1 has sat the dreaded Tax paper today, and it went well. He's now all done, no more lectures or work. He's got a number of dinners and formals, and then just lots of relaxing, seeing friends, hiking and walking, church etc, to actually enjoy Notts Uni properly for the next 2 weeks or so, until He and Dh go to Portugal. He took over being Treasurer last year and has some bits to do for that, so that's good cv experience. I'm just so pleased for him, generally.

Glad the tax exam went well! Has he finished for good now @Oblomov24 or is he on a 4 year course too, I can't remember?

It's nice that they'll have some time to enjoy Nottingham after their exams. Dd's last exam is next Thursday and then she seems to have loads of plans.

She's just been texting me about a couple of research assistant opportunities over the summer, which she's going to apply for. I think she must already have applied for about 10 times the number of jobs I've applied for in my life so far! At least she's well prepared for the grad market....

Great update @Oblomov24, hope he enjoys the much deserved downtime.

Good luck to your DD on her summer work applications @crazycrofter, and happy 21st to her for Sunday!

@Oblomov24 That's a weight off! Hope he has a wonderful time over the next couple of weeks.

@crazycrofter Someone wiser than me said the internet means everyone can apply for everything, the knock on being everyone has to apply for more. Fingers crossed she secures one of the posts that appeals most.

@Oblomov24 hope he enjoys the post-tax exam time!

That’s a good point @EwwSprouts and it makes sense!

Thanks All. Yes 4 years Crazy, so this is end of year 3. In year 4 he'll go to Notts for the Autumn term, then placement in Jan.