Thread 56 – Covid GCSE Cohort – Spring 26 – Yr 4 Uni and Graduates

[crazycrofter]

The old thread has filled up and no one noticed - I think we're missing @oblomov26 sharp eyes!

I've tried to tag in everyone I can think of, but apologies to anyone I've missed!
@shimy @endlessdistraction @justherewithmypopcorn @mummyinbeds @aslockton @oubliettebravo @craggyrat @anothernewname460 @ealingwestmum @ewwsprouts @seeline @piggywaspushed @nctdn @icanbewhatiwant @comefromaway @heifer @kingscotestaff @delphigirl @zebracat @cantonet @socks1107 @blinkbonny @anneofcleavage

@Delphigirl sounds like your DCs are flying! Especially pleased about DD, after you were so worried. DH went over the handlebars while mountain biking in the woods, his wheel caught in a root, fortunately no other injuries. Also fortunately he was on high ground not far from home and was able to freewheel one handed down to a track where DS and I could pick up him and the bike (DS rode it home).

Great updates @Delphigirl ! Good luck to ds2 with his second interview and ds1 when he starts his new job! And I love the dd2 updates - she's such a strong character to have made the decision to leave uni and pursue cheffing in the first place, and now to be doing so well in it too - amazing!

Good luck to dd with the next stage @KingscoteStaff !

Ds is 20 today; no idea whether we're doing anything to celebrate as he wasn't back til 1 last night (when I also returned from picking dd up from the airport) so we didn't have much time to plan. He said he needs to run a 5k this morning, but he's not up yet, and then he'd be doing something with his girlfriend, but they might be finished in time for a meal with us this evening!

Oh my god he sounds like an action hero. He must have been in colossal pain! Poor man!

You are all so kind about dd2. You will be even more impressed when I tell you that her promotion from commis to Demi chef de parti came with a pay rise…..

of £1 an hour 🤣

But they have also bought her an annual David Lloyd gym membership worth £120 pcm because they say she needs to learn to squat bend and lift safely. Her technique is shit apparently! She’s really pleased about that because the oxford one is meant to be pretty good.

Oh, that's a great perk! We get Everyone Active corporate membership but it's not quite the same. Yes, DH is physically strong and brave and a very experienced, competent cyclist. I think he was in a bit of shock too. We really must persuade him to get What3Words though, he is also a bit of a tech luddite. He does have tracking on findmyiphone but patchy in the countryside.

DS had his first national paper byline yesterday (for which he shall be paid the princely sum of £20!) for a match report.

It was on page 16 of the National Non League Football Newspaper (available from all hardly any good supermarkets and newsagents) .

It is lucky he is so diligent because the amount of work he doing unpaid for this football club is more than most would do in a paid 40 hour a week role! I am hoping it will lead to something paid soon.

Great updates @Delphigirl I graduated from Plymouth 40 years ago. We had it in December - very wet and cold!

I had a friend from Nottingham who used to get very angry if he was called a Midlander - he was definitely Northern. As Lincoln is north of there, I would say northern. I am definitely a Southerner though, and break out in a cold sweat once past the M25!

We moved DD back home at the weekend so the house is now feeling very full with 4 adults. And all her stuff....

@EffortlesslyDistracted does he have a Garmin ? Whenever dh goes on a ride it emails me and I get live tracking to see exactly where he is. I also get an alert in an emergency if there’s a crash - luckily not needed so far!

No, he's entirely Apple. I can see him on Find My, but the reception is patchy in the woods and there's no alerting mechanism other than the thing that can call emergency services if you fall or crash. I will definitely be having a word. He like a gadget and has put in a great deal of effort into setting up a blood glucose monitoring and alarm system (he's T1 diabetic) so when he sees a need he can do it, problem is he's one of those people who never think anything bad is going to happen to them till it does so won't make the effort until something actually becomes imperative and he isn't the best at understanding how phones etc work, when the DCs were younger it was me doing all the parental controls and account set ups etc.

Garmin is definitely worth it then. Strava also shows their location.

Ah yes, he does use Strava (I don't but could set it up) but I guess it's the same problem with 4/5G coverage.

Oh my, I did not know that I caused such a debate. When I said ‘We started down south and headed up to Lincoln’, we live in the Home Counties so ‘down south’. We travelled north direction-wise. I grew up on the Notts/Linc border, hence my username. It is very much in the midlands in my mind. I have never felt like a northerner.

Well done on the job news @Delphigirl . I will update the list when home. Fingers crossed @KingscoteStaff for the next interview stage.

@EffortlesslyDistracted that sounds like an epic fall. DH and DC all cycle. DH and DD went bike packing together for a week in July. DD took a tumble and had 2 punctures and a broken spoke, so it was quite eventful and was glad her dad was there for company and his mechanical skills.

DS finished his Ironman. Registration was Friday 9am until Saturday 3pm. DS rocked up for registration on Saturday at 2.50pm. Each participant went off in registration order 2 at a time in 8 second intervals. DS was last to start, 1.5 hours after the first participant. The bike part went well. 112 miles in 6.5 hours, he started the marathon run well, but half way through started throwing up. He was sick 4 times and felt weak and faint. He usually runs that distance in 3.5 hours but after 5.5 hours he was nowhere to be seen. We got increasingly worried, but eventually, walking a lot of the course, he made it home in a combined time of 12hr 3 minutes at 8.40pm.

Oh poor DS it sounds like it may have been a heat reaction? Well done him for finishing despite that @Aslockton !

@Aslocktonwell done to him for finishing. How long do they usually take?

@NCTDNthe winner did it in 8hrs 12 mins and the cut off is 15 hrs. The last one home did it in 15 hours and 2 minutes. I am glad they let him finish. First woman home was 8 hours and 47 mins which is rapid! The atmosphere was amazing at the finish line… lights, smoke machines, a commentator giving everyone a shout out:‘Young Aslockton… You are an IRONMAN!’

Updated:
ComefromAway Leeds Conservatoire. Completed Year 2 - DS working as self employed musician/MD & electronic instrument programming.
Blinkbonny Nottingham, Sociology- DS now working full time in conference sales in London.
Photodad DD Art, ARU (Cambridge Campus). Volunteering in museums and school post degree. Is about to move to Germany to Au Pair on a working farm. DS Gap year in NZ (teaching windsurfing) Starts Cambridge Nat Sci in Oct 2026
craggyrat Cambridge history - Worked as a TA after graduating. DS Possibly going to do a PGCE or start a business or Officer Training in the Army.
cariadmbyth Royal Holloway history, Marketing master's at Cardiff- DD nowjob hunting
aslockton DD LSE Geography with German- Royal Navy officer
DS Reading Meteorology and Climate Science - has a grad role as a meteorologist and has bought a house.
ewwsprouts - Durham, biology - grad role in food science
handmademitlove- York, maths
alwaysplayspiccolopiccolo- Birmingham , English and film
piggywaspushed - DS1 Lincoln -Office work in local bus company
DS2 Birmingham , history - Sheffield for a journalism master's. Journalism job hunting whilst volunteer press officer at local football club and tutoring
justherewithmybabypopcorn - Nottingham, law - now has grad position with funded SQE
Coffeeandbiscuitime - DC just going into Y4 Medicine
oublietteletbravo - Exeter, business with law, now a sales and marketing coordinator (at a specialist software company).
DS - Newcastle, medicinal chemistry - going into Y3.
extensivelydecorating - Cirencester , countryside management (2025), at home, portfolio career in the outdoor environment. DC2 RHUL History going into y2.
Sansou- DS Software engineering in the Defence sector
Orangecinnamon- DD has graduated and starts as an unqualified teacher (apprenticeship/post grad route)
AnotherNewName - working in engineering
Still studying! DS is still working in engineering but in a better job and is now studying with OU to get his degree and buying a house.
delphigirl - DS1 job in political journalism/campaigning for a political publisher. DS2 Plymouth - ocean exploration and surveying- DS now graduated and applying for offshore survey jobs.
DD Demi chef de cuisine
mummyinbeds - DS Nottingham , law and French law- Working in pub, hoping to do ski season. DD graduated from Aberystwyth Uni with a degree in International Relations and Global Development and will be starting a Masters in Global Development at SOAS in September.
oblomov26 - Nottingham , finance degree apprenticeship. DS now working in London for PwC
ealingwestmum - Trinity College Dublin - Middle Eastern and European languages. DD has Graduated and starting work in Belfast: Associate Consulting, Big 4 from Sept 26.
zebracat - off for a year in Denmark
crazycrofter - Nottingham, Psychology- DD working for Mind on a new mental health outreach project.
DS Going into year 2 of Politics & Int Relations at Nottingham.
seeline - UEA , archaeology, anthropology and art history. DD has now graduated, and is job hunting primarily for museum/gallery/heritage/culture type jobs, nationwide.
shimy - Warwick, management- DS job hunting
Anneofcleavage - primary education , Chichester- DD Starting first teaching post in Sept 2026
NCTDN - Liberal Arts, Bristol. DD has just graduated with a masters from Bristol. Now job hunting in the south west.
Icanbewhatiwants- history, Sussex
decorhate - Economics and Politics, Sheffield. DS is a Data Analyst in London
Bluemarigold- Birmingham Biological Sciences- DD now working as an assistant ecologist
Heifer- Nottingham Biology- DD now doing a Masters in Public Health (International) at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Cantonet DD1: Working as a vet
DS1 Retaking a uni year / job hunting (in limbo)
DD2 UCL Year 3 Architecture
DS2 Bristol changed from Psychology, going into Yr1 Engineering
Lentilcakes: DS graduated in neuroscience at Bristol uni. Currently looking for work, has a voluntary role coming up (Mind charity shop - at least he’s in the right ‘sector’).

@Delphigirl any news on the Liverpool job?

Thanks @Aslockton - interview is Wed morning and he is going up later today to mooch about Liverpool and the Wirral and get the lie of the land. They are very keen to know that candidates are willing to relocate so he wants to be able to tell them he has been up for a couple of days and looked at areas he might like to live. Fingers crossed!

Absolutely love reading this list of the varied and quirky individuals we have all raised. Kudos to us (ahem and them of course)!

@Delphigirlis it central Liverpool?

Update - DD has got a job! Don’t want to say too much until she’s officially started on 7th, but it’s doing what she wants to do in the area she wants to be 🤞🤞 Contract all signed but still feel wary of tempting fate which is daft I know.

My DS has an interview today at a local paper ( not local to us - Worcester). The interview is in person so its a 2 hour drive for a 30 minute interview but never mind!

Wow, congratulations to @NCTDN DD! And good luck to @Piggywaspushed DS and @Delphigirl DS! (The Wirral is lovely; very worth pottering around Port Sunlight as a historian.)

Waiting here for news of DD's visa, which might be a 'yes' or 'no' sometime in the next month, then she can make plans accordingly.

Hey congrats to DD!! That’s fantastic she must be so delighted! I’m also v pleased to hear about your DS @Piggywaspushed , will keep my fingers crossed for him. Re DS - office is on the Wirral but of course he would be at sea a lot, more nearshore than offshore for this job I think. He wants to live in Liverpool so thinking either Georgian quarter (but not much there to rent) or aigburth/sefton park and just suck up the commute.

Ooh very exciting news for all the new jobs.
Congratulations to@NCTDNdd and @Delphigirlds.
I'm envious of the Liverpool posting. Used to run around Sefton park a lot as a student and loved the glasshouse. Lived in Aigburth as a baby. Iiverpool's such a friendly place.
Good luck to @Piggywaspushed ds today 🤞🏼.

Ds1 is starting his internship next week. Not sure how it's going to go as his major passion appears to be bikes. He has about 12 he's currently restoring and there's bits of bikes everywhere. He's still planning on resuming his uni course remotely and has 6 months credits from last year. I've forgotten how messy the two boys are and am looking forward to some respite.
Dd2 is lifeguarding in The Royal parks/Canary Wharf and picking up shifts when she can. Also dog sitting whenever possible. She's found a beautiful very expensive flat in London and is moving in today. All the rest were absolute dives and she needed somewhere to live urgently. Her flatmate is an international student and wasn't around to help search for them unfortunately.