GCSEs 2018 (13) Untwisting our knickers, lucky for some!

[Stickerrocks]

Thread 12 Link to the thread with our potted histories. Now the end is in sight.

Cherryburn it makes perfect sense! I can see what you mean, and yes, being treated as a child until I left home after graduating was a major downside.

Uh oh.

Woeful DD came downstairs this afternoon murmuring of high temperature and is now shivery and hoarse.

I guess it had to happen in at least one exam.

The sex was pretty good! And once living out of halls just doing things like phoning the electricity company, doing your own shopping, meal planning, partying, voting, registering with the doctor etc.

My coccyx story involves my cousin. She is visually impaired and fell down some steps at the end of a lock gate on a canal whilst clutching a large glass of wine and a lock handle. She decided to struggle on for 24 hours until we got home, then headed to A&E to see if it was broken. Unfortunately she had to have her pelvis X-rayed by her ex-husband's current partner. It could only have been worse if she had needed an ambulance, as he is a paramedic!

Ellen

mmzz I stayed at home like you for undergrad but then I did a long masters (3 years) in the US so I have had both experiences.

Have I by chance come across the thread on 50 shades of grey????

TheThird - do they always use Chromebook? DD has an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil with a cover that has a keyboard. It's been brilliant.
There's several free apps that lets you type equations.
She found it great in class because You can take photos with the iPad and then annotate them with the pencil or type onto the doc (including pages of the text book) and then merge the docs or even embed videos (filmed teacher doing experiments etc)
...... she even used it for art (sketching, film, media)
Helps that it's fully synced with phone too - so no chance of forgetting homework

And obviously there's Netflix, Sky, instagram, FaceTime, iTunes hahaha

Expensive but def got our money's worth. The battery went on it after 2 years (excessive use I think - min 10 hours per day) i took it to be repaired and they just gave me a brand new one!!
Can't recommend it enough

Sostenuto you were a brass player wernt you? They had the worst reputation for drunkenness when dh was at music college.

Dh is feeling much better but feeling quite scared. Dd is oblivious. I’m feeling shellshocked. It appears that some people at her school including in her year were given some bad news today which came as a shock. I can’t elaborate - it involves someone we knew but wernt as close to as others.

School phoned trying to help with prom. They have found a local b & b or have offered lifts. I just need to re evaluate our plans for next week in the light of today.

DD';s school uses Ipad's for lessons from a very early age ...each student has their own Ipaid - effectively you buy them through the school (they add the costs to the fees)...DD's was upgraded last year...hoping this one will see her through 6th form.

DD busily doing a Physics past paper now - DF true to form took her into town today rather than let her revise - because his phone had broken and he needed her assistance .

Farangatang - sorry your story made me laugh although I know how painful it can be having had a few slips onto my bum in recent months.

DD is very keen to go to Uni and enjoy the experience of being away from home...I am also keen for DD to go to Uni because I dearly want to move to the coast and knew that this was not possible until DD went to Uni (I had to consider DD's DF)...so whilst I will miss her its a win win situation.

AlexanderHamilton Glad your DH is feeling better ...also glad the school are being more co-operative about the Prom.

Dd will sort of start the uni experience next year in that it’s a 3 year Level 6 diploma.

The plan was for her to continue to live at home for the first two years but to move into student accommodation for her third year.

It does sound scary, Alexander, I'm not surprised your DH is feeling that way. The hospital sounds a bit relaxed about it all, tbh. My dad stayed in for a few days after his TIA but that was nearly 20 years ago, best practice may have changed.

Teenmum I'm sorry that your ex sounds like an arse. My ex is slightly better but just rather uninvolved. Doesn't know when any of DS3's exams are and can't seem to read the school website, relying on me to let him know everything. I won't do 'wife work' for him anymore, though, much to his chagrin.

Yes, Alexander 16 is still a bit young to be living the uni life, imo. Rather like mmzz I would guess.

Yes alexander brass players always have that (unfounded) image hoisted upon them. There is a vast amount of snobbery in the music world especially noticeable in orchestras. I actually hated music college for precisely that reason hence drunken haze! I suffered acutely on three fronts, first I was a cockney, true blooded working class who won place at college at age 14 and took up scholarship when 18 as I was forced to stay on to do A levels. Number 2 I was a girl, and number 3 a brass player. But that was in the early 70s. Not a lot of girl cornetists/ trumpeters around then. And I had a lot of talent in them days, natural talent. I'd actually already got my grade 8s before I had my first formal lesson! My old bandmaster used to have a listen at exam pieces I had to play and then just point out where to improve now and again. I used to practise 4 hours a day from age 11 in fields, barns anywhere where it wouldn't annoy people, even in a stable but the smell was awful! I remember my bandmaster who was about 80 then saying to me don't worry about all those black notes, if you can make someone's hair stand up on the back of their neck and a tear in their eye by playing a slow melody then you are a true musician. I stuck to that philosophy. because he was so right!

Used to do gigs for Prince Charles even played on a pop song! At 13 played posthorn gallop at the officers regimental ball for the Royal Anglian Regiment. At halftime one of the officers handed me a g&t! My social worker went nuts! ( I was in care) And at the Lord Mayors reception in London years and years ago I mistook caviar for blackberry jam and exclaimed loudly as it was horrible when a posh voice behind me said ' it's an acquired taste!' It was Princess Anne!

In brackets should have been (founded) not (unfounded)

Dh is a Singer. So you can imagine a lad from a working class midlands family in amongst the luvvies

Bless alexander yep know what its like! When people used to talk down to me in real posh voices I somehow got rougher and more cockney during the conversation until I was downright guttermouth! I used to do it purposely. I dont do that now but I was a horrible kid!

Sost lovely to hear where your obviously huge musical talent took you. Your old bandmaster sounds great. Did he get to know about your successes?

Yes he did! He died aged 96. I was principal of a 1st section brass band at 14 ( brass band world like football league, championship, first, second,third and fourth sections)and he presented me with a brand new cornet (as I played on an1850 cornet that had almost bit the dust) when I passed my grade 8s with distinction. He was there though very doddery when I graduated. Lovely man, superb musician, like a grandfather. Still think of him to this day.

I played last post at his funeral.

Sost you have a brilliant musical story! And I totally agree about playing from the heart - that's a very moving story. What a wonderful man.
(But now you also have to tell us the name of the pop song!)

Sost indeed that really is
Moving. I feel like I need to more. Did you carry on playing? Do you still play?