I am halfway through a packet of cooperative dark chocolate hard caramels, they are my absolute favourite chocolate, but I might be persuaded to share with you lot. 
Ineed - a whole night of freedom and a meal out! 
Enjoy!
My news is that ds1 was offered a place at the out of area independent we were desperate for him to go to and the LA are sounding like it's all going ahead.
Unfortunately he isn't well and I'm quite worried about him. Off to the hospital for bloods - again - on Monday and sample sent off to lab today - so hoping we'll know more in a few days.
Oo - and had parents' evening this week. Sat there and was told face to face, that they don't worry about spelling because at ds2's age (nearly 9) it's not part of the assessment criteria for NC levels! 
and that ds1's teacher has set him a target she knows he'll never achieve because not only does he flatly refuse to do it, it's something he finds exceptionally hard. On top of that I was told that he is a comfortable 5 for reading, but that he won't get any higher because he can't do inference and understanding character emotion - er, yes he can - with support, as set down in his bloody statement.
Basically the jist was that as long as he gets national expectation or higher in his SATs they aren't going to bother teaching him much from now on. 
Whereas the head of the independent was totally taken with him, saw massive potential based on his verbal and written skills and talked about building on his strengths and supporting him to reach his true potential - which he feels is exceptional. Primary happy for him to scrape 4s in subjects he's always been top of until this year - indie head talked about his future as a brilliant writer or poet and the potential for future applications to Cambridge etc! Such a difference in attitude, to have heard both in one week is, well, confirmation of everything I suspected about the primary really. and 
Oh - and the suspension collapsed on the car.
But, I am in a good mood anyway!