The CrepeVine

[MrsSchadenfreude]

How did we finish the other thread so fast...? Less than a month.

Totally agree with MI - Secondaries was fine for us, despite living in London - we had a list of 6 outstanding schools which even 5 years previously would not have been the case. 4 of the schools were definitely possible for us to get into, so not such a bad situation!

Well, at the moment, secondaries are grim. Our nearest one is one of the worst in London. The others are OK, pretty uninspiring, unless you're a girl. I'm contemplating moving to Redbridge for secondaries - one borough further out.

Hang on a few years!

Ooh I know a lot can change in a few years, but I'm keeping my options open. Or, rather, his options!

Anyone else just have a crazy hailstorm?

Yes, and I think poor old DD1 is in it

DH used to teach in Redbridge - selectives

It's peeing down here - gone black and thunder! Just as I have to walk home.

Gorgeous weather here...Just as well as I ventured earlier into the teen grotto my dd1 calls her room to try and find out where the houses supply of towels had gone.....

There are NINE towels flapping in the wind after a very hot wash....

GCSE revision seems to have been interrupted by going back to school here. She's so tired by the time she gets home, very little is done.

At the moment, I'm not sure which way it's going to go!

We have all weather here today - windy, sunshine, rain...

Yup, just hailed here. Now sunny again.

I'm trying to put off the task of tidying the house now the plumber has finished. As he needed to get to every single radiator the house now resembles a junk shop, with random items of furniture shoved into the middle of each room, and displaced ornaments everywhere. This has uncovered lots of piles of dust which aren't usually visible.

Herbs - regarding waiting lists, I think you do go on them automatically, for any schools which were higher on your choice list than the one you were given. Let us know if the one you've been given looks better once you've seen it - it's sounding better already.

And regarding provision for stretching more able pupils - they pretty much all do that to some extent, surely?

Also some schools do this in a very high-profile way (friends have kids who've been effectively in a G&T stream) and others in a very light touch one.

Either that or every single child at DD2's school is spectacularly thick, of course

I reckon the hail must be on its way... Plotting CV versus BTM, I reckon I've got about 45 minutes of drying time left

Nine towels, Beachy! [snort] Although it's better than DS1's single towel used repeatedly and then stuffed under his desk until it is actually made of mould. Boys, eeeurgh.

Herbs - sorry the school choice was not what you hoped for, but I echo the others about visiting the school and getting a feel, and if you do decide to move him at some point, it's amazing how kids take it in their stride. Kids move in and out of dcs' primary all the time (there's a lot of moving to the country round here) and they all seem to hit the ground running.

I have to interview this chap on Tuesday

DH would be more impressed than me, I'm afraid MI!

Beachy, nine towels!!!! DD usually has one or maybe two in there! Did the rain/hail come? Sunny again here!

Incontinence medication for dogs? Who knew!

And new washing machine? That was quick - thought you were only hammering the old one yesterday?!

Dh had his latest cancer checkup and his all-important PSA test came back as ... normal! He will have his next checkup in August. It's all looking good so far, so he is convinced he is cured. Let's hope so.

Stropps, that's fantastic

Stropps fab news - crack open the wine!!
Dp went back to the car after ds's piano lesson only to have some guy claim his car had rolled into his. Guy had called the police. Then neighbours came out and dp found himself in the middle of a slanging match! He is sure he put hand break on and couldn't see any damage so thinks guy was trying to pull a fast one as there is clearly some history between him and his neighbours and car parking! Police not interested in the cars, but did have words with both neighbours re the disturbance!!

Great news Stropps... That must be such a relief...

The rain came as I was collecting towels in

I too am very jealous of frock shopping! I still have my James Bond themed ball to sort myself out for and I'm doing the ostrich thing, by pretending it's not happening

Oh Strops, what a relief! That's brilliant news.

Yay for new washing machine, Ruby. I also couldn't empty mine when I replaced it; of course it piddled lavishly along the hallway as it was being dragged out.

DH is being an arse at the moment - pointedly ignoring me as I scurried around putting the house back into order post-plumber ("why don't you leave it until the weekend?"), then, with a hefty sigh and a faint smell of burning martyr he starts clanking about with a screwdriver, replacing some pipe boxing that really could have waited.

Yay Strops!

We are going back for funeral on Monday (well, driving back on Sunday), and will spend the Tuesday looking at potential school for DD1 (the one she desperately wants to go to) here - we paid the money for them to deign to look at her application, now waiting to see if they will have her. We will also go and look at a potential school for DD2 this one. I have emailed another school that is close by, that I would like to compare (v different, single sex, uniform, quite academic) but they are clearly not interested as they haven't bothered to reply to any of my emails. So if we really like this school, do we just send her there? Or should I come back again to look at more schools. It is an utter pain, that we are looking at 12 + not 11+ or 13+ as most schools just don't take them at this stage.

Not looking forward to funeral, not least because I will need to keep my mother away from her 92 year old cousin that she fell out with big time at my great great Aunt's funeral in 1984, and hasn't spoken to since. She has previous, for kicking off at funerals. At my Gran's, a few years ago, I heard her brother say to her, wagging his finger, as the car drove off "Now don't start..."