Crepes and Mulled Whine in your pants

[Auriga]

Somebody had to do it

[Stropperella]

The cheese sauce is a godsend, isn't it?

Yes, she likes animals but she is tends towards weediness when dealing with them (i.e. spent a week frightened of the chickens because one of them pecked her accidentally when she was feeding it ). Can't see her with her hand up a cow's bum. Or dealing with a snarly dog. Or a snarly owner, for that matter. And don't get me started on how she is at dealing with day to day boring husbandry (chickens, dog and fish are all my job and the hamster is currently stinking the entire house out and often wouldn't have any food unless I bought it).
She needs to go and check out the reality of working in a vet's surgery and also, according to the vet, to secure herself work experience at a variety of farms (beef, dairy, sheep etc) and stables (racing and riding). This is all easy to do round here, but she has to pull her finger out and do it. As she still lacks the confidence to do very basic things in life, I can't really see this happening. It's very hard to know what to do for the best. I don't think she actually gets the concept of reality at the moment At All. She's simply not ready for these kinds of decisions.

[hattymattie]

Difficult Stropp's - but she needs a long hard talking to because it's so competitive that if she really wants it she needs to act now and really go for it on the study and work experience front. She could certainly go for the sciency A levels and keep her options open.

If she's scared of chickens I'm not sure it's the right career path!

[motherinferior]

I do suspect a fearless attitude to animals is essential.

Mind you I interviewed a fabulous bloke last week who trained initially as a vet and is now a rather eminent ophthalmologist. Having said that, eyes are revolting.

[Stropperella]

She is in constant need of a long hard talking to on many fronts, but if you try that she just says that her life might as well be over and there's no point in anything.

[Stropperella]

Eyes are indeed revolting. I translated a book about blindness in dogs once. A friend of mine is a consultant eye surgeon and he proofread it for me. He has some great and rather disgusting stories from his work.

[QueenQueenie]

Blimey. All human life is here isn't it.
In no particular order or any claim to completeness...

What is this miraculous cheese sauce of which you speak?

Herbs, well done you for seizing the moment. fingers crossed you enjoy the shadowing.

Eyes are indeed truly yuk.

Stropps, have you researched what dd will actually be likely to need if she's to apply to study to be a vet? Guardian education website (at least I think it's that one) is very good. She needs to be clear what subjects are required and which desirable and likely grade offers etc. I think she may well need help to make a written application to do the work experience. I think lots of teenagers however literate / motivated might need help. They are often afraid of looking foolish if they get it wrong so prefer not to do it at all. It's not necessarily any sign of lack of keeness imo.

Mrs S. I think your error might have ben too much tonic and not enough gin! (Easily remedied at home).

Enjoy your freedom while waiting for the deluge of work MI.

[herbaceous]

I used to find eyes revolting, but have become inured after having to put DS's shell in and out every day. He said the other day that he'd like to be an eye doctor. As well as a waiter and taxi driver.

[bigTillyMint]

Oh Stropps! It's all such a difficult choice - GCSEs...A'levels...uni course. I feel I was blessed that I always knew what I wanted to do (and that it wasn't too much of an academic challenge for me!)
My cousins son would like to to Vet science and did work experience at a vets in the summer - he loved it. Now he has to try to get the grades....

Do any schools offer decent career guidance these days?

[herbaceous]

MI, you'll like this. I'm having to cut down a 4,500-word interview - badly transcribed, with no punctuation – into an 800-word, third-person puff piece. Then cut that to 400 words for the website. Instead, I am prevaricating on here.

[QueenQueenie]

Don't blame you Herbs. I too am posting away on here when there are a number of things I need to be doing...
I realised, too late, after I posted, that it might be rather hurtful to read about people thinking eyes are yuk. Sorry if that was insensitive of me. Good for your ds, that at such a young age he has the ability to turn a very difficult experience into something so positive. I'm impressed.
Now do some work.

[Stropperella]

QQ, ready-made cheese sauce from the supermarket chiller cabinet. Plus a bag of macaroni and a large amount of extra cheese = super-speedy macaronic cheese. For instance.

re: quals, she might get in with top grades in Biology, Chemistry and Maths and a shedload of work experience. As she doesn't deign to do very much in the way of work, the school may not let her even do those A levels unless she bucks her ideas up. The vet has said that she definitely needs to make an application in writing to do the work experience. I have said to dd that we will help her with her applications, but she at least needs to make the effort to start on them herself. And that doing her science homework rather than watching hours of lowest common denominator tv might be a good plan.

Herbs, your ds will clearly manage anything he puts his mind to.

I too am in between jobs, so I should be doing some house things. And thinking constructive thoughts about Christmas.

[Stropperella]

ps: BTM, in answer to your last question, no, I don't think so.

[herbaceous]

It's OK QQ - I wasn't pursing my lips at you or being offended. I just hope DS's career as the UK's leading eye surgeon doesn't interfere with his international concert pianist engagements, or position as general secretary of the UN.

[QueenQueenie]

I didn't think for a moment you were typing with a cat's bum face on Herbs. Clearly ds will manage all those things with aplomb. Now do your work.

[Stropperella]

I'm coming up to London on Saturday for my school reunion and am therefore pleased that my chin has erupted in huge spots. This will mean for sure that everyone will look at me and exclaim, "Oooh, you haven't changed a bit!"

I decided to throw caution to the wind and bring dd and her friend and let them loose on the capital. I hope this will prove to be a good idea.

[wilbur]

Stropps - one of my many BILs is an animal behaviourist, he could have been a vet (I imagine he thought about it) but the reality of having to put animals down stopped him. He's an academic and for a long time worked out of Bristol Uni vet school - it's an amazing world, but very competitive, might as well be med school (with fur and feathers). But there are lots of careers in that field that don't require actual vet qualifications, so she could continue with her science, if that's what she wants to do, and then look at the options in a year or so. If you want me to ask BIL anything, I'm happy to.

Oi, MrsS - don't be rude about my home town! And we never had a jag. Lots of gin tho. Did you have dinner in High Street? You may have glimpsed the ghost of my teenage self on the checkout at Waitrose....

Herbs - v exciting about the SALT. And way to go mini herbs on his speaking part. Looking forward to hearing how his projection comes along.

Auriga - glad you found your ring. I recently had to confess to dh that I thought I had lost the ring his mother gave me when we got married as I hadn't seen it since we moved and he looked at me like and produced it, in its box, from the safe. I had no memory whatsoever of putting it in there.

[Stropperella]

Wilbur, thank you! When the opportunity presents itself, I will cautiously introduce the idea of careers other than those requiring vet science quals and get her to start having a look (if possible). I may well get back to you on this!

[motherinferior]

Herbs, I too apologise - it's because I write about eyes all the time, have done for about 10 years, and am constantly amazed at all the...bits. And complications.

Report has arrived. Shall crack on. Tell me to crack off if spotted online.

(Am also pondering role of cheese sauce in a quick fish pie.)

[QueenQueenie]

cheese sauce... in your pants?

[Stropperella]

It works brilliantly in fish pie. With splendid frozen fish pie mix.
'S'all about the nutritious fast food in this house.

Ah, herbs, did I goof? I didn't mean to be insensitive. I apologise.

Sorry also for banging on relentlessly about my dd. I just try so damn hard to move her forward whilst being supportive (have spent years reading up on dealing with teens and trying to consult what experts are available) and the pressure from the school is just immense. The more pressure there is, the less she wants to cooperate and the angrier she gets. Which I do understand, but there seems to be very little option other than going with the system. Which appears merciless. Those who do not conform, for whatever reason, will be ground up and spat out, it seems to me. It's just soul-destroying to watch someone bright, beautiful and funny struggle so much.

[Blackduck]

just touching base....
Can't keep up....

[herbaceous]

Bang on away, stropps. I know I do when I have something on my mind. I'm just sorry I have no useful advice. I did suffer from the inability to actually do anything to further my own life at your DD's age, though. It was paralysing. Almost as if making a small move towards one career would put me immediately into that rut, never to get out of it. Partly because the full weight of parental expectation would be pushing me along.

[Cremolafoam]

Stropps I have a nephew studying veterinary nursing at Sparsholt college in Hampshire. There are a number of vet related courses there and there's an open day this weekend. Might be worth a look.

[bigTillyMint]

Stropps, it's the same here. As you know!
Time management seems to be an ongoing issue....

[hattymattie]

Feel free to continue banging on Stropps - if we can't vent here where else can we go. I'm always getting told to stop going on about something that's on my mind.