Oh Crem, so glad to hear that your ddad is getting some sensible treatment and your mum is feeling perkier. Do look after yourself! Sparkly fridges are always good, though. :)
Charming friend, herbs. Maybe she "didn't mean to be so rude"? 
Ah, Hattie, that's not my house in those photos. :) That's my dm's. We don't have that much space, seeing as we are in a naff, ex-local authority redbrick semi. Also, I'd not like to lie on the carpet in our house as despite my best efforts it seems to have a permanent coating of dog hair and crumbs. You'd not think such a small dog could lose that much hair without going completely bald...
I have an assortment of subjects at O level, but can't remember much about any of them and anyway things have moved on a bit in most of the subjects. I had to do technical drawing as part of my Maths O level... I suspect that I am dimmer than I first appear and I also suspect that dd is not as bright as she likes to think she is. Certainly not bright enough to get by doing the bare minimum in all areas. (She might manage it in maths and languages, though, but it depends on how anxious she is during the actual exams) Ds is a whole different matter, although it's anyone's guess as to what he will be like in 7 years when he is tackling whatever the exams will be called by then.
Gawd, I've just noticed that teaching jobs are now specifying that one's degree has to be a 2:1 or higher - even if you have other quals and experience. It looks increasingly like there's no point in going to university unless you're going to ace a first and do a second degree as a matter of course. 