Crepeys on the Verge of an Examination Meltdown

[whattodoforthebest2]

Not sure if I should be starting the new thread as I'm the last poster on the old one - is this how it works?

Stropps I hope you're enjoying your well-deserved wine and your release from forced 4 am starts. There still seems to he a lot of pressure on you (and you Herbs) but look how far you've come

MI, what's the solo? Glad rehearsal went well. I still have loads of work to do in the last week before our concert but I've fallen in love with the music, especially the trad jazz and big band stuff. Just as well, it's so hard it's taking over my life.

Yesterday morning was cleared for a meeting, which I'd suggested postponing but colleague was keen to go ahead. Turned up to find he'd cancelled it last week but forgotten to tell me. Then today travelled to NE London (almost 2 hrs, three changes) in response to a last-minute request, to find on arrival that I was no longer needed. Struggled to keep a sense of humour. Thank goodness for music and funny cats on YouTube.

Welcome What and Where, hope you'll be happy together in Brighton

What - I'm in Surrey too.

( at the What and Where love-in)

Should we move to the Relationships board, d'ya think?

Morning all and morning whats

Glorious, glorious morning - I wonder how long it will last? And the wind has dropped.

I can't believe that it's a year since Herbs and Stropps were discussing going on their courses, and now it's nearly all over. You have done amazingly well juggling the course work, home and family commitments.

MI, how nice that you're happy with your singing. MrsS, that's rubbish about the continuing problems with NDN, and I would have been furious about the travelling for no purpose.

Aaah, lovely to hear about our Crepeys romance.

Morning all

Thanks for the new thread and welcome to the lovely new crepeys . I hope you will be very happy here.

Jealous of your sunshine, NU. Blowing a gale in SE London.

Well done to the crepeys who are finishing their courses. Truly inspirational.

Am dashing to get everyone ready now so no time to post more. I will try to catch up on the way to work and post more later

Lovely morning here too. I am in work mega early and have loads to do.

Glad it's over Stropps! You are a star :)

Ds (surprisingly!) had a landbased sailing lesson yesterday :) - couple more knots and he has RYA1 under his belt....

Auriga, it's the alto/counter-tenor part in Purcell's Welcome to all the pleasures. I'm also doing the second alto solo in his Te Deum but that's not a biggie. It is a Purcelltastic programme.

I have conducted a truncated Ladyjog, the first one since messing up my knee. Seems OK so far...and the sun is out

What pleasures would those be, MI ? Singing sounds great!!
Hello to what and where.
I am in the physio waiting room for this ongoing treatment for my painful ankles. So far it still hurts like hell.
Have emerged from DSs exam hell and launched straight into DDs. Is there no end to all this?

Rose, sympathies re exam hell - DD has another 7 exams. Surely your DD's won't be longer than a week?

Stropps and Herbs, I agree with NU - hasn't the year passed quickly. Well done you's!

MrsS, maybe now is the time to purchase a disguise - glasses, nose and beard would look great

Good Luck to all the singers!

I fancy a smart, modern, minimalist, very light and airy apartment in a not-stuck-in-the-dark-ages-full-of-blue-rinsers type place. Brighton is probably just the ticket

If I move anywhere (which I probably won't not least because of my lovely neighbours - waves at addle), it would be inwards. Close to the South Bank. But our house is small enough that downsizing isn't an option unless we could get rid of some vinyl which apparently is a crime.

In difficult neighbour news, my one seems OK and I have discovered that at least two other lovely neighbours help her out.

Look Fantastic has 1/3 off of La Roche-Posay today!

I sometimes consider moving - preferably a leftie market town, with lots of culcha, great and inspiring secondary schools, a fast link to London, yet not full of commuters or stag dos - but then I realise such a place doesn't exist. When I add up all the things we actually need - good primary schools, equidistant between ailing parents, good friends, lovely neighbours, support network, near Moorfields for DS's eye, forest on the doorstep, arty types a-plenty - I think we'll probably stay here. Though I'd love a downstairs loo and a utility room.

Feelunique's got one on too. (LRP, that is.)

That is exactly the problem, Herbs!

DH knows that when we finally decide to move out of the family home, I am determined like lalsy to move further in to town. I want to be able to walk! and get busses and taxis everywhere...theatre, West End...and have a daily walk in Regent's Park. DH keeps laughing at me and says the flat in the block I have designs on...overlooking Regents Park will cost more than two houses in our road. I said I'd settle for St. John's Wood or Hampstead, in that case .

Brighton is fab...but I love my little flat in unfashionable West Sussex...hasn't been discovered yet and only 16 miles from Brighton anyway..

tilly 7 more...hope shes weathering them ok? My DD only has a weeks worth of mocks beginning on 22nd but this morning she's doing an external media certificate exam so we're under starters orders. She's only doing single English, so with the spaces in the timetable the school offers a media course. She's thoroughly enjoyed the course actually but I'm not sure how she'll do in the written paper. Revision takes her longer than many, and I have to help a lot...I feel bad that I harbour resentment about this, but I do.

Roll on next summer....she remains keen to leave school and do the BTEC in performing Arts. Having just finished a stint teaching the degree students at the same theatre, myself, I can see that there are loads of young people there who haven't done well at school and are coping so much better on the courses offered. It's also exciting to know that after the BTEC she can move on and do the Foundation Degree.

I felt so sad when DD said to me the other day " mum, I can't go to the sixth form...I'm not smart enough..." But I told her that there are other ways to study, and she was smart in other ways" I only hope I sounded convincing.

We have friends that lived in the West End for years. They bought when it was still affordable

Yes, I think she is actually doing OKish after the panics at the start (unless she isn't telling us about it!), though that could all fall apart at any moment. Good Luck to your DD - is this the actual proper exam rather than a mock?

There are, of course, a myriad of ways of pursuing studies. It makes me so cross when children/teens think they are no good because their skills don't necessarily lie in academic study which has been so strongly promoted by the establishment/governments as the best. I work with a team of colleagues, many of whom did not go onto do A'levels/post-16 qualifications or even get any GCSE's and they are all fantastic at their jobs and hugely better at various things than I am. There is nothing better about me just because I have a degree, it is just that the establishment tend to value academic achievement over other abilities

Yes, its an OCR National Award in iMedia (Pre Production skills). There was no real revision that one could do apart from going over sample papers. It was at 9.30 this morning, an hour and a quarter paper, although she has 25% extra time if needed.

I agree with you about the narrow view of achievement. It makes some kids into second class citizens!

Herbs - Cambridge = lefty market town w fast link to London and lots of cultcha!

Hang on in there Rose and BTM.

I'm off teaching now but have been catching up on the Sam Cam thread and enjoying MI's contribution. I love Mary Beard by the way and went all girly when I bumped into her recently. I can confirm she was wearing a bright yellow raincoat.

Going to see King Lear in the open air tonight. The weather could go either way .

Is Cambridge lefty?

Hatty, King Lear en francais?!

Morning everybody!

I had a late night - DD crashed out yesterday afternoon after a few hours' revision and some shopping and didn't appear until 10.30pm, looking for food! So then we were both up until the early hours. Still, only 2 more exams left, thank goodness. I shall be murmering words of encouragement during Maths revision today, while I try and save the house from being taken over by a triffid wisteria.

I dream of living next to Battersea Park and the river eg Prince of Wales Drive. That'd do me. I might see David Beckham running in his pants

2 more exams!

Molly

Molly, yeah, that'd be fine too . But I think we will stay put - we can get buses everywhere now, close to lovely parks and town.

Rose, really good luck to your dd. You are quite right.