22 Foxhole East

QueenJess

That's terrible.  My DS went back to nursery this week, but there was a conference call the week before which went through a whole host of things they are doing due to CV to keep them safe.  Nothing is perfect, but I can see they are doing all they can.

Maybe it's different because we are paying for nursery, but I bet the level of safety varies significantly from school to school throughout the country.

Oh.. and hello   A recent finder of your diary.

f0xh0les

DS2 came home and announced his form teacher is taking them for most of his year 11 GCSE subjects.  They are to stay in the one classroom for the next 3 - 8 weeks, and an emergency curriculum has been planned. The form teacher will teach the syllabus.  O..M..F...G.

DS4 came home waving his after school clubs letters for the next half term (until October 16th) they do not do refunds or carry-overs if the sessions are cancelled, so ....   no flippin' way kid!  I feel awful about it, but I paid up in Feb, and the schools closed. Not throwing away another £65 on afterschool clubs per half term that do not go ahead. Sorry, not happening.  Not this time.

DS3 did not listen this morning when I dropped the 3 biggest at school, so he did not come to the car at the designated place, and there followed a horrendous search for him by DS1 while I drove off to pick up DS4 who was left waiting for me on a street corner like a lost puppy, I was nearly 15 minutes late, but on the way, I found DS3 so hauled him into the car (3 out of 4) then we could not find DS1.  I pay for 4 phone contracts, but although they seem to spend their lives on their flippin' phones, not one of them has the ringer on, or uses it as a phone, or even answers it.   Microchipping seems a good option right now, but I understand I absolutely have to get DS4 a very cheap mobile now his school is the last one to kick them out, and if anything happens with the other 3, he needs to be able to ring one of us to make sure everything is ok.  He would be getting one next September when he starts big school anyway,  but with all this nonsense going on, and my carefully planned school-run-pick-up route has been destroyed, and with parents not allowed on the playground, he needs a phone. I have a spare Sm4rty sim upstairs in my bedside drawer (no, I don't know either, but that is where it is) so I might nab DS2's smashed screen phone and ask DH to fix it (he bought a new screen at Easter for the other one DS2 has destroyed but DS2 has not yet brought it downstairs - no sense of urgency  with my kids!) and set him up with a £4 a month contract.  It is for use as A PHONE!!

Anyway, I did the food shop today, bought laundry powder and tea and coffee and washing up liquid for the month - I bought Duck loo roll last month on a 4 for £10 from the Farm of Frozen F00ds and I think I may have enough left over to do the whole of this month too.  It is still on offer, I just got the money off coupon leaflet they do through the door.  So tonight I will do an inventory again, as I bought some weird ys jars of things - 3 x sauerkraut, and a w1cked creamy korma sauce jar, and 49p mango chutney. All long dated so they can sit in the pantry until needed.  And I finally remembered to replace the smashed hand blender  currently reduced (£7) , so I can now finish the sl1m fast powder, and do some luscious soups. I had not counted on feeding dh at lunchtime when the kids went back to school - he can have soup and like it! or make himself something else.  He is perfectly capable.  I made beans on toast at lunchtime as I had no idea what on earth to feed him.  He did not die, so it must have been ok. 

f0xh0les

Icyland are selling tw1glets in the C-word barrel already.  It has snowflakes on it.   Too soon, Icyland, Too soon.

QueenJess

f0xh0les said:

Icyland are selling tw1glets in the C-word barrel already.  It has snowflakes on it.   Too soon, Icyland, Too soon.

John Lewis launched their C shop on 24 August.  Apparently it was because there were huge searches for C on their site up 370% from last year!  I assume everyone wants something positive to look forward to.

badmemory

I wouldn't worry too much about DS2 being taught all subjects by one teacher.  Whilst there is the saying that those who can do, those who can't teach.  It is quite honestly BS.  A good teacher can teach any subject including one that they have very little knowledge of.

thriftyish

That sounds awful. Hopefully, it was mostly first-day chaos and it will slowly get better as people find their feet. I am dreading multiple school runs. It appreciate it must be hard for the teachers too, being thrown into teaching subjects that aren't in their comfort zone. Its been a long time since I was in high school, and my eldest is a year away. I remember some teachers were brilliant teachers but just couldn't command the class and so we learnt hardly anything, and most had specialist areas because they followed their passion. I can't imagine my old Engish teacher, teaching me ICT or PE, and vice versa. I am not sure what the alternatives are, but I can imagine we will be crying out for teaching staff in a few months because of people leaving the profession (if employment allows) and to cover illness.

I really enjoyed the baked apple, was impressed with how much it raised! The 3yo in me wants to see what happens without the cut in the circumference  Sadly, I don't have a supply of apple yet, though I have bought a tree, I may be waiting a long while for fruit! I did find a community orchard about 25 miles away but am avoiding longer drives, last week the car had a special moment where it lit up like a Christmas tree with all kinds of special warnings. I am torn between wanting the children back in school so I finally try and chase after whatever sanity is remaining and wanting to deregister them and homeschool. DH doesn't understand and even I agree they would probably learn more in school!

I think I need a hand blender, is yours the one from Mr Wilkoos? I tried to blend hot sweetcorn soup in my second-hand ninja and I ended up covered in soup when the lid popped off as I was unscrewing the top today, not a good look! 

Heatherweed

Read but dont normally comment but yes a good teacher should be able to teach any subject at that level. But as a ex teacher I know they can't ask them to teach maths no chance.

crazy_cat_lady

As a teacher there are certain subjects I'd have a really good go at, but I definitely 'no hablo espagnol'. I find that a bit strange - we are still teaching our specialisms and with Year 11 it's so important to give them the best chance for next summer. Mind you - are you still in local lockdown there? I know you mentioned my city a few days ago as being low infection rate - however the next council up (where I work) has now made number 9 on the high infection rate list and will more than likely go into local lockdown next week. I don't even know how that works - I live in a low infection area, and work in a high infection area. What will that even mean for me at work? I spoke to the Head last night and he's not sure either but I trust him implicitly so I'm not going to break my brain worrying about it.
My kids school have the kids based in one classroom, and the teachers move around to them - which would be better for the kids as they're still getting their specialists.

f0xh0les

I am a firm believer that education does not end at 16 or  18.  You can sod up your exams, and go back and do it again. It is not the end of the world.  I am also convinced that kids get the virus to a much lesser extent than adults.  So really, I am resigned to them doing badly and having to retake, and that if they have not had it already, then they will get it.  All I can do is feed them healthily, disinfect them when they come in the door, and keep their morale up.   Stress is bad for the immune system, they are not stressed at all, they also have not had one single piece of homework between them any night  so far- I know today was only day 3, but I mean, come ON!   They are having 2 hours of 'life skills' every morning. 

DS4 was told at school they cannot have assembly in the mornings, and that there will be no singing.  His teacher told the class to sing Happy Birthday  to one of the kids this afternoon - I think she forgot.  Honestly - it is mental here.

The school building is outside the lockdown area (by less than a mile) so the Head has told them all they need not worry as they are not 'in the city' - the school bus starts well inside the lockdown area on the route to school, picking up kids along the way.  They are utterly deluded.   It is County vs  City snobbery.

f0xh0les

I looked at my ONS daily briefing email yesterday and there were some results of the 0xf0rd blood sample tests (I am doing the Cambr1dge one - how many are out there??)  and they reckon, based on the stats so far  1 in 17 people have C0vid antibodies floating around in their blood systems. 

This morning, after my 3km run, alone, as everyone else was still in bed, I managed to get my unruly bosom into the white and green dress with the side zip that is a very small 16.  So I must have lost another bit of size off me somewhere, even if the scales are not shifting - still at 12.0, even when holding 2 bars of soap (I am getting traumatized by 12.0). 

The dentist has rung to change one child's appointment (currently 4th time of changing it) so when I asked about the others appt times, they are now changing all those as well. I am waiting back for a text.  I am utterly certain the receptionist needs a stiff drink after trying to do our appointments.

The bathrooms all got another good scrubbing this morning, the stairs are all hoovered and tidy, the hall has a million pairs of new shoes lined up neatly like soldiers all along the wall nearly the entire length of the entrance hall. 

I did all the dishes, and they took the entire kitchen worktop space covered in tea towels as well as the drying rack to dry.   There was THAT much. I felt a total trollop, but there was no motivation to clean the kitchen last night  of all the stuff rescued from their bedrooms, and under their beds, after I made them all pie and potatoes while I had a stupid diet shake, I went off and hoovered and changed beds and did laundry and other non-eating related activities (hence being annoyed at stupid scales). Now it is all done and clean and tidy and put away.  Masses of laundry done and on the line.

DH suggested trying out the new vegan chick'n place that has opened up (diet sabotage begins again), and I had agreed to it, but his wireless Fruit branded keyboard has broken, and so another (second hand) one is costing him £60 quid, which was less than the meal was going to be (even just a burger and chips each!) so he has decided to make a fakeaway instead.  Good man!

I have measured up the patio doors, and I have a print and a mirror to put up on the walls this weekend. So I think I will be drilling very soon, and I want to go scrumping at the local community orchard. My fruitbowl looks sad.