22 Foxhole East

f0xh0les

We were kind of hoping the older two will be at Uni the time the next house move comes around, they have both announced buying a house is silly, renting seems much more sensible to them than paying a mortgage......  I despair! I do wonder if they are actually my children sometimes.  Then I look at their dad, and everything becomes clear

We have been on to the 'grass line' at the council about next door being empty for the last 2 or 3 years and the windows still being open. at the back.......  chappie came out and was absolutely horrified at what I showed him of the place from our house,  was absolutely livid when he left, so maybe something could actually happen now they have seen what it is like. 

*****eta - post came for DS1 from Manchester Uni today - I sooooo want to open it, but it is his. 

Quick cup of tea before the school run - will totally regret it  around 40 minutes in, but  you can drive with your legs crossed, it seems.

kerri_gt

f0xh0les said:

We were kind of hoping the older two will be at Uni the time the next house move comes around, they have both announced buying a house is silly, renting seems much more sensible to them than paying a mortgage......  I despair! I do wonder if they are actually my children sometimes.  Then I look at their dad, and everything becomes clear

We have been on to the 'grass line' at the council about next door being empty for the last 2 or 3 years and the windows still being open. at the back.......  chappie came out and was absolutely horrified at what I showed him of the place from our house,  was absolutely livid when he left, so maybe something could actually happen now they have seen what it is like. 

*****eta - post came for DS1 from Manchester Uni today - I sooooo want to open it, but it is his. 

Quick cup of tea before the school run - will totally regret it  around 40 minutes in, but  you can drive with your legs crossed, it seems.

For a lot of the 'younger' generation the notion of being able to ever afford a house is totally out of realistic aspirations. As is frequently mentioned, we're one of the few countries in Europe that don't rent long term - as I just as frequently point out those countries have totally different rental systems set up for long term renting as if properties are your own. Unlike the UK. Bottom line for me is our private rents are so high that whilst they may be 'affordable' when of working age, pension age is another matter.

Quick, get to the kettle and steam that letter open    (kidding!)  

greent

Waiting for the update from Manchester uni.......  

f0xh0les

He said 'oh, its just some random advertising', so I had a look, and it is a brochure of all the courses they offer that are similar to the one he applied to.  Useful for clearing if nothing else. 

He has an online  offer holders day for QM this afternoon.

Still as vague as ever.

kerri_gt

If he were any more laid back he would be horizontal. 

f0xh0les

If he were any more laid back he would be the downward side of a see-saw!

f0xh0les

There was a virtual offer holder day for QM in London,  and he spent a couple of hours watching and asking questions of the lecturers and students - totally different boy this afternoon.   Found a virtual open day for the science and engineering school  at Anglia Ruskin the weekend after next- he wants to join in with that too (that one he has an unconditional offer for).

The broccoli I got (can't remember where I got it -think it was a Liddley F&V box ) was totally infested with aphids.  Washed it. Still aphids. Put it in cold salted water for 15 minutes, still aphids.  washed it again, still aphids, scrubbed it, still aphids,  washed it again and thought I had got rid of them, boiled it, still aphids. chucked it, still aphids!

Cheesey pasta for supper with garlic bread.  No aphids!

Looking forward to GBSB tonight.  DH is gaming.  DS3 in the bath now, DS4 will reuse his bath water (eco- hero that he is) and then DS2 will have a bath later on. 

The kids are getting quite annoyed at the other kids who have not done any of the maths / english work over the lockdown home schooling.   DS4 can't understand how his classmates don't know how to use a protractor, and even when the teacher explained it in class, they still did not get it.

I remember that week well, DS4 was a stroppy little swine about it and did not want to do it, until I explained the angles in a circle always add up to 360. It was a FACT.  Straight lines are 180 degrees. FACT. The corners of a square are 90 degrees. FACT.  He absolutely loved it and went off clutching his protractor, and came back totally excited that  IT WAS TRUE!! There was a rule, and it worked, and the facts made it easy to see if something was wrong with his adding.  Plus he could work out what the missing angles were when he knew the others.   Glad that he still has it down pat, but a bit worried that the kids in his class are going to be way behind where they should be come the start of secondary school - in September.   DS3 is annoyed that sets have been abandoned and he is being taught in his form group for maths.  There is not enough work for him to  do in class (clever little  swot that he is) and he is doing the extension work as well, and still needing more work set for him in class - from a book! He is horrified! 

They are so funny with their self-righteous indignation that their classmates have not been made to do the work.

kerri_gt

I guess some of his classmates aren't fortunate enough to have parents who can or will teach them, either unable to convey in a way that they understand or don't know themselves. Your boys are very lucky, even if they may disagree at times. 

Ugh to the aphids, at least you found them before dinner and not after 😬

f0xh0les

I did wonder if maybe they did not have a protractor at home (the kids not the aphids), but most of them have older brothers and sisters, most of his class are the younger siblings, very few that are the eldest/only child in the family.

mark55man

its funny how it goes that you get bunches in a class who are all oldests or all youngests - what was a bit awkward when my DS2 was the youngest (of 4), and in his primary school where OH had been going daily for 10 years all his classmates were not only eldest but they had younger mums as well.  so we didn't quite get the "oh you must be Granny" but it did cause a little comment

my love of maths was stimulated by Martin Gardner column in the scientific american, plenty of visual maths and challenges there.  plenty of interesting off curriculum stuff as well if you want to do a bit of googling - it is difficult to place what age some of these are appropriate for.  My favourite is Hilbert's Hotel, and there is a cool FB video about it (its for illuminating the nature of infinity).