The Acorns have returned home.
We had a lovely break in Penzance, despite the weather, I'll blog it later this week.
We returned home to news that our neighbour has died and a relative has received a diagnosis of cancer. Its definitely put a full stop to that holiday feeling for me - hence postponing the holiday blogging...
...still to look on the bright side, all our cats are here - they haven't gone off to interview new owners like they normally do when we return from our travels, only a little bit of the garden has been eaten by slugs, we haven't been burgled, we are not flooded and Charley has been evicted from Big Brother.
Sunday 29 July 2007
Friday 20 July 2007
Still here...but going...
We're still here, playing in the rain.
BA and MA have been off school for a week and are bored already...
LA and I took MA to a HE group Monday, it went well. It followed her spending 2 weeks in a Primary school on work experience, she doesn't appear to be so anti HE now...
Today (Friday) Rich has taken Holly the Collie to my Mums in Suffolk for her annual holiday. And here at Acorn Central we are preparing to leave for our holiday, probably our last family holiday ever. We are off to Penzance (or "Mens Pants" as MA calls it) for a week. We are hoping for peace - but our past history on family holidays doesn't bode well for this...
...back next week...
BA and MA have been off school for a week and are bored already...
LA and I took MA to a HE group Monday, it went well. It followed her spending 2 weeks in a Primary school on work experience, she doesn't appear to be so anti HE now...
Today (Friday) Rich has taken Holly the Collie to my Mums in Suffolk for her annual holiday. And here at Acorn Central we are preparing to leave for our holiday, probably our last family holiday ever. We are off to Penzance (or "Mens Pants" as MA calls it) for a week. We are hoping for peace - but our past history on family holidays doesn't bode well for this...
...back next week...
Saturday 14 July 2007
BA and college
Well, the saga of College and BA continues.
Rich has spoken to the head of year, who was equally as unsympathetic to BA's exhaustion as the women I spoke to. They went on to insist that he had to get next years project work in by the following day (!!!!), even though he was not intending to take that subject next year... and if he didn't he wouldn't be allowed back in school.
Well poor BA sat up to 3 am finishing the pointless project, put it on a flash drive and took it into school the next morning. The laptop he was given had no power and died, corrupting his files... so he lost his work.
So he came home...and now has the summer wondering if he's allowed back at school.
They make me fume, how dare they treat him like that. He says he's "not bothered" if they kick him out, he'll find somewhere else or do something else, he's just grateful its the summer holidays and they can't nag him anymore. Me too.
Rich has spoken to the head of year, who was equally as unsympathetic to BA's exhaustion as the women I spoke to. They went on to insist that he had to get next years project work in by the following day (!!!!), even though he was not intending to take that subject next year... and if he didn't he wouldn't be allowed back in school.
Well poor BA sat up to 3 am finishing the pointless project, put it on a flash drive and took it into school the next morning. The laptop he was given had no power and died, corrupting his files... so he lost his work.
So he came home...and now has the summer wondering if he's allowed back at school.
They make me fume, how dare they treat him like that. He says he's "not bothered" if they kick him out, he'll find somewhere else or do something else, he's just grateful its the summer holidays and they can't nag him anymore. Me too.
Monday 9 July 2007
Blogging
I've not got much to blog this week. Its been really "bitsy".
Work was ok over the weekend, but accompanied by news of more ward closures in my Trust.
MA has been to Brussells on a school trip and returned exhausted this evening.
LA has remained in her "I want everything NOW" mood, accompanied by an attitude that any dictator in history would be proud of.
BA is struggling with school, he's almost 18 and had enough. He took his AS levels this year and his school has expected him to go directly from all the stress associated with this, straight back into doing his A2 coursework. He's exhausted both physically and mentally - but get a break? No hope!! I ignored the fact he didn't go to school today, but they 'phoned and told me that "exhaustion" wasn't a good enough reason!! Rich is going to call them tomorrow...
GGGGRRRRR....
Work was ok over the weekend, but accompanied by news of more ward closures in my Trust.
MA has been to Brussells on a school trip and returned exhausted this evening.
LA has remained in her "I want everything NOW" mood, accompanied by an attitude that any dictator in history would be proud of.
BA is struggling with school, he's almost 18 and had enough. He took his AS levels this year and his school has expected him to go directly from all the stress associated with this, straight back into doing his A2 coursework. He's exhausted both physically and mentally - but get a break? No hope!! I ignored the fact he didn't go to school today, but they 'phoned and told me that "exhaustion" wasn't a good enough reason!! Rich is going to call them tomorrow...
GGGGRRRRR....
Thursday 5 July 2007
Tropical Bird Land
Yesterday we went to Tropical Bird Land in Desford.
It began promisingly, with cute snowy owls to look at before we got to the entrance, and the man in front of us had a little bird on his shoulder, as we paid. However, about 5 minutes in, LA was scared of the free flying parrots (They were about the same size as her, with HUGE beaks) and refused to do anything. So we sat and discussed the problem and she eventually decided she would try again to look at some of the caged birds. There were some really beautiful birds, and an absolutely gorgeous eagle owl. However, she was very concerned about the parrots! So we handed our unopened bag of bird food back in, and left.
I think we will have to try again when she's older.
This morning LA refused to go to playschool again. She wanted to come to Tescos with me instead! So shopping it was, but I'm not sure how playschool are going to take this. Will they understand that strange mother who doesn't take her daughter kicking and screaming to playschool when she doesn't want to go? Somehow, I doubt it! It does seem to be expected that children will be made to go, with an attitude of "its for your own good" and both Mum and child end up stressed and unhappy. Seems a little daft to me now, but I do remember with guilt doing the same several years ago, when MA was refusing to go to school.
It began promisingly, with cute snowy owls to look at before we got to the entrance, and the man in front of us had a little bird on his shoulder, as we paid. However, about 5 minutes in, LA was scared of the free flying parrots (They were about the same size as her, with HUGE beaks) and refused to do anything. So we sat and discussed the problem and she eventually decided she would try again to look at some of the caged birds. There were some really beautiful birds, and an absolutely gorgeous eagle owl. However, she was very concerned about the parrots! So we handed our unopened bag of bird food back in, and left.
I think we will have to try again when she's older.
This morning LA refused to go to playschool again. She wanted to come to Tescos with me instead! So shopping it was, but I'm not sure how playschool are going to take this. Will they understand that strange mother who doesn't take her daughter kicking and screaming to playschool when she doesn't want to go? Somehow, I doubt it! It does seem to be expected that children will be made to go, with an attitude of "its for your own good" and both Mum and child end up stressed and unhappy. Seems a little daft to me now, but I do remember with guilt doing the same several years ago, when MA was refusing to go to school.
Tuesday 3 July 2007
BA speaks out
"Why did you make us go to school?" asked BA this evening, "How comes LA gets a better deal?"
...as I keep telling him, I was ignorant, I thought children had to attend school, I didn't know that there was an option.
...as I keep telling him, I was ignorant, I thought children had to attend school, I didn't know that there was an option.
Middle Acorns Work Experience
MA is on work experience this week at the local primary school, the very one she went to, she’s been allocated to one of her old teachers in year 1.
This is one of those situations which could go either way – she’ll either see only the benefits of a school education or see the real issues.
One of her first comments on arriving home last night was, “I agree with you now Mum, I can see why you don’t want to send LA to school. They don’t do anything.”
She has 2 weeks on this placement…so it’s a good start.
This is one of those situations which could go either way – she’ll either see only the benefits of a school education or see the real issues.
One of her first comments on arriving home last night was, “I agree with you now Mum, I can see why you don’t want to send LA to school. They don’t do anything.”
She has 2 weeks on this placement…so it’s a good start.
TalkTalk
TalkTalk are rubbish. Yet again we have no internet connection, BA is getting frantic, trying to get his A level coursework in on time with no broadband to do his research on. BA has been used to an internet connection since he was a mere tiny acorn; it’s very much confused him all this “todo” with TalkTalk.
We changed from the wonderful “absolutely no trouble in 7 years” Tiscali to TalkTalk 2 weeks ago, because the promises were good and the cost was less. Since this time we have had 4 faults with our connection and have been without a telephone for 4 days and an internet connection for 8. Even with my primitive maths skills I can work out that it’s not good.
Rich finally managed to get through to their “higher level” technical support yesterday, so we remain hopeful that it will all be solved today.
18:54 Here we are, back online....we must have made it through the agro of talktalk!!!
We changed from the wonderful “absolutely no trouble in 7 years” Tiscali to TalkTalk 2 weeks ago, because the promises were good and the cost was less. Since this time we have had 4 faults with our connection and have been without a telephone for 4 days and an internet connection for 8. Even with my primitive maths skills I can work out that it’s not good.
Rich finally managed to get through to their “higher level” technical support yesterday, so we remain hopeful that it will all be solved today.
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