September 07 exam results

September big news since I wrote last time is that J2 failed in his exams to get the B he needed in his science GCSE to be accepted into the VIth form at Sir John Lawes to take Biology and Psychology. He did OK – 4Bs including Maths and English, 6 Cs and 2 Ds. However, the academic SJL were adamant they would not accept him (which made me think that somewhere along the line J2 had blotted his copybook) and only offered him drama and critical thinking – which – with PE and Leisure Studies is going to fit him for what? J2 was in a horrid panic and I got to work one morning only to have to turn round and come back because he wanted to sign on the dotted line for ANYTHING to get it sorted. In the end we visited and applied for every VIth form in Luton and they were encouraging because J2’s grades were fine for their entry requirements – they just had their own pupils to sort out first. We had a nail biting week and then on Saturday I had a phone call from Manshead (the other side of Caddington – his first choice) and he was accepted there and was able to start on the first day back.

Huge relief. Then – and you are not going to believe this – he comes back to me at the end of the first week having told his form tutor that his IT teacher is useless and does not know what she is doing – not specifics such as Ms Whatever let us go 40 mins early on Wednesday because she had run out of work and 15 mins early on Thursday for the same reason. Not surprisingly his teacher said, what do you know J2 as a 16 year old? I was just in hysterics that he would get booted out of this school whereas he was complaining I don’t listen to him! Dear Lord! The turn-about from desolate, subdued child to opinionated teacher’s nightmare, reckoning he is going to get a B/A in his psychology because he answered a few questions this week. I don’t know where the arrogance comes from. FH was never that bad. Still, he has a second chance. I can’t do more than that at the moment.

J1 moved in to his N1 3 bed flat last Saturday just near Hoxton Square – happening area – horrific rent. Still, he was on cloud 9 because he has got a job at £35 an hour giving city types a physical work out in the local Hackney park 3 times a week. That, plus being host for party nights – he and his gay looking mate get 300 people in to night clubs and get 10% – should pay the rent.
A* has a week left in Herez and that’s coming home 2 weeks early. FH is out with her this week-end. The first 2 weeks were not brill and we had some nail biting middle of the night phone calls where she was marooned and miserable God knows where and I’m ranting down the phone – stay in lit places – have you money? She is all over the place about future plans so we will see. The boyfriend currently seems a rock of modest sanity.

On Friday younger than me German Coach Your Life gave me a huge dressing down about my sad lack of IT skills except we don’t call it IT any more because that means something else – we call it Excel or Word or Powerpoint etc. I am looking at jobs with an international development twist working within the parliamentary sphere – shit wages – but interesting. I’ve had pay rises in both my jobs, but both remain desperately insecure so I need to start getting the antennae out in a systematic way. All I can say is I feel my age at the moment – the 50s cusp beckons and my bones ache.

Can Do Freedom Travel is suddenly moving on a pace with interest from international and national quarters, money available for website development – all a bit scary. This is partly due to FP getting the first tranche of the big Marsh Farm contract which if it goes to second phase will employ 3 of us and some in Scarman for the next year. He is busy at the moment, but a bit sad this week-end because his daughter failed to come up again this week-end for about the 5th time. I feel so sorry for him and it’s another way things work out badly in splits. He drives 2-3 hours each way down to Wiltshire and the he gets there and she doesn’t want to come and of course Mum isn’t about to do anything to encourage her. I am not sure if this is the right thing and France was not a big enough pull, but I keep saying to FP we have to woo her about it on her terms.

Another sadness, which puts all life in perspective, is that one of FP’s previous girlfriends who was 51 died last week from cancer and one of my previous boyfriends aged 48 is also sick with cancer at the moment.