Good morning Michael and all GN's on a slightly breezy, dry sunny morning but that delicious coolness so far.
I always said to exam takers, whether old or young, as a teacher or a friend, Well done for all your efforts and hard work. Whether you are relieved and excited at the success , which will allow you to go on to your next step, or if you feel deflated , when you just miss a grade you want, or find you have failed this time, and may have to think of resits, you worked hard and did your best. It isnt even about what others think of your efforts. Inside you, you know if you did the best you could with the work. So even if you have to rethink short term goals , everyone of you is a success, through your learning -about learning.
Now you can look back and see how many important life skills you have learnt. How to stick to your long term goals, when your plans are interrupted, by illness, weather changes, family worries. How we all have to make those decisions, when that sudden opportunity to skive off to see that concert, when you have been getting behind with your revision plans, and yet you chose the right path and carried on with your efforts.
Having also helped many people to adjust and think again, when their longed for goals seem lost for ever, what can seem a very bitter end to their dreams, with nothing to look forward to, may turn out to be just a twirl in the maze. Of course we need to have those goals, but it can mean other ways have not been looked at. So if you have to go for resits, you will look back in the future when things are hard, and remember that you can always pick yourself up and have another go. Alternatively I have known quite a few people , who have then chosen another path and 10 years down the line, have said how much happier they have been in a different situation they might never have known about.
Lastly, dont forget, in this moment , everyone is wishing for a good grade, to achieve their places on courses , to thrill their families and themselves when they are applying for jobs and filling in cv's . Yet if you notice, once you have begun your working life , the only things that people tend to say, is that they have a degree or the apprenticeship that is needed .So now is the time to rejoice in maybe silly - but safe- ways. Go to the seaside with friends and run in the cold waves , and write silly messages in the sand. Find a pleasure beach and go on the big dipper. Get on your bikes and ride off for a picnic and let yourselves relax. Well done every one of you, and to all the great support you have had from long suffering parents and grandparents , who have been there to help, hug, console and nag about bedtimes and eating etc. Here endeth the lesson!
I said good morning and hope that it is truly such for all of you, but for me it is definitely not a good morning. Yesterday descended into a day that got worse and worse , and this morning is going to be difficult too. My plans yesterday to go and do things I needed to do and be back before the cleaners came, did not work out. My back was extremely painful, and didnt ease at all, so therefore I was going at tortoise rate. Nothing went smoothly, and I had only had some cereal before I went out, so ended up having to also delay myself , by going into cafe nero for a much needed coffee but most of all a chance to sit down and take some painkillers. Had an appointment which I HAD to deal with and they were running late. Had to go to the chemist to pick up prescription as down to the last couple of tablets for one thing, and our chemist is extremely busy and hardworking but have recently stopped working at weekends. Got there and quite a big queue, but finally got myself home. Had missed the cleaners, but they had put the washing out on to clothes horse on the front, as there was possibilties of showers, and I cannot rush these days down to the washing lines before it all gets wet again. Came in, and had to just sit down in a chair to let the pain ease off a bit, and got my bag of prescriptions , which are all sealed up, and opened them to check and they have missed one out!. Not like them but will have to go back and sort it. I was in that state where you just cant make the effort to make anything to eat, but eventually about 2pm hunger got me going. I just made myself a boring sandwich and a much needed coffee and sat with my leg up on a cushion as it was very painful and wedged myself with more cushions to help my back.
I slowly got myself together and checked through some emails and so forth and then there was a sudden shower. Delighted as I was to have more rain, I struggled to hobble to the door to rescue the washing , only to find that the wind had blown them down and there they were getting wetter and dirtier. No one around and I it took an effort to rescue them. Returned to sit down and ignore them.
About 6ish I thought , I would look in my little freezer, which is the bottom part of a combination fridge freezer, and see what I had that would take very little reheating or whatever., for dinner. Oh no! Another disaster, the sealing bit that you close the doors onto to make it airtight was loose, and I couldnt do anything with it and of course everywhere was shut, Tried to text a couple of friends for good ideas but they obviously didnt see them. Rang another one and she was out! In the end I just couldnt deal with it last night and so just kept the door closed tight and wedged, to face it this morning. I know that I will have to sort it out, and hope it can be mended, cook all the defrosted meat etc and hope that it will be sorted in time for me to refreeze as cooked meals , or alternatively hope that friends will see the texts this morning and I will be able to go to neighbours and hope that they might have some space in their freezers for me for a short time. Otherwise it will have to bring a bit of luck to someone else and I will cook things and give them away for people to enjoy. My precious little piece of lamb that I was hoarding for some celebration meal if the family came or for a treat!!!!
While all this has been going on, I had a dreadful night with very little sleep at all, between pain and worry and added to all that I have previously had cellulitis , and probably all the standing around etc yesterday didnt help. So ,this morning my leg is very swollen, red , and appreciably more that the other leg, so my trip to the chemist is also going to mean that the freezer saga will have to wait, as especially as it is friday, I need to get an emergency appointment with the doctors . It has reoccured before, and the important thing to head it off at the pass is to get the right medication as soon as possible and then ,of course, sit with the leg up etc etc. Hopefully I wont have to go to the hospital and end up having daily injections or the worse time they wanted to take me in!!
So right now, I am saying to myself the freezer is nothing, it is only money, and I have lived without one before. Even having to throw food away, is of no consequence compared to the top of the list to keep myself going and not end up in hospital. So I am just about to set off and will hopefully come back with better news soon. What do they say? It never rains but it pours! Well practically speaking do carry on but please count me out !
I will return to read more of all your happenings and hoping there will be much happiness and relief for all looking at exam results. Hope my saga will be an improving one, or at the very least not get any worse!!
I did take a break half way through to meet a friend for coffee and collect a prescription. I originally met my friennd when she was employed by the council to accompany my blind daughter on her weekly trips to boarding school in Exeter, so we go back 42 years. So precious.