As places go for a bloody battle, this one is rather picturesque. This one was definitely Scotland 3 England 0 but nothing like the Mel Gibson history movie lesson.
Deep sigh. The College Hawklad is hoping to start in September has been sending some pre joining information packs. They are definitely one of the better places round here for providing special educational support. But there is still a sigh.
I was reading the pack explaining how the College is really proactive with dyslexia support. Definitely way more than his last school. But here’s the problem. The College is forced to set course entrance requirements for Hawklad’s preferred subjects. These mandate good results in the GCSE exams which Hawklad had just sat, in particular English Language. The very exams that are most definitely Dyslexia Unfriendly. The exams that desperately try to penalise students like Hawklad. That’s Government Policy.
So it’s fingers crossed for the next few weeks, hoping the results allow Hawklad to follow his chosen path.
Yesterday was Yorkshire Day. A Day when we celebrate all things marvellous in the White Rose County just like the tropical weather, rhubarb and Sean Bean. The perfect day to go a high viewpoint and take in YORKSHIRE…..
At least Yorkshire Folk are always modest….
I might be biased but it’s not a bad view…..
And yes that Lake in the distance is BOTTOMLESS, HONEST.
We knew this would begin to happen eventually. Almost 10 years back, the first Autism Specialist who worked with Hawklad warned us what would inevitably happen. Initially he would get support from a number of health and education teams. This would last until he became an older teenager and then it would start to change. Services and support would then be withdrawn until basically he was on his own, with his only support system being Family. As the Specialist explained, the system hasn’t got enough resources and is continually being further squeezed. Support needs to be available LIFELONG but in the UK you get to an age when that support is withdrawn. Hawklad will then be expected to fend for himself come what may with only family to turn to. Some describe Adult Autistic Support Provision in the UK as PATCHY, others call it NONEXISTENT.
The kinda weather not for hanging off the side of a fast moving train….
We ventured off to the cinema to watch the latest Mission Impossible instalment. Here if you go to one of the early afternoon screenings it’s usually pretty quiet but by the end of the movie, the cinema is mobbed. It was this way today, when we arrived we had the food and drink counter to ourselves.
What could possibly go wrong….
“Can we have a medium sized sweet popcorn bucket….”
The chap on the till helpfully pointed out that for just extra 50p more we could get a LARGE tub.
‘No thanks, medium is good”
The chap looked puzzled, ‘but you can get twice as much for just 50p more’
‘No it’s ok, we won’t even finish the medium’
The chap was unrelenting, ‘but it’s better value for just 50p more’
‘We never finish the medium, it would just mean more food wasted’
The chap wasn’t letting go, definitely trying to be INEVITABLE. ‘Well if I was you I would get the larger one, makes sense, as it’s much better value’
‘No, it would be a waste’
‘But much better value…’
‘Well only if we eat it all’
After what seemed like an age the MEDIUM bucket arrived. Guess what. Asking for a medium Dr Pepper, then a medium Coffee brought about the same philosophical debate. I was exhausted before the movie. Well at least this made us miss the annoying pre movie adverts.
Medium sized snacks in hand we enjoyed the frantic Tom Cruise ‘Save the World’ madness. Enjoyed with the added spice of picking out the parts of the movie filmed just a few miles from our house. The Alps Train segment was partly filmed on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. I hope when Tom was hanging off the top of the train that he had his thermals on…
It’s getting a bit of a common theme as the latest Indiana Jones movie had Harrison Ford visiting our local train line.
Back nearly six decades and Hawklad’s Grandad helped reopen the Steam Railway after it had been closed by the Government. After the movie we mused over what he would have made of all this. Movie stars hanging from the side of his beloved Steam Trains, with explosions, gunfire and much carnage.
We agreed, his Grandad would probably have ‘tutted’, ‘sighed’ then made sure that Tom and Harrison had bought a ticket for the journey.
We are most definitely missing the frightening heatwave hitting much of Europe.
So School is most definitely out, I guess it has been for a month now. But nothing official, just kinda happened. The fabled Parenting Handbook doesn’t really cover this, WHAT HAPPENS NOW. Like most things, I’ve ended up WINGING it. I supposed that School would be in touch. Providing guidance on what needs to be done with things like picking up books, passing on key records, returning school property, official last day when school is shot of the pupil, where to get career guidance, college help, exam results, who you need to contact if you have any queries about next steps, if problems are encountered. We just knew what day the last exam was happening. He just walked out the exam room and that was it. Well part from a Muppet Dad embarrassing him as he walked towards the car. Apparently it’s not COOL to stand precariously on the car roof and applaud while wearing a bowler hat which is at least four sizes too small.….
But we received nothing. I did email school to get Hawklad’s results emailed to him. The only other email we have received since his exams was a bizarre one about the School Prom. He had no idea the Prom was happening but a couple of hours before the Event, we received an email asking that if pupils attending the Leaving Prom were arriving in a TRACTOR, could the Tractors not drive over the School Lawns or Fields.
Glad that’s been cleared up then.
Thankfully Hawklad saw the funny side of things. “At least I don’t have to comb my hair… I’m hoping to go the whole summer without doing that “ So far so good in that one then….😂😂😂😂
A trip to the really really really big city…..Clearly it’s still not big enough as they are doing even more building work. Can’t believe no one asked for our Yorkshire Passports to come this far South.
While we were in the SOUTH we passed a local radio station doing an outdoor broadcast. The queue to get on LIVE seemed longer than the queue to get into this place…
I have never seen the attraction of being heard over the airwaves, just for a few short moments. The super wide berth Hawklad took around this Radio Unit clearly demonstrated his thoughts on that subject as well.
Back a few decades and at Warwick University I shared a student house with someone who was desperate to get their voice broadcast. This student spent so much time phoning in radio shows. Music Requests, Quizzes, Call-in Discussions, Traffic Updates, any method to get on air. Proudly telling anyone who would listen of the successful LIVE appearances. Hardly a week went by without another LIVE tale to tell. I’m amazed the Coventry Radio Stations never clubbed together to get a restraining order on him.
One time I did ask why he did this. His response sticks with me
“I hate the thought of being Mr Nobody…”
Rather ironic as I can remember the names of the other 5 housemates but can’t remember his name… It might have started with a P or S. AND actually Mr Nobody is kinda famous. Hawklad loved his Mr Men books and one of his favourite characters was this good looking chap.
Hawklad was watching The Simpsons today in between some seriously heavy summer showers.
It was the episode where Milhouse gets to watch ALL of FINDING NEMO. Hawklad was not impressed….
‘DAD, I need a serious word with you…”
“Say that again….. NEMO had a mum…..”
“I can’t believe you did the same as Milhouse’s parents.”
YEP, Hawklad has only seen that famous fish movie once when he was really young and yes I did that Milhouse Parent thing. I started the DVD at chapter 2. He was blissfully unaware of the tragic parent carnage that happened in the first few minutes. Blissfully unaware until today….
I wonder how many parents did the same thing.
But here’s the thing, who was I really protecting. I suspect it was ME. I would have definitively blubbed….
A visit to Hawklad’s preferred college to see what it feels like during a normal, busy day. The key word is BUSY. Very, very busy. Overall the college has 8000 students. He found it often overwhelming and disorienting BUT HE STUCK IT OUT for a couple of hours. It also highlighted the things he needs to work on before he walks through the college doors for real.
He understands what college will feel like. Just how busy it will be. Busy and he won’t know any of the 8000 other students . His friends are all going to his former school’s sixth form, in a different town, 30 miles away. A sixth form that is not an option for Hawklad.
Hawklad also understands that the new college has strict exam entrant regulations for the courses he wants to do. He won’t find out how his exams went until the back end of August
He has to wait on exams and has just under 3 months to push on some things. But whatever happens this visit is another step forward.
One very lonely poppy, I’m pleased that today it had a number of visitors.
Just one poppy in the entire field.
They are such beautiful, resilient flowers with such powerful symbolism. Family meaning as well. Grandfather was gassed in the trenches during WW1. My mum had a younger sister called Poppy who died in infancy.
Always so many stories. Not always happy ones.
Sorry went all Leonard Cohen on you there.
School is still most definitely out. Even after a week Hawklad is still on edge after the exams. But hopefully a very loud and noisy Iron Maiden concert will soon blow those cobwebs away.
AND I am still brain fudged. Why can I still recite so many chemical formulas, quote Love Poetry lines and Shakespeare. Last night I even dreamed about being a university student having to do a practical exam in fractional distillation. I can remember writing down the formula and clearly getting it right. And yet when I went shopping today I couldn’t remember one single item we needed.
At least I can still remember the stories behind the Poppy. That is something.
A Dad trying to cope with the loss of his Partner and becoming a single parent. 