Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

And thanks, David. I've drummed into her that she needs to take it slowly and not overdo it, and to ask for help if she needs it. I'm sure there will be people there keeping an eye on her from time to time

Christmas shopping is not important. Your health is!

Surely --- the School must have SOME system for coping with children who are , temporarily, "Sub-standard " physically ?

Poor Louise -- queuing for meals -- what happened to "Trades" ?

(There I go again !)

Cafeteria-style now, Neill. I wonder what they do about Grace then?

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:Poor Louise -- queuing for meals -- what happened to "Trades" ?

She's not going to be queueing, we have a plan (her friends will be queueing while she sits down nearby and rests and she will queue-mob at the last minute )

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:Surely --- the School must have SOME system for coping with children who are , temporarily, "Sub-standard " physically ?

I'm sure they probably have, but under normal circumstances Louise wouldn't have been returning this quickly, it is only because it is a fun couple of days and she desperately needs to see her friends and have some laughs, that I'm happy for her to go back. But, I can't stress enough how wonderfully accommodating the school have been towards Louise's 'needs'

kerrensimmonds wrote:Christmas shopping is not important. Your health is!

Kerren, Christmas shopping re-scheduled to the weekend, this Friday is set aside for lots of sleeping

Fjgrogan wrote:Cafeteria-style now, Neill. I wonder what they do about Grace then?

I just asked Louise, she said they do say Grace. At a certain point during the meal a 'hammer thing' (?) is banged on a 'table' (?) and the pupils that are sitting stand and say Grace.

It's called a 'gavel' (though I may have spelt that wrong). When I last looked, the 'Before Meat' and 'After Meat' Graces were typed and laminated onto the lectern in Dining Hall - but I guess that with the toing and froing of a cafeteria service, and a single moment for Grace, they would use only one of them in the normal run of things (I wonder which one, or maybe something totally different?). On special occasions, when people are sitting down, they get both of them. See the thread about the Church Times last week!

kerrensimmonds wrote:It's called a 'gavel'

Thanks, I told her!

When I left (not long ago but not to say things may not have changed), Lunch usually was split into junior lunch before marching which had a short grace read by a monitor about half way through (I think it went: Give us thankful hearts o lord god for the table which thou hast spread for us, bless thy good creatures to thy use and us to thy service, through jesus christ our lord). Then after marching, it was senior lunch, which had a longer grace, also read by a monitor (Something something something protect the church, the queen and all the royal family through jesus christ our lord)

strange how I remember the junior grace and not the senior one

At christmas, the lunches are split between West and East avenue houses with no marching, and the two alternating between carol practice and dinner. There is a grace (I think the senior one) followed by three cheers for the staff and caterers.

Back on topic, I remeber two or three occasions where people were given wheel chairs for short term needs (eg a broken leg, which could have been solved with crutches). Normally people can get by but because of its campus-like size, CH is not particularly friendly to people feeling a bit on the weak side. Whilst I can see why Louise doesn't want to be in a wheel chair, I would at least advise the health centre to have one on standby and a couple of friends so they know where to fetch one if she feels weak. Acting quickly could help a lot in keeping her brief visit as enjoyable as possible (Also she will get lots of sympathy )

I hope you are coping Lonelymum, and make sure you have a good rest, god knows you need it

lonelymom wrote: under normal circumstances Louise wouldn't have been returning this quickly, it is only because it is a fun couple of days and she desperately needs to see her friends and have some laughs, that I'm happy for her to go back. But, I can't stress enough how wonderfully accommodating the school have been towards Louise's 'needs'

It shows that they are human but if that were not enough there's 1228 subscribers to the Unofficial CH Forum, their spouses / spices, there's probably 100+ pupils involved (plus probably 2 times that number of their parents), at least several staff and their families, those who follow the Houseyblog etc. etc: they know how much support Louise has ...........................

Tell Louise that we have some English homework for her - a 3 page report all about the few days she is there

Sally.. yay. The short grace ('Give us thankful hearts, O Lord God....') is the CH Grace Before Meat, and the longer one ('We Yield thee hearty praise and thanksgiving....refreshed our bodies at this time... protect the Church, the Queen and all the Royal Family...' including the reference to charitable benefactors which one should never try to say if one has had a glass of wine....) is the CH Grace After Meat.
Glad to know that the traditions continue, even if adapted to the modern style of eating......

Thanks for all the explanations !
Up until the last few weeks on this Forum and it's Topics, I didn't think I was really old --- since I can still run 100m and do press-ups --- neither as fast as I was !!
However, the fundamental changes at CH, which have been introduced -- and we won't go into that again !---- have convinced me that I should remember the School with rose-tinted Memories, and resist the information, which is increasing in volume, that the School has ceased to be the Institution which I knew, and loved, but is the product of an entirely different system, with which I feel less and less connected.
You will, in the future, receive fewer Posts, from myself, on the subject of the School and I do not believe that I shall be attending, Old Blue's Day, to be further dis-enchanted.

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:Thanks for all the explanations !
Up until the last few weeks on this Forum and it's Topics, I didn't think I was really old --- since I can still run 100m and do press-ups --- neither as fast as I was !!
However, the fundamental changes at CH, which have been introduced -- and we won't go into that again !---- have convinced me that I should remember the School with rose-tinted Memories, and resist the information, which is increasing in volume, that the School has ceased to be the Institution which I knew, and loved, but is the product of an entirely different system, with which I feel less and less connected.
You will, in the future, receive fewer Posts, from myself, on the subject of the School and I do not believe that I shall be attending, Old Blue's Day, to be further dis-enchanted.

You will be missed.

Im sorry Neil! Im sure you won't be disenchanted, just as long as you remember when you go back that the principles are the same. I have only been gone a year and a half, but when I went back last OB's day, I felt that a lot had changed beyond what I was happy with. I think its just the nature of the school that to compromise tradition for modernity there must be a constant stream of minor changes.....

Definately don't stop coming though, it would be such a shame over such small changes. The structure may have changed, but the grace is still the same!

sejintenej wrote:Tell Louise that we have some English homework for her - a 3 page report all about the few days she is there