The Word Cloud

Yesterday, I was stopped by the police again.

Last week they fined me for my passenger not wearing a seat belt.

Last month, it was for not having a reflector strip on my car boot.

This time it was for not having my ownership details displayed on the windscreen. I wouldn’t mind, but whilst I am pulled over, a dozen or so vehicles drive past, held together by bits of string, spewing out black exhaust fumes and overloaded with passengers who are literally hanging out the backs.

They want me to park at the side of the road and walk through the crowded bus depot to pay my fine of six pounds equivalent. It is almost dark, I am late for my daughter’s piano lesson and have left my other children at home alone. I don’t have time for this nonsense.

Can’t I just write my name and address on a piece of paper and stick it in the window?

Yes, madam, but first you must pay the fine.

All my other discs are displayed and are in date… insurance, tax, MOT. I show the officer my driving licence, and tell him that my husband has just built the police a new victim support unit (after an employee was raped and there was no support available for her). He takes my licence and tells me to come back tomorrow with the fine.

Fine!

This morning I drive through the bus depot, where most of the petty crime happens, and into the traffic police station. It’s a dump. I politely pay my fine and ask for my licence back.

Ah – ah!

A maize sack is produced and hundreds of driving licences are tipped out onto the desk.

Surely they didn’t confiscate all those yesterday?

No, these belong to the drivers who can’t afford to pay the fines.

Now I know why I keep being stopped.

I rummage through the piles of grubby white Malawian driving licences. Mine is pink. A UK one. It’s not there. The police officer who took it must have it still.

Do you have airtime on your phone?

No, my credit ran out last night. I meant to buy some from the lady at the end of my road on the way to school this morning.

So, how can we contact the officer?

Err… don’t you have a phone here? A radio?

No land line, no radio, no credit.

Eventually, I spot it lying on a desk. It’s examined and handed over.

I’m out of here…

This morning I was delighted to inform the cloud that after months of stress my son got into the university of his second choice - Liverpool - to read physics. A little adjustment was required to realise ABC was fine, and remember he had found it hard to choose between Liverpool and Leeds - first choice - anyway.  So I was happy, he was happy and we as parents looked forward to visiting Liverpool again (as elder daughter had studied music at LIPA some years ago)

But when he went into college to see friends and tutors the whole picture changed. Apologies to Annie here as she knows the story by now, but for the rest of the cloud members be warned, it could happen to you.

The physics tutor had quickly realised the exam board EDEXCEL had not included the second half of my sons course work  so his marks in the coursework unit were well down.

All coursework entries had been sent in at the proper time etc etc but for some unknown reason human error had prevented that entry from being included in the data base - and 'not present' was entered instead.

I owe this tutor much thanks and praise - he got onto the exam board this morning, demanded urgent rectification of their mistake and was told the correct entry would be in place during this afternoon.  We had the information by half past five. In that unit my son didnt get 27 out of 120. He got 91. Which meant the C in physics was now a B. And overall his  results were ABB. Which meant that Leeds should have accepted him. But they didnt because they had been informed he only got ABC. So they have dropped him off their system and tomorrow we have to fight to put him back.

And there will be more problems - accepting he would rather go to his first choice uni for physics - as it is in the top three for the subject in the country - the exam board not recording his results accurately mean he may lose the place he earned, his guaranteed accommodation (as his application has now been dumped), and the student loan may be delayed while they sort that all out too.... GRRRRR

My point is this - if as parents you look at your childs results and have a doubt or they do,  get it checked out. Look closer - get the school or college to check, it may not have been marked properly, or even marked at all, and they may have lost the relevant papers to check.  And as we discovered today the exam boards themselves can cock things up too....