GCSEs

I don’t really have too much to say about this. I guess we all felt a bit of pressure doing our first ‘big’ exams, although as I recall GCSEs were predominantly a memory test… I do recall that study leave was pretty cool.

And the time off after the exams were over was good; Catherine and I went to Switzerland, Marie what did you do..??

I recall that results day you and I walked to school together Marie, and when we got to Colesmead the gate was locked so we climbed over and I made you look the other way cos I was wearing a skirt!!! Results night we went out with Monique and Andi to Pizza Piazza – clearly hadn’t committed our alleigance to Pizza Express quite yet!

xLuce

Athletics

The two of you used to go to athletics ‘meetings’ in the summer. I remember this mostly because Catherine used to write me letters when you were there, telling me what was going on. (Seriously, HOW bad was I at athletics not to be included, oh, nevermind…) So, basically, the two of you will have far more to say here… Surely I could’ve done shot-put or something???

xLuce

Merstham First

As we’ve seen from previous posts I clearly struggle with remembering stuff, so that chances of 1984-1988 (?correct?) being accurate are minimal yeah. This is a starter for ten and very much open to amendment….

• I remember a Christmas Play where I played the xylophone and wore sparkly black tights. This may have nothing to do with anyone else…
• The swimming pool was excellent. And the swimming exams to get our different ribbons – not excellent, but memorable in terms of achievement!
• The playgrounds felt huge. Clearly they weren’t.
• School dinners
• Milk. Breaktime milk.
• I have no idea what it was to do with, but I know I was a worm in a school play. I mean, how to give a child a complex…
• Story time. The only story I remember being read is the BFG. I think this is selective memory (for excellence) on my part!

xLuce

Playing

What I was really thinking of here was the times when you and I, quite literally, played Marie. In the summer holidays, at the weekends etc. Out on the street, in our gardens, in the park etc. Not that we did so much of this but a bit…

I particularly remember:

• A hot summer when we lay in your garden putting our faces in buckets of water, jumping through the sprinkler and eating cucumber
• Coming round to yours on rollerskates
• Things may (may) have changed, but I remember where the spare key is for your front door!

xLuce

Reigate Priory

This was when Marie and I met Catherine. We were all in the same class together for the four years and of course there are thousands of things that we did and hundreds of things that I can remember and just a few that I’m going to write here…
Choose your best bits and add them as well. This is what came to me…

First of all a role call of our teachers, and with each of our year teachers I can picture the classroom exactly! Mrs Cox, Mr Lellman (the stable!), Mrs Pankhurst, Miss Hilkene (the room above the stable!), Mrs Connety (sp?)

Highlights:

• Well I know I’m a nerd but I liked the projects we did each term – the big books of stuff. They were a lot of fun. Also I remember having to make a cardboard box house in the first term we were at the Priory and my dad wired mine so the lights switched on and off!
• Marbles! D’you remember the marble pitch?? Did you ever play.? I did… Oh well…
• D’you remember how the whole big crowd of girls (bout ten of us no??) would act out Grease in our lunch breaks. We knew absolutely all the words… And I believe Grease 2 was actually a favourite over the original.
• We did school musicals, first off Smuggle Me A Secret then Rats. Although wasn’t there Joseph as well?? Were we too young for that??
• Actually I think it was as part of those projects each term that we all started doing cross stitch and sewing..? You two were way more dedicated to this stuff than me…
• Did you both go on a year skiing trip to France? I couldn’t ski so that was that. You’ll have to add the detail here…
• For my part, I went to North Wales camping. Climbed a big hill. Saw some cute towns. Made friends with kids from the other school. Discovered I was allergic to chilli.
• I keep remembering the assemblies that we went to. Isn’t ‘assembly’ such a funny concept. Oh, and harvest festivals, I am remembering some of those too.
• I think I was on some sort of school council. Anyone? Any ideas here..?
• Did you both do the River Mole project? That was Priory wasn’t it? Again, you’ll have to fill the gaps my lovelies.
• We all started to play netball. Some of us better than others….

xLuce

Geography A-Level & GCSE

I’m a bit hard pressed to write this cos I wasn’t actually involved. So here’s a third party view:

Catherine and Marie selected Geography for GSCE and then A-Level, and so started a love affair with the subject, the class, the field trips… You guys still talk about it now so there must have been something special happening there. I am going to make no suggestion that it had anything to do with the boys in the classes.

OK, so someone better jump in with a better account than this…

xLuce

French A-Level

Ah, we had a good time in this class didn’t we…. Great crowd, great teachers, I think we may have even got quite good at speaking French. Do you remember being told that we should have a glass of red before our oral exam cos it would help us relax and speak better French. Can’t imagine it would make any difference these days, probably just make me hungry. Anyway, there was the French Exchange as well, where Marie landed the high school delinquent, ha.

Now, if I was a clever girl I’d have written this in French. But we all know you two are far far better at this than me so I’ll leave the cleverness to you…

xLuce

English A-Level

Do you remember how much fun we had in this class Marie… A great crowd and teachers that we liked and, well, stuff we liked studying.

Course, you know what I’m going to say, the bit that sticks in my mind is how we used to practise writing our short stories and then meet on the corner to swap over and critique each other’s work. Such good girls.

Correct me if I’m wrong, did you once write a line about someone frowning and their “two caterpillar eyebrows meeting in the middle”. I thought that was legendary.

Also, (and this won’t surprise you either) but ah, Cuthers. Sharing all his wisdom about English Studies, university, life, and as I recall telling us about Yo Sushi when it was a very new concept!

xLuce

Rats

Oh I will be trying my hardest to find some pictures of this….! I think the first musical at school was Smuggle Me A Secret?? Were you guys in that? I was an extra… So I think Rats (basically the Pied Piper story for those who aren’t in the ‘know’ on this one!) was our first proper musical.

Marie did an amazing job as the ‘narrator’, standing on the gym ‘horse’ for the duration of the show and having to hit some rather high notes as I remember.
Catherine were you in fact a rat??
I was, as usual in school plays, a man; the mayor, responsible for disposing of all the children.

Oh please, please let there be footage somewhere….

xLuce

Sixth Form

I suppose really everything has gone quickly but Sixth Form seemed to go especially quickly! Personally I mostly recall the daily challenge of figuring out what to wear, having to juggle school & work for the first time, and trying to do well at driving lessons, ballet exams and partying at various 18th celebrations. The pressure!

I guess this is when we really started to make the choices that influenced where we are now. Am I right in thinking:
Catherine: Geography, Sport Science, French
Lucy: Economics, English, French, General Studies (seriously worth the paper it’s written on), Spanish GCSE
Marie: Geography, English, French

Of course there’s lots to remember from these years. Here are some specific bits:

• All of us learning to drive at various stages. And then some people having cars. And, well, basically, starting to drive everywhere.
• Fwaaa, just as I was writing the above I remembered ‘thingy’ week, the one where we had to dress up every day. What was it called??
• We all did French together which was a giggle and led to the semi-legendary French Exchange… (only ‘semi’ cos I didn’t go )
• Of course the major difference, apart from the no-uniform thing, from school, was the free periods. Which, for myself, I used ever so productively, lying on the common room sofas talking about the ‘ideal man’. I most certainly did not do this on my own.. who else was there??
• Nights at the Embassy
• We started looking at universities. There was heaps of chat about what, where, why; trips around the country checking places out; and those bl**dy UCAS application forms, needed a degree to complete one of those…
• We all had Saturday (and the rest) jobs, let’s see if I can get this right…
  Catherine = Halfords
  Lucy = M&S and waitressing
  Marie = Safeway
  ???
• Actually, off the back of the Safeway crew (I believe) a Friday-night-in-Reigate-routine started. We were talking about that when we checked out The Cage for your 30th birthday Catherine…
• Of course there was actually doing all our mock exams, coursework, A-Levels and then the reward of Zakynthos…
• Lots of ‘dress up’ parties, 18ths, and – it feels – non stop parties at Katie’s, actually how many excuses did we come up with to have parties at Katie’s??? (Thanks again Sheila…)

I don't remember what Ball this was but who cares, this picture is GOLD!

(Photos courtesy of Aine. Thank you!)

(Photos courtesy of Catherine. Thank you!)

(Photo courtesy of Monique. Thank you!)

xLuce