Yes, ridiculous. Especially given my background. There was no guarantee that

I would continue to do as well at a comprehensive like the Hewett School (or CNS, or somewhere awful like Earlham which would still have been possible to end up with) as I had done in primary and middle school. How was she to know whether I would grow into a sensible or gullible adolescent ?

She certainly knows that was a mistake but at the time felt she was supporting me and that she most of all wanted me to be happy.

Well, I haven't set the world on fire, but if I could go back I wouldn't change much for fear of changing the end result which I am very happy with (unlike a lot of other people). When I say I have been fortunate it is not modesty. I really really have just been in the right place at the right time, and narrowly avoided disasters along the way. A lot of luck ! As a religious person perhaps you can think of it as meant to be that I didn't go to public school.

Oh, and my ringpiece stayed in one piece :-)

Posted By: Steve in Holland, Dec 17, 16:27:22