GCSEs 2012: It’s All Over, Let The Summer Begin – 27 June 2012

What a feeling! Months of relearning, revision, and stress are over. This morning, I completed my last exam of the season – and, all being well, my last ever GCSE exam – meaning I am now ‘free’.

“Right, with any luck, tomorrow’s ‪#German‬ exam will be my last ‪#GCSE‬ ever. And oh, boy, will it be great to leave the exam-hall tomorrow.”

— Andrew Burdett, tweet, 26 June 2012

Never again will I have to prepare and sit such a great number and wide range of subjects. It’s easy for those older than me – who’ve sat much longer and harder exams – to look at me and say “You don’t know what’s coming, boy”, but for me it really does feel like an achievement.

That said, I can hardly complain that I’ve been locked at home for the entire period. I allowed myself the bulk of the Jubilee weekend off to celebrate Her Majesty’s incredible reign with the Mallow Park Street Party, and last week – with only today’s paper still outstanding – I had a great week with day trips to Bristol, Wintershall, and London, plus so much more. I’ll have posts from those days – and the much-anticipated Days Two and Three of the St Luke’s North Norfolk tour – in the coming weeks, with the usual mix of words and photography.

These past two months have been the busiest months for my blog ever, with more hits in May than any other past month. On that note, if you are a new reader, you can stay tuned to my blog by entering your email address in the box on the sidebar, or by subscribing to the RSS feed if that’s your cup of tea. Alternatively, follow me on Twitter: I’m @andrewburdett1.

And blogging isn’t the only thing I’ve got planned. In this Summer Of All Summers, I’m heading off on Scout camps to both drizzly Devon and scorching Spain, watching Women’s Basketball (that pinnacle of the sporting calendar) as part of the Olympics, and heading up to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see the RSC’s Much Ado About Nothing production. There’s also my DofE Silver expedition on the Broads, the Olympic Torch Relay passing through the Borough, and on Saturday the church summer fair.

Before all of that, though, I’ve got to sort and select the best of a backlog of 8,037 photographs taken between late-April and today, and then catalogue them and back them up. Making the challenge more difficult is the fact that that vast number is growing, and will be even greater after Harriet receives her Queen’s Guide Award at the House of Lords and I ‘graduate’ from school – both events are tonight (Mum drew the short straw and is coming to watch the proceedings at Furze Platt, while Dad has the far more interesting evening planned). Then, of course, the School Prom takes place tomorrow night, and I look forward to both it and the parties either side of it hosted by friends.

As you can see, it’s set to be a brilliant couple of months. All we need do now is hope the weather cheers up to make it a truly great summer. May I take this opportunity to thank readers for their continued support of my blog, and may you all have equally enjoyable holidays.