11 Plus Exams Forum

Just listening to Desert Island Discs and Lawrence Dallaglio was talking about applying to Ampleforth. His motehr had decided that he was going to go there and it was because of Divine Providence...

Head of Prep said "no chance - not bright enough needs 75%".
Anyway he got 50% or so and Mrs D gets on the phone to be told that he was on the third waiting list and there was NO CHANCE, she went along and said "he took the exam because of divine intervention and it will be divine intervention that gets him in!" ... and walked out.

What could they do ? Anyway he got a place in the end......

Well, after all, it was Ampleforth.

Plus, let's not forget, he was extremely good at cricket!

I have always been rather jealous of those with an unquestioning faith. Life must be so much easier than for those of us who worry about things we can't control. Some of the Irish Catholics on my mother's side literally talk to saints as they potter around the house. It's rather disconcerting to have a conversation with someone whose opening gambit is "I was talking to St Peter the other day...."

These saints can have their uses. St. Anthony is supposed to be in charge of lost items so perhaps he'll come up trumps for us - we're currently looking for a hamster that's gone AWOL and a cheque for £75. Let's hope the first missing item hasn't had the second one for its dinner!

St Anthony definitely finds things, i can vouch for that (esp good for parking places at busy times ) However, as far as the hamster is concerned you need to set a trap. When ours went missing, we put his cage on the floor near where it usually was, we put some food in the wheel, and waited and listened. One very early morning a few days later , we heard the wheel go and the food rattle, and hey presto, the missing hamster returned.

Ahhh there are loads of saints

St Anthony already mentioned.. St Joseph of Cupertino (Patron Saint of Exams), I have a prayer never failed to my knowledge, it was well used at eleven plus time a year last September. Other St Joseph, bury statue of same in garden for a successful house sale, Child of Prague in the garden for good weather at your wedding........

I even have a website link for Patron Saints, theres one for everything...

Suspect the time has come to pray to St Jude to get DD into our 1st choice school.

Patron Saint of lost causes.

push-pull-mum wrote:Suspect the time has come to pray to St Jude to get DD into our 1st choice school.
Patron Saint of lost causes.

Have to say, St Jude is almost as busy on our behalf as St Anthony!

Regarding the hamster, we've set a trap and are hoping for the best. We think she may have gone under the floorboards - that's where she went last time she disappeared, but this time she was gone for a lot longer before we noticed. She actually managed to gnaw through the plastic of her cage - around the edge a hole intended for a drinking bottle to make it bigger, and off she went! It was a long way down from the work surface so hope she is OK wherever she is...

The last time my niece's hamster escaped, he got inside the walls and they had to break a hole in the plaster to get him out. I have a ban now on very small pets after the gerbil camped out for 3 days under a fitted cupboard in our old flat just before we moved house (it was a rented property!)

Shouldn't it be St Francis you pray to for hamsters? Or possibly Noah?

cairo wrote:Plus, let's not forget, he was extremely good at cricket!

Really? Wonder when and why he switched to rugby!