Tired

We had to get up early and rush out (well, we had breakfast first) to get the train into Edinburgh this morning, then walk from the station a very long way (or it seemed like that) to the college where the examination was being held. The exam began at 9, hence the early start. The exam went... OK. It was quite hard. The college (Basil Paterson, on Queen's Street, if you're interested) is very small, and it is not very common to sit exams in January, so I was the only one doing the exam! It was just me and the invigilator in a little classroom for two hours. Paper 2 is next week, along with two physics papers. Lots of travelling in and out of Edinburgh!

Exams are strange things, so detatched from what happens in real life, yet so necessary for life in our society. But is there a better, more efficient way of assessing the skill levels of millions of pupils across the world? I can't think of one...

But is it unfair, for those pupils who write slowly, struggle with time pressure, stress, and revision? Or does it teach them good life skills? Is it right that pupils who are good at exam technique should do better in the exams than cleverer pupils who do not know any exam technique?

The two photos are of some cones of yarn I have for embroidering. I think, from left to right, they are lambswool, thinner lambswool, combed cotton, cotton, and cashmere. But I might be wrong. The extra is a close up (edited) photo of the far left cone.