Have you heard, it’s in the stars...

Still on the subject of my son, he is currently in the final stages of his revision before his imminent A-levels. While we hope for the best, I fear he can never match the remarkable story of William Gadoury, a 15-year-old Canadian schoolboy. It was revealed this week that William, whom it would be probably fair to call a precocious youngster, had matched the sites of ancient Mayan settlements in Central America to the star charts of that civilisation’s astronomers, and by doing so discovered a lost city in the jungles of Mexico.

While William’s parents must be justly proud I think it’s safe to say he’s not a typical teenager. My wife and I in contrast are just happy to go a week or two without receiving another email from our son’s teachers informing us of his latest detention for not handing in his homework on time again.

And let’s face it, can William’s parents boast like us that their son can swear fluently in three languages and roll cigarettes so adeptly that his friends ask him to do theirs for them?