Class of 18. No need for new school shoes

sorry Gin and Hardwick to hear the difficulties. Gin I suspect the bf will want to rekindle it a few weeks down the line - that will be the most difficult bit, not staying friends with him (a dangerous stage if I remember rightly) Hardwick such an exhausting summer for you. But good for him that he went to the GP and sought help, so many men won't.

We had a good holiday, some of it in Greece, which was everything one remembers about Greece, blue blue blue, cicadas etc. Lots of swimming. Ds1 hasn't been exactly difficult but he is still showing very little signs of wanting to do his own thing [at home I mean] or being very motivated or sociable. He did go camping for a few days with some friends, and lots of walking. Dh took him to a party, probably the onlyparty he has been to all summer... In short I think he is very much looking forward to going back to uni and having a bit of structure and instant socialising, in flat of 8 people, near train station [?] which is handy I suppose...but a long way from campus..

More UCAS from the year 13's x 2. Dd has an amazing sketchbook for textiles, and ds2 is working on a shakespeare monologue. The dog is much much bigger and enjoyed a trip to Ireland on the ferry (I Hope)

Hardwick glad to hear your DH is on the mend.

It must have been a difficult time for you all but as you say he is on the road to recovery now, I hope things stay positive.

Thank you starfleet. We are on holiday just now, and she keeps bursting into tears. I keep telling her it will get better.

Sorry to hear about your DD's relationship Gin. I think you mentioned a few times before that you didn't see it lasting the course. Sad nonetheless. Hopefully her start at university will keep her occupied and it will be a whole new path. Good Luck to her.

Thank you all so much.

Oh Hardwick that sounds like a really difficult time. So pleased DH is on the mend. Please look after yourself too as teaching is stressful enough without everything else you are dealing with. Hope your DD1 has a great start to the new term too!

1st of September today!!! How did that happen?

Hardwick - great that your dh is now feeling better and hope the start of the new school year is not too stressful for you.

Sorry that your DH has been so unwell - how worrying for you.

I hope things continue to look up for you Hardwickwhite

Hardwickwhite, well done you! Try to book some relaxing treats so you can recuperate too. You know so many of us have had to deal with mental collapse or other health issues in family, people don't usually talk about it but it's there. Life is tough sometimes and setbacks help us to prioritize better. I wish you all well.

Thanks for the concern and support lovely people. In my head I have written extensive posts sharing every detail of the summer. I'm glad that is all I did though, because hopefully we can now put it behind us and move on afresh.

In summary, two days before school broke up (I am term time only) DH had a mental collapse. He completely crumpled on me as soon as I got in from school. I couldn't get a GP appointment, and had to go private (the alternative being A&E, I was so worried). We eventually got to see our own GP three days later and she was wonderful. Anyway, after a horrible few weeks, all is finally now looking positive, and he is on the road to recovery. He is tentatively picking up work again (freelance) and we are able to think about how he manages a better work life balance.

It all sounds like nothing now I write it down looking back. At the time however it really did seem like the end of the world. I can't even put it all into words now without it seeming overly dramatic. We survived.

We didn't get a holiday as such, but have managed to travel to see family for a couple of days (hundreds of miles). DH wasn't able to share the drive, or anything really. It was like having a newborn for a few weeks again. He doesn't seem to remember much about it, which is probably a good thing.

The DC, in true teen style are moaning about not having had a holiday (cheeky buggers!) but I think they understand. They are easily distracted with some shopping and a meal or two out.

I am exhausted though, and back to school on Monday. I'm in a new year group and have not managed to do anything like the prep I wanted to. Fortunately, I have a great work team though, and most of the planning is in place.

At the start of June I remember saying to DH that I was worried that everything was too perfect and it couldn't last. That will teach me!

Good news though is that DD3 passed her early take GCSE with flying colours, and DD2 has completed her Gold DofE.

DD1 goes back a week on Monday. Her new flat is beautiful, and her flatmate arrives the day after. I hope she will be very happy there. It has come around so soon.

I agree that the timing couldn't be better - if ever there could be a good time.

Tapas So many pre-existing relationships breakdown in the first term so he's done her a favour really with the timing. I know she won't feel that way now but she has a fresh start with plenty of other things to thunk about and if there was ever a good time, this is it.

Gin (great name!) - what great friends your daughter has and although your dd is not feeling great at the moment am sure this is good timing and she will have a fresh start when she starts at university next month.

I have had to name change (I like eating plates of Spanish food )

Thank you your kind words everyone. I must admit I was overwhelmed by the kindness of her friends and spent £££on some Dominos pizzas to be delivered for the three of them.

So DS will be living properly by himself this year. This has its pros (peace and quiet, any mess can only have been made by him) and cons (potential for loneliness).

HardwickWhite
Sorry to hear that your summer was hard work. Hope everything is OK.

They've decided it would be too much to attempt another two years long distance, so are essentially no longer together, although still seem to be friends. I don't like seeing him sad, but It's better that they realise now, rather than move in together when they're not 100% sure.

Sorry to hear about your DD's relationship sadness Tapas

DS and his girlfriend maintained a long distance relationship during his first year and she was planning to move to his university city and move in with him. She has (quite validly) decided she is not ready for this, so he'll have a studio flat to himself.

Oh Tapas. Poor girl. At least she is at home with you and has friends. Would have been worse if he had done it when she was away. Has she got a couple of weeks to get herself together before freshers?

Sorry @Hardwickwhite I missed your post. Challenging summer doesn't sound too good - hope you're all ok?

It’s so hard watching them in emotional pain. At least she can make a fresh start at University.

Yes, I wish she had done the dumping. It has been pretty clear that the relationship was becoming rather one sided for ages, but DD has had her head in the sand. She noticed that my attitude towards him was getting cooler, because I could see what he was doing.

Oh well, onwards and upwards.