Class of '18 Best foot forward through the autumn leaves.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

old thread was getting big....

Hello. I am here with my masher.

DS is coming back today complete with things that he's been sick on. Lovely.

I am hoping that he's stopped throwing up by tomorrow because if not I'll be spending half a day in a walk in centre.

I'm here. I'm going down to see DD tomorrow. It's her birthday next week so we thought we'd go down and deliver presents/cards and take her out for dinner. Dd2 is really very excited to see dd1's flat, I suspect it will be a bit of a disappointment for an 8yo. It'll be nice to see her.

Still reading with interest and following all your children’s escapades. One great thing has come out of DS’s gap year, is that I don’t think he ever wants a job on min wage working with the general public! Fingers crossed this means he’ll appreciate uni next year if he does go. (I’m still worried that the girlfriend might scupper this plans)

'We plough the fields and scatter
The good seeds on the land'
is the reason I had a very confused understanding of agriculture as a young child. We do not plough the fields and plant seeds in the autumn! Grr.

Sorry to hear about general poorlyness. I've been having a stressful few weeks arguing pointlessly with ExH about DS2. EOW visits to his house have now stopped for DS2, though continuing for DS3 but only until the end of A levels. Apparently he's done his duty 'according to the consent order' so that's that. Not that DS2 is any trouble.

I will have to get on with teaching him to cook for himself or I'll never get a break. Poor motor skills and poor organisational skills do not a good cook make, however! Will start with microwaveable meals, I think. I know most of your lot are having to feed themselves and do laundry and even mash potatoes etc but DS2 just isn't there yet.

DD has paid the deposit on a house for next year. Is she the first?

don't worry ellen, so many healthy food items don't need a lot of cooking. They all get there in their own time. But we did do a few cooking competitions at home to help along those skills and it worked quite well. Also foodie friends at uni often teach others to cook.

I suspect it's not yet crossed DS mind he needs to find accommodation for next year! Think you are first! 😁

DS1"s accommodation never needs deposits/advance money. Think it's going to be different with DD.

She has gone to see best friend in Oxford this weekend, which meant she passed through our town on the train. Made her a bit weepy! She is stopping on the way back next week though, before heading back to work for the rest of reading week.

Wow Ursula that seems mega early - super organised!
Hooray to your crane sighting too  I had my fingers crossed for you all week!

DD has won a prize this week - most promising first essay - she won an £80 book voucher! Which is handy because she needs a lot of books.

I haven't had such a good week - knitting I think I've had a similar bug to you and your ds. Hope you are both feeling better soon.

Hello all,

Ursula yes I think you daughter wins! I have asked ds a couple of times when do students in his city look for second year houses and he just grunts! Oh well am sure he will work it out. He still needs to open a UK bank account to get a UK phone number and I know he will need it when finding a house so I need to start nagging him about that. Seems to have lost interest in all the initial admin!

Marmite - I hope you get everything done for Christmas before treatment starts. When is your first session?

I hope all the sick kids recover and that any of you who are struggling soon feel better.

It has been 4 weeks since I saw ds. 2 to go until we fly over for a weekend. Longest I have ever not seen him but in all honesty it has been easier than I thought. Have been super busy at work and helping ds2 ease into GCSEs and that has kept me distracted.

The warm sunny weather keeps on going (we have had hardly any rain since April) and waking up to breathtaking sunrises and driving to work through sunny countryside and watching the leaves change has kept my spirits high.

Dreading the dark foggy mornings though :(

I really enjoy hearing how all you and all your dc are faring, they have all come a long way in a short time.

Congratulations to your dd Lobster - that's pretty impressive!
Yay Ursula on the sightings. I think your dd might be the first. That's so early!
dd won't have that. She lives in college accomodation the whole time.

That sounds gorgeous downey. We have a lovely couple of days coming up here weather wise too, but it looks to turn gloomy mid week.

Ellen somehow they survive, so don't panic enormously about the cooking, though it is useful to have some skills.

Lobster That must be such a confidence booster for her, especially so early on. I hope you are on the road to recovery, I'm no longer living on water and dry toast and DS does not appear to have thrown up in the night (he's still asleep so he may have but managed to make no mess and not wake me)

Ursula I think she takes the early bird prize. I was looking at the cost of flat shares and I feel better about the cost of DS's accommodation. The ensuite has been a life saver this week while he's been throwing up every hour, he has no travel costs and can nip home for lunch as his commute is about two minutes. The house share I was looking at would have not worked out much cheaper once bills and travel had been added in.

My house share was £8 a week plus bills back in the early 1980s.

I was out at a friend's house last night - her cat F is ginger & white but has a similar colouring pattern to our grey & white cat M.

I sent a photo of the ginger cat to DS, telling him that our cat has turned ginger. I may have been a bit tipsy He replied pointing out that could be a photo of any cat from the internet. So I wrote him a note and put it next to the ginger cat in the next photo I sent.

He was completely flummoxed, asked "How did you do that?!" and he ended up video phoning me to check I hadn't died our cat ginger.

TL;DR... after four weeks, I had my first video call from DS.

*dyed

DD has just told us to arrive later because she was out doing a pub crawl til 3:30 last night. This is the girl who "doesn't drink" and "doesn't really like partying" As long as she's having a good time.

DD is pretty upset because I said that I thought her boyfriend was a bit of an a**hole. She thinks that I know something she doesn't (I don't).

Does anyone's DC have a reading week?

No reading week for DS. lonicera what you know but DD doesn't us based on being slightly removed and experience! Unfortunately she'll have to get there herself.
Lol thefirst!
Well done to first essay prize - fab news.

DS got home late (first train running late so missed next), but lots of communication during journey - who knew it was so hard to catch a train? Anyhow, quick dinner and change and off out. Got back 6am! Guess won't be seeing him til this afternoon then!!

I think you have it in one flatmouse.

When the stream of communication slows down you think "here we go again". I think it's worse with social media because you can tell when someone is online (and ignoring you)

Lonerica they say that love is blind. At some point she may realise that there are plenty more fish in the sea and they are not all trying to drink it dry.

DS did throw up in the night, the OTC anti emetics weren't up to the job, but he has been assured that the prescriptions he has just picked up will stop both d and v in their tracks.

TheFirst well done on getting his attention, very inventive.

Haha first I love that!  Genius way to get your DS to video call - Well Done!

No reading week for DD, and no 2nd year accommodation to sort out either as she'll stay in college property - she's hoping in one of the college owned houses next year rather than actually in college though.

She's meeting some friends in London for the day today, hope she navigates the trains ok.

Knitting your poor DS, he has had it really bad, he must be feeling completely rubbish. I know I do after just a few days of it. Fingers crossed his prescription works and he can start recovering.

Lonicera it must be so hard for your DD. I know DD's boyfriend is struggling a bit with DD being away (he's staying at home doing an apprenticeship) he can't help feeling a little bit insecure with all the new experiences she's having and new people she's meeting. And that's without her partying constantly and ignoring him.
To be honest from what you've said, your DD's bf does sound like a bit of an arse! Hopefully your DD will soon be having so much fun working and living her new independent life that she'll realise that too.

the first I'm impressed by your inventiveness in getting your ds to video call. I don't think anything like that would work with DD, she isn't really attached to any of our pets. Our hamster died this week :( and all DD said was "it's about time, he was very old", which is true he was over 2 years old which is very old for a dwarf hamster.

Dd's only been at uni 3 weeks so sorting out next year's accommodation isn't even on her radar yet. So yes Ursula I think your DD is definitely the earliest for that. I think DD is still figuring out who she might be friends with.

lonicera I think your dd's bf sounds like a bit of an arse and I don't even know him. Drinking all the time is the action of an arse however old you are.

Ellen but what about winter wheat or mangel wurzels or even (according to Monty Don) peas? all sown in winter aren't they? Acro economists are welcome to correct me
Ellen no ds still does not appear to be able to cook. Even microwaving is, as you point out, a skill to have, easy to burn yourself if you keep the microwaved plate, ds now always transfers over...I watched him with awe doing the swop!! grrr to horrible ex. it is his loss in the end, your ds will have a much nicer time with you.

knitting glad he came home

Ds has accommodation in halls for second year and third if he chooses, they have a big "Fair" in January. I am definitely going to suggest he continues in halls.

Ever since ds came back home for the two days I see I have been suffering an indefinable "micromanagement crisis". I keep thinking about various things I want him to "do" or "wear" or "eat" and am having to very much divert my thoughts to other matters. My empty nest is clearly on wheels, whizzing towards ds...unfortunately he is so near I do feel a compulsion or should be a propulsion towards him My latest was wanting to go and see a Kurt Weill production in his uni town. As dh pointed out, I have never ever been to something like that in the west end so why NOW? You may well ask why the sky is blue. It is a chemical transition I am suffering!!!