We've survived the first half term - go us! (starting uni 2017)

[flyingpigsinclover]

New thread....we've got to the first half term!

I was going to let DD take the train, but we are now giving one of her housemates a lift too. It will also give me a chance to check she doesn't leave milk etc in the fridge.

Ds is home, with a whole mountain range of washing. Things seemed to have perked up for him towards the end of term and he even mentioned a few girls !!

My dd is taking the train home with one of her flatmates. They seem to be well organised and have also booked their train tickets back in January.

Extinct it seems fair to me. It's a 2 hour journey for them, but if we went in the car it would be (at least) a 4 hour journey there and back for us.

DH and DS2 going to collect DS1 at end of term. Ostensibly to help him bring home instruments but they're also taking in a football match on the way! It's a long drive, 3 hours each way, so they're making a weekend of it.

DD booked her coach home a couple of weeks back. We will all be at work so she will be getting the bus from the coach station

extinct DS says he'll be fine on the train. He's got a big wheeled suitcase for laundry, laptop and his console.

My journey home from university used to involved trains, a ferry and buses, with a backpack, so I'm probably hard as nails

My ds would tell you train is a luxury - try 6hours on the Megabus

I remember my 2 hour journey home at the end of term on my moped. Top speed 30 mph. Journey was only 30 miles by motorway, but I had to go the long way home.

We're picking up DS. His only other option would be to get they Greyhound, which leaves his uni city at midnight and arrives in our village at 3:45am. I'm not that mean

DS is getting the train, one of the reasons he chose the university he is at is because it is a relatively simple train ride. It has made me think twice about some Christmas gifts though knowing that he will need to transport them back to University himself.

Hi, I found the new thread!
Dd1 will fly home on the 16th. Her classes are finished now and all assignments done, she just has one exam on 15th.

Dd has exams the week she goes back. Be interesting to see what if any revision gets done!

Just a word of warning if your dc are on electricity prepayment meter ask them to make sure there is enough on the meter to last until they return. It's no fun going into a pitch black house on boxing Day having to find somewhere that's open to recharge the key thing, then having to throw away all the stuff from the fridge and freezer as it's gone off.
Happened to ds last year

This term is endless. Its like the first term of reception, and DD says almost everyone is dead on their feet. Unfortunately lots are starting the Christmas wind-down, whilst her course has started a new unit, with masses to learn. So noise till 6.50am, apparently the second night in a row where there were problems, with no sleep for anyone in the flat, and poor DD had a 7.30am start. The hope was that since the main culprit had run out of money things would improve, but no. Apparently parents have come to the rescue and paid off the overdraft.

Luckily this time others are tired and starting to focus on January exams, so hopefully together they can start setting ground rules. I suspect the amount of revision will correlate with the extent to which any course is progressive. With science subjects it can be hard to progress to new material unless you have mastered the old. Some wanting to revise whilst others are not bothered sounds like a recipe for disaster.

DD is 1500 words into her 2500 word essay. She would not be impressed if she was kept up all night. She is a bit of a night owl, but won't want to hear other people.

So despite early good news, DD and her mates house-share hunting is not going so well. One girl has now backed out and it seems that all the houses for 6 have now gone. And it's the end of term.

Fingers crossed they find one before they all go off for Christmas or she's going to be stressing the whole hols.

BTM, its tough isn't it. Such a long term, so much newness, then a scramble to first find people to live with and then a property. And there are sharks out there. DD says people she knows were asked to pay their deposit in cash and several things in the lease they signed looked wrong, though hopefully it will work out in the end. Then a couple of years ago overseas friends of DS rented through a big name London agent but after handing over vast sums of money, the landlord did not hand over keys, and the Agent washed their hands of the problem, leaving kids thousands of miles from home not knowing what to do except ask their families for more money. (I wish he had told me at the time as I know the Agent and how to complain.)

DD was a bit slow off the mark but has properties to see this week. She says that new ones are released all the time but the larger ones go fast. She should be OK not least because they are happy to live closer to the sports facilities. I have also been coaching her on questions to indicate how quiet and domesticated her group are. I don't know if it will help, but know as a landlord how expensive and time consuming bad or careless tenants can be.

OK I didn't order snow, does anyone know how I send it back? Such a pain, I was planning on driving up to Brum tomorrow to pick up DS, his gf and a friend and drive them and their stuff back home but I can't as I refuse to drive in snow. So I won't see him now until Sunday as I am working all weekend [wails...] And that's if DH is brave enough to drive up there for them.

Hope your DD manages to find a house BTM, it is stressful for them. I ended up in a similar situation in my first year when another girl and I were left after the bigger group split. Ended up fine and we both met our DH's via the unplanned house share.

I thought the snow was only going to be Scotland - how far south are you ono40? Ds is due home very late on Saturday - if the trains are up the creek he'll have no choice but to stay put. I'd drive 2-3 hours to fetch him but can't do the entire length of the country.

This is worrying me, all the talk of progress with house shares... I wonder if this is going to be the next Big Problem. DD has mentioned it briefly, and that there isn't anyone obvious that she can share with, but hasn't talked about what she might do about it.
Yes the term seems a marathon! DD home on the 17th.

Finally made plans to collect DS1.
I’ll go down on the 16th (having installed DS2 with granny), stop over and we’ll go out Saturday evening, drive home Sunday.
Train not an option as he wants to bring bike, all 3 guitars and amp!

Haven’t seen him since he left but he’s been good at Skype and Snapchat so it’s been ok.

We are north London and are supposed to have a light dusting of snow but there is quite a bit forecast for the Midlands which is more the problem. However DH has said he will collect him tonight

Trains are usually ok in snow, much safer than cars I think so your DS should be OK veg.

DD says every time they go to look at a house, 50 other people go too. There are loads of adverts for single students to share an almost full house.

I'm in Bham ono40 and can confirm we are being forecast quite a lot of snow in time for the morning rush hour. Sorry!

Blogwoman, as HSM says, there will always be groups looking for someone extra to share, so don't panic. I think DD said she was looking at more houses today, and then a mate is organising pub golf which sounds like it will be carnage