Our DC are nearly all officially students now (going to university 2019/20) - seizing the moment, spending, socialising, societies and studying!

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

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[Edited by MNHQ to fix the link]

Oh Chilly your poor DD! She's being very brave!

I can't cry, not generally a crier, so I just get huge pressure headaches. I have other pretty grim issues going on at home so DD1 leaving has just put them all very firmly in the spotlight. I must stop this virtual wailing and gnashing and do some laundry for her sister (not that its why I miss her but DD1 used to do all that too!!)

@Dunlurking I think it will probably affect the A64 as that goes past the Racecourse where the festival is being held. I don’t know York well, a friend mentioned it to me.

I think @Northernlurker is local to York - Northern, do you know how bad it is likely to be or if there is a better route from the A1? DD and DH should be around that area sometime Friday morning (I’m going by train).

Oh Chilly your poor DD. I hope she's feeling better. I did smile at you 'doing a backpack' though. DD1's Hall very unwisely (in my opinion) provides mesh waste paper bins in the bedrooms ...going to be very messy in the event of a vom

@Atreus a small bucket was the best thing I sent DD with when she started! It has been used many times by her flatmates and is called Boris
I will be sending DS with another

[Flowers] @DishingOutDone. I think it's been such a full-on month getting the DC to this point, that it's leaving a massive vacuum in every which way.

DD is doing her best to fill the void left by her big brother (as predicted), so not really had time to feel DS's absence yet but it is bound to come. He has been in touch, been food shopping and now seems to be doing all the admin stuff he could have done over the past couple of weeks. Not yet sure how sociable he's being (but he's always been one for keeping his friendships to himself!).

It does feel very quiet here and DD is being uncharacteristically studious.

@bigTillyMint lol at Boris the bucket. DD1 is convinced she can hold her drink really well and never gets that drunk or has hangovers. I suspect there is a steep Freshers week learning curve (and need for a Boris bucket) coming up

DS had a small wobble last week on realizing that he was too late to apply for some of the modules he’d be wanted. He’s been so fiercely independent and organized about everything else that i couldn’t really scold him for missing this bit of admin - but it’s a great shame that it was quite an important one.

He’ll cope. He’s one of life’s copers. Just a bit sorry for him right now.

Only an accommodation session today at the campus I think - actual freshers starts tomorrow. Sports/societies are weds/thurs. several department events during the week too so will be a mix of practical and social which will be good - and should be enough time to get some supermarket practicalities sorted too. He didn’t go for a big shop with us so he’ll need some staples (And loo roll which we forgot!) and not much storage in the kitchen so his pantry might be his room

Some hanging storage probably on the cards too - shoes/T-shirts etc so can free up the shelves for towels etc

Every student should have a Boris the bucket (how aptly named too!) !

OH sulking because DS has not been in touch enough except for questions about washing, cooking to me. Now he says it is my fault. Really do not need this. He is being an absolute arse.

Balloon fiesta York

Well last year the traffic in town was dreadful with lots of complaints so in theory it should better this year. I can't see Friday being a problem, it was the weekend last year that was dire. You can avoid that part of the A64 if you really want by taking the A19 north which joins the 64 the junction after the racecourse.
If coming by train I would get a bus or taxi up to the uni rather than have them come and get you from the station. I love York dearly but it's not an easy city to navigate if you don't know it. Much easier for you to do that and rest of family just concentrate on getting to the uni which is easier from the 64. Also if the fiesta does screw up traffic it will do so to the bit by the station!

@justasking111 sorry to hear that your OH is being an arse. Clearly he is feeling left out? Hope he stops sulking very soon.

Requests for more money have started already despite getting a pretty decent maintenance loan plus top ups from us and his grandparents (& having done loads of paid work over the summer) he is already asking ‘who’s responsibility is it to pay for gym and sports club membership is it?’

DH is moping around a bit at home, (DS is an only so we are ‘empty nesters’) but I am concentrating on the positives;

No sharing ‘my’ car anymore, and no finding it without petrol
No not sleeping properly waiting for DS to come in at 2am in the morning.
Much less laundry
Cooking with mushrooms again

Just going to give his room a major clean this afternoon, haven’t been properly allowed in since we moved here - 9 years ago!

Sorry to hear about your fil mimi, your poor DH
LifeImplosionImminent I think your dc and my ds4 are probably in the same accommodation and doing similar courses.
He is delighted as we live reasonably far out in the sticks so has always had a decent travel to school. We didn’t have too bad a run into Sheffield considering he had booked a 4pm slot but I had looked at google maps before we left and altered my way in a bit.

Gym is pretty expensive - £300 per year for on campus at Bath, and even the town leisure centre is similarly expensive

Not sure about sports societies. DS has enough per month to live on but large yearly lump payments can be tricky to handle

@JennyWreny and @Northernlurker we're arriving on the Saturday (from the North) so will definitely use the A19 route you've mentioned. Thank you both so much for the warnings and advice. Really appreciate it!

@Ballader also Furness :-) the Pennington building I think.

Ds took out his annual sports membership this morning (also £300 pa at UEA). We advanced him £200 and so he will be paying £100 out of this term's maintenance loan and then will pay us back £100 a term for the next two terms when his loans come in. It makes it more manageable for him and seems reasonable value as he will likely visit the gym most days and I think he will spend a lot of his free time at the sports centre.

Ds is vaguely considering a gym membership. He's never had one before. If he asks me to pay I would have to say it was an early Christmas present maybe?

@Clankboing possibly. DS doesn’t get enough maintenance loan to live on so whether he pays or we pay - we’re still paying :) and I don’t want him suddenly losing £30 per month before he even knows what his costs are like

Well we are home to a very quiet house.

DS loved his room and unpacked and put everything away neatly. He went out with his new flat mates last night and said goodbye to us this morning looking very bleary eyed. One of his flat mates has his car there so took them shopping today. Now he has his own room, sushi and salad, he's sorted.

Now to get used to being 'empty nesters'

@Dunlurking if you're coming from the north then either take the a1 south, come off at a59 which is the exit before the 64 and when you hit the ring road (roundabout right after a garden centre) turn left and go round that way heading towards Scarborough. You get to a double roundabout (after passing Tesco and then monks cross a couple of miles further on) and then follow signs for Leeds, this takes you the other way on the 64 (west not east) and you can leave for the uni at the next junction.
OR you take the a19 south and turn left when you hit the ring road as above.

DS has quite a reasonable gym membership £85, think that’s a special deal if you are also a member of a sports society (which will cost him £110), he seems resigned to paying it, I pointed out that on a weekly basis it was really quite reasonable but if we needed to sub him the money ‘up front’ we could ... he is already having a very expensive skiing holiday as his Christmas present .

No break for 11 weeks might be a shock to those used to school timetables and 6-7 weeks to half term. Do you expect your DCs to come home for a weekend before then?

DS doesn't have anything on on Fridays so we might see him because he can do Thursday night till Sunday but not sure if we will or not.