2017 seems so long ago, now they're fledgling graduates.

[latedecember1963]

4 years since A Levels and the wait for August and confirmation of where our chicks were about to fly the nest to.
It's been 4 years that has sprung a few surprises along the way, not least this lovely series of threads.

Oh that's a shame about your holiday @Xenia, hopefully next year will be a better bet for travelling abroad. 🤞

I think I may be finished with paying for 10 people including 5 adult children actually. and the uncertainty of covid times for holidays we have to book 6 months ahead because so many different employers are concerned and now the grandchildren or some are school age so has to be in term time. I might take one or possibly both twins somewhere this summer. We shall see. As I joked earlier in the year I could take myself off on ten holidays a year instead of one with 10 of us....

It doesn't actually make sense as the company was not taking people to ambers but now double jab equals green (in practice) I think they could have gone ahead with July holidays.

It must be hard for travel companies to know what to do, and I suppose sometimes they're up against contractual deadlines of various types.

Sorry to hear about your family holiday, Xenia. I think we're going to stick to visiting our Anglesey caravan for at least the next 12 months just so we don't have to deal with the uncertainty. Hope you manage a break away somewhere before too long.

Enjoy hugging your DD Parker, it’s been tough for families & sorry about cancelled holidays.

Results day here today - and it’s a 1st ! I cried, miss my DM so much as she would have been delighted.

Nice result Eve, congrats! 🥂

Fabulous result, Eve. Congratulations to him and an un- mumsnetty hug for you! 🎉🥂

Congrats Eve and sorry to hear about the holiday Xenia
DS1 and DS2 are both away - poor DS2 should be in Lisbon but instead he's on what he described as a 'dads holiday' walking in the dales

Congratulation's Eve's DS ! What a brilliant crop of young people

DS is still plodding away through his masters research at uni, alone in his student house because all his housemates have gone home. Luckily there are a few friends from other years around to watch the footy with, but he did ring and chat with us for an hour yesterday (unheard of!) so I think he's a bit lonely. The info he's using can't leave the hospital so he can't write up from home.

Sorry to hear about the cancelled holidays but how lovely for the Parker family to finally reunite. What a long time it's been for everyone. Happy summer people

Congratulations to your DD @Eve!

And great news @Parker231

My DD is plodding on with her diss too @Haffdonga

God news Eve!

Hopefully Xenia - and others - will be able to have some sort of family get-togethers even if holidays are kiboshed.

DH is due to fetch DD and the rest of her stuff tomorrow. Not sure how long she'll be here for, her house rental starts early august. Which is good, but I'd hoped she might be here till the start of September.

Congratulations on the exam successes.

Visit to see DD is sorted for start of September to allow time for the younger generation to have had their second vaccine. We’re spending a week in France with DH, the DT’s, my parents, sister and her family. There are still too many restrictions with going to see them in Brussels. Am on a countdown to see them after a very long 12 months since our last visit.
@Xenia - hope you manage to find an alternative holiday. There seems to be a lot of availability now with the changes in travel restrictions and airlines putting on more flights.
We’re in the Cotswolds for the weekend staying with friends- lovely to catch up with them again.

I've given up. Fixing a foreign holiday for my 5 children, their spouses, me, the grandchildren is something we have to plan 6 months ahead which is something I don't think you can do given the regulations in place since March 2020. It is not a big deal for me. It might be a good time to stop family holidays anyway. Some of us are meeting one of my sibling for a lunch this month and probably most of us my other sibling in August.

Anyway Bristol son was collected from there by his twin today and they went to the gym/spa this afternoon near home. There is so much stuff left for him to unpack. Anyway at least it all came home and I have put loads away already. End of an era... and they have the email about paying fees for this coming academic year's course which I will arrange on Monday - another end of an era - last university / school fees ever (I started in 1987 when child 1 went to morning nursery school)..34 continuous years....
My pregnant daughter heard the baby's heart beat today which is nice and all well there too. So not having a holiday is no big deal - we could have easily fixed a UK one is people had wanted that.

I guess there will be plenty of other family gatherings you don't need to organise - christenings etc.

Text from DD to say she'll need the washing machine as soon as she gets home as she went kayaking yesterday! I'm glad she warned me. And that I sent a roll of bin bags with DH!

Deep joy, Erroll. Takes me back to when the lads used to return from Scout and D of E weekends.
When DS1 called by yesterday I gave him 4 boxes of paraphernalia belonging to him that has been taking up space in the wardrobes of his old bedroom.
He was a bit indignant but I pointed out he hasn't lived at home for nearly 5 years, he now has his own house and in less than 4 weeks he'll be married!
All of DS2's stuff that he wants to keep but doesn't need at present is in the loft. He's much more ruthless about letting go of things he no longer needs.

It wasn't that bad. I'm onto the second load.
There's so much stuff... I'm sure a lot will have to be left here, plus all the stuff which never even went to uni with her. I'm not sure it will fit in her room, nor into the miniature house she'll be renting.

@latedecember1963 I am dreaming of those days

We helped Dd move into her flat this weekend. It’s great she will be much nearer than when she was at uni but it also feels like another milestone & end of an era. I can’t imagine she will live with us again...

I’m really pleased she found somewhere nice to live (though £££) & it’s a part of London I don’t really know but have been meaning to explore for a while so that’s a bonus!

@Xenia Sometimes it’s good to take advantage of circumstances forcing us to break with tradition. If everyone holidaying together has become unmanageable this is an opportunity to end it & save it only for celebrating special events.

Great news LateDecember, Eve, and Parker.

It is sad to see traditions go, but then it can be a chance to make new ones which suit everyone better.

Well done on the move. DD is now in her new flat, free from the track and trace requirement of self-isolation. Her second hand sofa arrived from the BHF yesterday, but they, not unreasonably, refused to carry it up the many flights of stairs, so we got a blow by blow (landing by landing) account of her and a friend somehow getting it up. Fingers are crossed today that the wifi turns on, and then she is set. She will have to leave her car on the street in London as parking permits are restricted in Bristol and she is on a wait list, plus they have clamped down on free parking on the Downs. The hope is that she will get to the top of the wait list before her second six month placement. In the meantime she will get fit cycling up Bristol's hills.

We see no real end to DD's things boomeranging back to our house. Large stackable crates seem to be the answer. Thought she has a flat this year she plans to live in hospital accommodation next. Then F1/F2 rotations, followed, quite possibly, by a London job. It seems to be the norm round our way for adult children to return home to save for a deposit, rather than rent. We are reasonably happy about this, though some far sighted parents bought rental properties specifically so that there is somewhere for their DC to live when they return to London.

My second daughter has taken all her stuff from the house over the years and last bit this year almost (other than a small amount of stuff she moved back this year which is just a couple of furniture items in my garage). Other one has 50 boxes but those are now in the garage not my loft so easier to get at. Older son has all his own stuff at his house. We are getting there although with all the stuff just back from university I feel every slightly emptier cupboard is now full to bursting again.

They had a lovely BBQ outside last night before the football with 2 other couples coming and another friend so my son, his girl friend, his twin - so 8 of them. It was very nice - even though England did not win (not that I watched it. I am not into football).

I paid full law school fees for one today but they would not let me pay for the other as he has to be present for data protection reasons or "open a finance query" logging on a special system with a form to give authority. I could do his twin as he was home. Anyway we will sort out the permission email tonight. Last summer the same place was happy to take my money.

@Needmoresleep Many of my friends’ offspring returned home for a while after uni & commuted into London. Dd was quite keen to get her own place which is very understandable & probably more practical when doing shifts. It’s close to her first F1 placement so she will have minimal travel costs.

She still has quite a bit of stuff at our house & I can’t imagine that will change until she is in a position to buy her own place which won’t be for many years. But it is a lot less cluttered now she has gone!

Sorry I'm a bit late but congratulations to Eve's DC.

Nothing much from me. DD is home and started her summer paid internship last Wednesday. She has chosen to work in my dad's cottage next door - he is at his main home so there is a free wifi connection - making her commute all of 30 seconds. Her bf stayed last week and did his primary observation week prior to a PGCE. He was not too happy to end up with a cold. After so many years, I'm almost immune.

I can relate completely on the holiday front Xenia. We've just had our third bash at getting to Provence scuppered for the third time. Twelve adults (all the DC plus several partners) and the thing about getting time off work and all the various air fares booked if people want to come on different days is quite something. Compounded by two working in hospitals so on rotas. easyJet cancelled the flights so often between this last re-booking and June that I think I've dealt with over forty different flights just for this one (cancelled) trip. I don't think I'd have any problem setting up as a travel agent myself. So now we're looking forward to two weeks in 2022 in Provence and a few days on a Greek island in September, although not everyone can come because of..... not enough notice to get time off work. The two youngest will also only have had their second jab the fourteenth day before flying, so they might not be ok by about nine hours - I'll have to look at the exact wording of the rules.

Very fortunately we live by the sea anyway so the DC were able to come here for a staycation, although the house we were renting in Provence is far better set up than our compact house in Devon, with far too many people squished in. I'd forgotten what large scale catering was like - definitely not my forte.

goodbye yes it is very complicated. My daughter has now rebooked her honeymoon to Majorca for late August but may well have to cancel again (as it is her husband's family place the only cost is flights). Whereas my large booking on which I had spent hours this year which is cancelled for the family holiday I am now starting hours of refund work eg they said they would refund to one of 2 cards I have on their files - the card which did not expire on 30 June. Then they emailed saying most of the huge sum will be put on the expired card (ignoring the call and my email). yesterday they implied it could go on the unexpired card etc etc... I also sent a similar legal solicitor's letter to head office as last year (the law is they must refund in 14 days but they often don't) so that might help too.

I need to think about the next year's holiday next Jan (we have ruled out skiing at Xmas due to the new baby which will hopefully have just arrived, and twins' law course/exams) in terms of what I want from it and what I feel I should pay at this life stage. I also don't want a third year of 6 months of hope and then cancellation and would rather not bother than have that.