Monday 26 September 2022

Out with the old

 













Well, after a mad few weeks the biggest boy is installed at university and the other two are back at school and I am breathing deep, cleansing, uninterrupted breaths. The eldest has managed some laundry and all seems well so far. The littlest boy is missing him, having handily forgotten all the torture and scuffles before he went away.

No opportunity was wasted to increase my anxiety about the whole thing. Conversations went like this:

Me: Which bathrobe do you want to take?

Biggest boy: The thin one.

Me: The thin one??? You'll be freezing. You need the thick one.

Biggest boy: I'll be getting dressed straight away in the mornings, the thin one will be fine.

Middle boy: He'll be sleeping in his clothes. In the street.

I looked into insurance before he went. Some insurance companies were offering cover for theft of shopping on the way home, as if he might be attacked and his groceries stolen after leaving the supermarket, as in some sort of dystopian nightmare.

We had a few minor disagreements over what he actually needed to have. He felt that £100 jeans and £170 speaker were basic necessities. I spent about three weeks going, 'You're a STUDENT'. He has £28 jeans and a £30 speaker which I am counting as a victory.

His group in the student halls had the opportunity to chat online before they met, so in theory they could have arranged kitchen equipment so that they didn't end up with twenty saucepans. Instead, they created a playlist and organised some cool lighting. I did see someone with a bread machine going past when I arrived though, which felt promising.

The university has literally dozens of exciting things going on, I was quite green with envy. Hedgehog preservations groups and gardening and exploring the countryside and trips here there and everywhere. It sounds brilliant, although of course he will probably mostly be going to the bar and not growing his own food. It would all be just right for me though. Except the shared kitchen. He said it is 'not quite as bad as I thought it might be, but you would still be horrified.' I think I am probably more robust than he gives me credit for, it's just that I am overly dramatic when someone makes a kitchen mess at home. I channel Monica from Friends a lot of the time, just to keep people in line as much as possible. 

I decluttered his room on Saturday and the littlest boy and I went plant shopping, then on Saturday evening he moved in, as it's much bigger than his room and has a view of fields and cows. Although his own room has a big tree outside right outside his window with resident pigeons which he is rather attached to. I did deep cleaning and it is all dust-free and sparkling. The littlest boy is on his best behaviour and temporarily committed to keeping it all lovely in there. 

And that feels like all the news I have for now. How is everything at your end?


18 comments:

  1. What a huge change for you all. A right of passage but hard for those left behind. I hope he enjoys his time at uni.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like all went well with the transition to Uni. We've installed our younger son too (elder one never came home from Uni in the summer) so things are very strange for us now as we have an empty nest. Trying to get used to only cooking for 2, the shoe rack being empty and not having mountains of laundry everywhere! I'm sure in time I'll enjoy it, but for now it's just odd.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so glad that the transition to uni went well; what an exciting time for your son. I'm very impressed that someone moved in with a bread maker!
    It's nice that your littlest gets a new room to compensate for missing his brother. I'll be interested to know how long it stays clean and tidy! :O)
    Hope you're doing okay and that the whole process hasn't been too upsetting. He'll be back for Christmas before you know it. xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. I remember my youngest really missed his big brother when he went to uni. I’m sure having his room is extra special for him. Sounds like you have been having a very busy time and well done on down sizing those prices. Shared kitchens in my memory weren’t the most savoury places but I dare say his social life makes up for it. Eldest had a mantra about cooking when he was a student. If it couldn’t be cooked at 200° for twenty minutes it wasn’t worth eating lol!
    Must be very strange at the moment. Thinking of you. Won’t be long before the dirty laundry comes home :). B x

    ReplyDelete
  5. Big changes indeed. Wishing biggest boy the best of times ....and an extra hug for you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. A most enjoyable post and lovely pictures. That's a major change for him and for you which I'm sure you'll both weather okay so to speak.
    All well here thankfully, but have an eye test, routine dental checkup as well as both Covid booster and flu jabs all due in the next week or so. xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Those tomatoes! Isn't it amazing how much extracurricular activities there are for students? There was nothing at all when I was at uni (admittedly, back in the last Millenium). I hope your oldest gets to explore a couple of things, once all the cash has been spent at the Union bar. Oh to be young again! My daughter is considering spending her hard earned cleaning cash on a £500 Dyson Airwrap because her hair is her biggest asset (her words). I am speechless and quite frankly shocked. But thought I'd share with you because of the £170 speaker, which seems like a bargain in this context... Have a wonderful week xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. Big changes….but so nice to read your blog … Happy weekend …love Ria and Leaf πŸ€πŸ’—πŸΎπŸ€

    ReplyDelete
  9. Owww I forgot to tell you beautiful garden pictures love them ! πŸ€πŸπŸŒ»πŸ„πŸ‚πŸ§‘πŸ€

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh I am wishing you well, it is so starnge when one of them moves out. My son moved in with his girlfriend about two years ago now and my youngest took over his room. He still lets me know socks are required at Christmas and birthdays and yet they have all the latest tech, priorities!

    ReplyDelete
  11. How does the biggest boy feel about having his room commandeered?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was all cleared with him before he left and he's fine so far. Of course when he comes back at Christmas is when it will all get tricky... CJ xx

      Delete
    2. My daughter moved out in 1999 for Uni then got married and had two children. I still have to clear any changes with her! As for shared kitchens - you soon learn to close your eyes! I'll never forget the visiting slugs!

      Delete
  12. My girls have only just swapped rooms and the eldest hasn't lived at home full time for a good few years now. I hope you are doing OK with your boy at uni xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. It all seems so long ago now for me, yet I remember I had exactly the same concerns, things never change. Oh the kitchens, you may think you're robust but believe me, I had to close my eyes as I walked past Daniel's kitchen and pretend it wasn't there when I visited, though I think Eleanor is more like me because she was forever cleaning her shared kitchen when she was at uni. Perhaps it was the fact that she was taking a science degree and they'd been asked to take in their dishcloths to see what grew on them, I won't tell you the answer to that, it would just make you more anxious! Seriously, he'll survive and he'll have a brilliant time, and he might even learn something while he's there too. It's all good.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ahhh, I'm sure you shed several tears. Snowbird.xxx

    ReplyDelete
  15. All the best wishes for your son at Uni (and for you in your slightly emptier nest). My eldest should have been at Uni but dropped out of school and is doing nothing! All very stressful! Argh! I'm hoping he will have an a-ha moment and decide to do something, anything, at some point.
    Jillxo

    ReplyDelete
  16. New to blog and from Oklahoma USA. I am giggling already about the Uni stories. I have a 16 yr old who has started looking at colleges as she will be a senior next year. So Uni drop off is in my future. Hope you are not missing eldest too much

    ReplyDelete