The first step, my son, which one makes in the world, is the one on which depends the rest of our days - Voltaire

I'd had a rather challenging time at work yesterday and by the time I got home I was exhausted. As I sat down on the sofa with a welcome cup of tea, my daughter looked up from marking a pile of exercise books and asked if my son had told me about Northampton - he hadn't. Her face was serious and I felt a jolt of dread inside me as I asked if he'd heard about his university interview. My daughter told me that he had, then it seemed as if time stood still as I waited for her to tell me more. Then suddenly she was speaking again and her words "he got an offer" echoed inside my head.

I was so pleased for my son. Of course it is only the first step, now he has to work hard and get the required grades as well as getting as much classroom experience as he can in the next few months. Where did all those years go, it doesn't seem possible that my son can be making plans to go to university! It makes me feel very old, but I am very proud of him.

A Good Drying Day

When I woke up on Thursday morning I was surprised to find that it was already a beautiful sunny day, so I decided to strike while the iron was hot and get some washing out - it was dry in a couple of hours! To be honest I was feeling a bit anxious because today was A level results day and my son had to go and pick up his AS Level exam results. It seemed to take forever but eventually the phone rang and his sister informed me that he had got good grades. My son then came on the phone, for just long enough for me to congratulate him, then he handed me back to his sister, I don't think he has any idea how how much I worry about him at times!

I didn't really want to go anywhere today the garden and the beach are all we need and the weather is perfect, but the lure of the beach cafe drew us to Mundesley for a late lunch. The food was excellent and better still they have mastered the art of making a good cup of tea, in fact their pot of tea for one provided two full cups of tea and the milk jug contained plenty of milk. The beach was busy but the tide was out so there was plenty of room for everyone. I was tempted to go for a stroll on the beach at Mundesley, but in the end we decided to head back to our beach at Walcott instead. Robbie doesn't paddle, but I love it so we strolled along the beach with me splashing about in the shallows and him keeping a safe distance. This year I asserted my independence and bought a pair of Crocs, much to the disgust of my daughters. For years they have told me that it would be too embarrassing for words if I wore Crocs, but I decided that they will just have to come to terms with the embarrassment because I needed some comfortable and practical holiday footwear. They are the most comfortable shoes i have ever worn, so I think I will wear them at home too!!

Wearing The Happy Hat

My son has decided that he no longer wants to be named on the blog. As a blogger himself he understands that this will be rather challenging for me, so he has given me permission to write about him (as long as it is not too embarrassing) but he does not want me to post photos of him. So the question is do I give him an alias or should I just refer to him as my son. So far that question is unresolved and for now he remains nameless. My dilemma reminded me of when he was about 8 and going through his spy phase. He decided to change his name to Flash, his teacher was most annoyed when he changed his name on all his exercise books!! That seems like a lifetime ago now.


So back to the present, he has his GCSEs looming in front of him and the difficult question of finding a suitable place for Sixth Form. The school he is at is very good in terms of the results it achieves and there are some very good teachers but it is very rigid and oppressive. I want him to do well beyond Sixth Form and that involves becoming more self reliant and taking responsibility for his own learning. He also felt that he needed a different learning environment for Sixth Form and he was very keen to go to the school that his sisters attended. There was just one problem, they only take up to 20 external students for post 16 education and everyone wants to go there.


Having attended the open evening and chatted to the teachers about the courses available he was more keen than ever and he eagerly filled in his application form. After that there was a long and anxious wait, then when we had almost given up hope there was a telephone message inviting him for an interview, he was so excited. The interview went well and on Friday the long awaited letter arrived, he has a firm offer of a place. He will be one of only a handful of boys at a girls school! He had a huge grin on his face and he sat in the lounge with his hat on (the hat is similar to the type worn by Olly Murs). I asked why the hat had put in an appearance after an absence of several weeks and he said that it is his happy hat. He took it off and allowed me a brief glimpse inside. Inside he has tucked several photos and notes into the lining band. He carries his most precious memories with him - in his hat! He has always had a unique approach to life. 


I like the idea of a happy hat, if I thought it would work I would make one for Robbie, but maybe Robbie wasn't built for hats! 


Photo by t-florie

Home Again

We said a sad goodbye to the caravan and headed home this morning. I was reluctant to leave because it has been a lovely week, but Laura has an A Level exam on Monday so we had to drag ourselves back to reality. The journey back was OK, it was busy and the M5 was running very slowly, but once we got past the cone storage area (otherwise known as Bristol) the roads were better. We got home safely, but I left the others to unpack the car because I was exhausted after the long drive. Unpacking when you get home is so depressing! My holiday has left me with with one unanswered question, each time I went to the beach the same question came to my mind - why do old men wear Speedos?

Busy Getting Nowhere

Laura has her first A Level exam today, at least it is Geography, her favourite subject, but it is the start of an anxious few weeks for her. She will be leaving school for ever on Thursday and just going back for exams. I don't know where all the time has gone, it only seems like a couple of years since we had to choose a senior school for her and now her school days are over and university is on the horizon.

I feel as if I am busy getting nowhere this week. We are going on holiday on Saturday and as always I feel as if I am never going to be ready in time! As well as all the usual packing and planning I have to have everything ready for Laura's 18th birthday which is a couple of days after we get home.

Changes

Sam has to select his GCSE options and he has very clear ideas about what he wants to do. He is not a great one for taking advice (its a man thing) and his form was completed before I even got to see it. At first I was anxious, but he is taking a broad range of subjects and it is better that he take subjects that motivate him to work hard. It is a difficult adjustment for me to find my youngest child suddenly very grown up and sensible, but I expect I will get used to it. Anyway the sensible bit doesn't last long, we just get fleeting glimpses of the sensible side and then we are back to the old familiar totally unique Sam.

On the subject of not taking advice, Laura is getting ready to take her driving test and is determined to get a car as soon as she can drive. I must admit that it will be a relief to have a second driver in the family, but I worry about the expense of Laura running and insuring a car, and of course I worry about her staying safe. I think this is just another case of mum needing to adjust!

Birthday Girl

It was Laura's birthday yesterday, it is the first time that I haven't been with her on her birthday and I missed her so much. She had Maths AS exams during the day, but in the evening she and three friends went to my mums for her favourite meal (home made chips). Apparently they were so full after their meal that there was no room for their cake. Mum had made one of her legendary chocolate cakes, Laura took it home and when I spoke to her today she said that they were really enjoying the cake. I hope they save some for Emily! I asked Laura to make sure that someone took some photos of her opening her presents, but knowing her I bet she didn't get any photos. Laura has been lucky with her birthday because it usually coincided with half term, so most of her birthday's have been spent on holiday in Cornwall. Since I haven't got any photos of her birthday this year, I will have to relive old memories, her are a couple of photos of past birthdays

Missed

The weather has been lovely over the last few days, I love this time of year when the whole summer stretches ahead of us. I'm not sure my children would agree with me, Sam is suffering badly with hay fever, Laura is just about to start exam leave for her AS Level exams and Emily has exams looming at university. Sam has started on his medication, so hopefully his hay fever will improve soon. The oil seed rape is in flower and the countryside around here is a mass of yellow, I hate the smell and the pollen upsets my asthma so I will be glad when the flowers are gone. It really annoys me that I have asthma, I didn't develop it until I was an adult and I don't understand why, I have never smoked a cigarette in my life.

I had to go to town yesterday to buy birthday presents for Imogen, the youngest (and probably the loudest) of our children, she will be 9 later this month. Imogen looks so much like Robbie, she can be very strong willed but she has a lovely side to he nature, when asked what she wants for her birthday or Christmas she doesn't provide a long list of desires, she just says that she will be happy with anything. So we have spent the last few weeks trying to think of things that she will really like. I can't tell you what we have bought, that's top secret, but it involved me trudging around town until my legs almost dropped off. It was a successful trip and now I have plenty of wrapping up to do.

For those who are wondering if Robbie was forgiven after yesterday's blog entry, yes, I never stay cross with him for long. There was another points failure yesterday so he was late home again, it is so frustrating. He was home just long enough to eat his meal before dashing out to sort out Marion's wayward router again, it was an AOL server problem - again!. When I picked him up from Marion's house he said "I missed ..." and just for a split second I thought he was going to tell me that he had missed me (we have hardly seen each other this week), but it was something far more important - he had missed one of his favourite TV programs! It was late so I went to bed and left him watching the repeat of his program. Oh well at least I had peace and quiet!

GCSE Results

GCSE Results Wednesday 22nd August 2007

I woke at about 7.30am and realised that the predicted high winds had arrived with a vengeance, it sounded as if we were about to blow away. When I opened the curtains in the lounge I realised that the sea spray was reaching our back windows and there was foam from the sea all over the back garden. I put on Robbie's coat and wandered down to the back gate to look at the waves. The wind was so strong that I could hardly stand up, the beach was gone and the waves were angrily lashing the concrete barrier and throwing spray and even stones across the footpath and into the garden. I don't think I have seen the sea quite as wild as this before, there was so much white foam that it looked as if the sea was boiling over. We have shutters on the back windows and it crossed my mind that we may need to use them, but I decided to wait and see what happened later in the day.

Robbie and Sam walked down to the shop and took some amazing photos of the sea, there was so much foam on the coast path and all the way up across the road that it looked like a snow scene - in the middle of August! We decided that we would not venture too far today, so Robbie got stuck into his jigsaw and plotted his getaway tomorrow, he wants to go and explore the Wherry line. Sam and I will go off and do our own thing, he said he would like to go to Cromer again, so we will see what tomorrow brings. We have to make an early start whatever happens because Laura gets her GCSE results at 9.30am and I want to be somewhere with a good mobile phone signal so that she can ring me as soon asshe knows. Emily is going to school with Laura as a bit of moral support, but I am sure she will do fine. Laura is very determined and self contained and doesn't like to admit to being anxious, but she is bound to feel a bit jittery.

Results

Results Thursday 16th August 2007

There were two reasons for waking early this morning, Robbie had chosen today for his day off 'playing trains' on the North Norfolk Railway but more importantly this was the day Emily had awaited and dreaded in almost equal measure. A Level results are due this morning and depending on those all important grades she her conditional place at Leicester University would either be confirmed or denied. Every parent wants their child to do well and I am no exception, but whatever her ultimate grades I knew that Emily had worked very hard and if she had done her best that was good enough for me. I knew that Emily was feeling anxious and I was glad that she would be going into school with friends to get the results.

We needed to leave the bungalow no later than 9.30 at the latest in order to drop Robbie at North Walsham on time to catch his train. As usual he turned the luxury of time into a last minute rush and I left him still getting ready while Sam and I got the car out ready to go. As I put my mobile into hands free thingy a text popped up to tell me that I had a voice message, it was too early for the results and I retrieved the message anxiously. Emily's voice sounding young and tired informed me that she didn't have her results yet, but she had been on to the UCAS website and it showed that her place at Leicester University had been confirmed. I was startled to find tears of relief (and perhaps pride) running down my cheeks. The last few years have been hard for us all but despite the loss of their dad the girls have made the most of their educational opportunities and they have enjoyed their friends and lots of other out of school activities too. I knew that Eric would have been proud of them both. It has been a little different for Sam as he was so much younger, but despite his Aspergers he is also getting on well.

At about 10am I dropped Robbie at the Station and the phone rang, Emily's excited voice told me that she had got her longed for grades and despite her fears, that longed for A in English had not eluded her. I was so pleased for her, now she could look forward to a celebration with her friends. Sam and I headed off to Wroxham Barns for a day without trains. We began with a visit to the farm, it has been a favourite with Sam since he was tiny. He loves being able to feed and touch the animals, the goats are my favourite but Sam loves them all. This time a ferret called Jet seemed to fascinate him and a litter of 15 piglets with their mum attracted a lot of attention too. A large and hungry goat was not satisfied with several handfuls of food, he decided to have a go at my Animal handbag as well, but I managed to pull it away just in time. Two donkey's had perfected the art of illusion and by moving further along the fence while the other donkey was being fed the one who had already been feed managed to look as if he was a different donkey who was still waiting for something to eat. This was obviously a well practised routine and it had Sam in fits of laughter.

After the farm we visited the shops and Sam bought a couple of stones for his collection. We also enjoyed a visit to the amusement area where Sam had several goes at the rifle shooting and his old favourite the remote controlled cars. Finally we went back to the farm as Sam hoped to catch one of the hensin the act of laying an egg! They have constructed the coups with little peepholes and the children find it fascinating. It was nice to have a few hours back to the bungalow and Sam spent some time on the beach picking up interesting stones. Robbie eventually arrived back in the evening having spent the day travelling backwards and forwards on the North Norfolk Railway. I sat in the car waiting for him and all the other passengers walked round from the train, got into their cars and disappeared into the night, but still there was no sign of Robbie. I waited in the deserted car park wondering where he was when a familiar figure with a back pack plodded into view with all the urgency of a turkey approaching Christmas. He was a little evasive about his lateness at first but he grudgingly admitted that he had been jotting down numbers again! He was exhausted after his busy day - but not too tired to talk non stop - about trains!