In a way I had been dreading Thursday morning, what if the unthinkable happened, what would I do then? The problem was that I was not in control, I had done my best or at least I thought I had, but this wasn't about me. All I could do was get on with my morning and wait for the phone to ring.
At last the phone took pity on me and rang. A rather cheerful voice at the other end informed me that he had passed. He had some very pleasing results and most important of all he had got more than enough to get into the sixth form of his choice. After a huge sigh of relief, I was the proud mum full of congratulations and cross with myself for my moments of doubt.
So why was I so anxious, I don't recall being this nervous when his sisters got their results. He is every bit as bright and able as his sisters, but perhaps not as diligent. The girls were able to continue to the sixth form at the same school, but 'the son who must remain nameless' wanted to change schools. We all agreed that it would be the best option for him, and he had been offered a place at the better school (the one his sisters attended) but he needed at least 8 good GCSE grades in order to take up his place. Perhaps it isn't so surprising that I was anxious, so much depended on his results.
Today I took 'the nameless one' to the new school for a meeting to sort out his timetable and do all the necessary paperwork before starting school a week on Tuesday. He will be one of only a handful of boys at an all girls school, but I am certain it is the right place for him. It is not always easy for him to cope with ordinary things because of his Asperger Syndrome, but the next couple of years will be very important not just in achieving good A level results but in helping him to become independent enough to thrive at university.
I missed Robbie so much while he was away and by the time Monday morning came I was longing to see him again. Before he went he told me that he expected to be back soon after lunch time on Monday, so I had a plan in my head of what we would do when he got back. I sent him a text when I woke up and I got a nice text back, then as I was getting on with my morning I was thinking about what he was doing and where he was on his journey. I rang him at about 9.15am and I was disappointed to find that he was still at home, but he said he would be leaving within half an hour so I didn't make a big issue of it.
It felt as if time stood still, I was keeping busy and doing things that I enjoyed, but I just wanted him to come back. Just after half past eleven I signed on to the internet and found that Robbie had left a comment only a couple of minutes before. I reassured myself that he must be using his netbook on the train, but when I rang to check he was still at home! I wasn't amused. I had willingly agreed to him going away for the weekend, in fact I had suggested it, but I felt that he was now taking liberties and I made my disappointment clear.
Robbie did his old trick of going silent because he knew I was cross, so I didn't have any more calls or texts from him until around 4pm, I expected that he would be well on his way, but he was only at Leicester! I had to wait until 8.15pm to pick him up at North Walsham, I was cross with him but i still really wanted to see him and I thought I would go mad having to wait so long. Finally it was time to go to the station, I drove off delighted that my long wait was almost over. I hadn't got very far when my phone rang (hands free), it was Robbie telling me to go back. I couldn't make sense of what he was saying so I had to find somewhere to pull over and ring him back. He had got on the wrong train, he discovered his mistake in time to avoid an unplanned trip to Lowestoft but by then he had missed his train! It was like a cruel joke, I had to turn back.
We were finally reunited an hour later. I was so glad to see him that my annoyance was quickly forgotten. We have the rest of our holiday to enjoy now.
Robbie had a very bad day on Sunday. We had to get up early to go and get the dog from the kennels and I decided to take the other car, but I asked Robbie to bring both car keys with us. It was a reasonably long drive because the kennels is near Milton Keynes and Robbie talked non stop about trains, including a very odd statement about a Pendolino 'sitting down'. It was lovely to get Meg back, but the journey home was hot and uncomfortable. We arrived home to find ourselves locked out because Laura was out and the other key that I had asked Robbie to bring was locked inside the house! I had to drive all the way to my mum's to get the spare key. In the afternoon he kept me waiting outside Tesco for an hour and a half, he should have only bought a few essential food items, but he 'accidentaly' went shopping for clothes! I was not amused, in fact I was furious. He did say he was sorry, but he didn't seem very sorry and when he moved my cleaning stuff that evening and then mocked me for getting cross, he ended up wearing a cup of tea! I did regret it, it was a waste of good tea, but everyone has limits – even me!
Robbie went to a gig in Birmingham on Monday evening, apparently it was one of his favourite groups called The Wedding Present. Robbie was incredulous that I have managed to get through life this far without ever hearing anything about them, and he decided to put that right by providing a potted history of the group and then making a strange noise which was allegedly singing. My eyes glazed over and I decided that in this case ignorance was bliss. My ears were still recovering from the tuneless roar that Robbie calls singing when he asked me to pick him up from the station at midnight. I agreed on the strict understanding that he would not sing to me again. I duly arrived at the station at 11.55pm just one minute before the train was due in. Within seconds a text arrived to say that they were delayed at Rugby! A succession of gloomy texts followed and I sat there feeling cold and tired until the intrepid traveller finally arrived at 1.00am, I was not impressed. The journey home consisted of a long rant from Robbie on the subject of Network Rail!
Robbie is going on a charter trip on Saturday and apparently his life will not be fulfilled unless I let him go to an open day at a cement works on Sunday. Well, how can I compete with the attractions of a cement works? One thing is absolutely certain, it will be a very long time before I agree to pick him up from the station at midnight!!
On Friday morning I woke very early, I was waiting anxiously and not very patiently for news that my new niece of nephew had arrived, I had been told the evening before that he was on the way and the wait seemed never ending. When my children were little they longed for a cousin and I was just as keen to be an aunt, but I only have one brother and one brother in law and for a long time it looked as if we would not get our wish. I was so excited when my brother in law Dorian and his wife Sara announced that a baby was on the way. My niece Charlotte is seven now and her little brother Jack is two, they are amazing, and my children love their little cousins. I think we had all given up hope of my brother Michael having any children, so when he told me some months ago that Jane was pregnant, my first reaction was shocked silence, but I was absolutely delighted by the news. My brother has been very chilled about the whole thing, in fact he seemed more anxious when his dog Poppy had puppies a couple of years ago, but I could tell that he was really excited about it.
Finally I got the news I was waiting for, I have a new nephew! Mum and baby were both fine, but when I saw the first photos my brother looked a bit shaky, he is not very good at dealing with hospitals and he has always been a bit funny abou
t blood stuff. My brother has been teasing the children by saying that he intended to call the baby Cecil after his favourite artist (Cecil Aldin) so we were all waiting anxiously for them to decide on a name. I didn't need to call the NSPCC after all, the baby is not called Cecil, his name is Oliver John. Emily is very keen that he should have ginger hair (she loves ginger hair), it is not possible to tell yet, but as my brother has ginger hair it is a possibility. I can't wait to see him!
This morning was deeply frustrating. As usual I was rushing around like a headless chicken, trying to do everything in an impossibly short amount of time. As usual I was having to chase Sam around to ensure that he with all his kit and equipment would be ready to leave the house on time. The girls are not what you would call morning people - but they are most definitely bathroom people, so constant vigilance is necessary so that I can nip in and briefly take possession of the smallest room. It is intensely off-putting to have someone sighing deeply as they queue outside the door, but I have learned to harden my heart. Megan has her own agenda to follow, it involves sitting in the most awkward positions so that I have to keep stepping over her, then moving at the last moment so that I trip over. A variation on this is when she walks slowly in front of me then suddenly reverses causing me to stumble. I am sure that in a previous life she was one of those geriatrics with a pull along shopping trolley who insist on shopping at peek periods just to create an obstruction in the supermarket and annoy busy shoppers.
Anyway Sam was eventually ready and he sat waiting for me with his rucksack on his back. It was only when we headed out of the front door that I spotted his shoes - the wrong shoes. He had apparently 'lost' them - how can anyone loose their shoes? I sent him back to find them while I sat in the car watching time slip through my fingers. He arrived, moaning and got into the car, I pulled off, then glanced down and saw him still wearing the wrong shoes!! Off he went to try again and I tried to remain calm - and failed! Finally his feet reappeared in the car, this time they were correctly shod. I was so late and so stressed
This afternoon, Sam was had made the magical transformation from neatly ironed schoolboy, to a mud encrusted mess. The unironed look! He managed to bring home half of the park, it stuck to his shoes and to his clothing. This afternoon, Sam was had made the magical transformation from neatly ironed schoolboy, to a mud encrusted mess. The unironed look! He managed to bring home half of the park, mud was caked all around his shoes and artistically spattered over his clothing. Even Meg doesn't get that filthy when she rolls in mud!
This morning was deeply frustrating. As usual I was rushing around like a headless chicken, trying to do everything in an impossibly short amount of time. As usual I was having to chase Sam around to ensure that he with all his kit and equipment would be ready to leave the house on time. The girls are not what you would call morning people - but they are most definitely bathroom people, so constant vigilance is necessary so that I can nip in and briefly take possession of the smallest room. It is intensely off-putting to have someone sighing deeply as they queue outside the door, but I have learned to harden my heart. Megan has her own agenda to follow, it involves sitting in the most awkward positions so that I have to keep stepping over her, then moving at the last moment so that I trip over. A variation on this is when she walks slowly in front of me then suddenly reverses causing me to stumble. I am sure that in a previous life she was one of those geriatrics with a pull along shopping trolley who insist on shopping at peek periods just to create an obstruction in the supermarket and annoy busy shoppers.
Anyway Sam was eventually ready and he sat waiting for me with his rucksack on his back. It was only when we headed out of the front door that I spotted his shoes - the wrong shoes. He had apparently 'lost' them - how can anyone loose their shoes? I sent him back to find them while I sat in the car watching time slip through my fingers. He arrived, moaning and got into the car, I pulled off, then glanced down and saw him still wearing the wrong shoes!! Off he went to try again and I tried to remain calm - and failed! Finally his feet reappeared in the car, this time they were correctly shod. I was so late and so stressed
This afternoon, Sam was had made the magical transformation from neatly ironed schoolboy, to a mud encrusted mess. The unironed look! He managed to bring home half of the park, it stuck to his shoes and to his clothing. This afternoon, Sam was had made the magical transformation from neatly ironed schoolboy, to a mud encrusted mess. The unironed look! He managed to bring home half of the park, mud was caked all around his shoes and artistically spattered over his clothing. Even Meg doesn't get that filthy when she rolls in mud!
