Monday 19 September 2016

Memorandum Monday: Falling Leaves, Fresh Air and First Year

Monday: you're a strange one. Every week you appear, and sometimes nothing seems to have changed, while again everything feels to be different. It has been a weekend full of firsts, as exciting as they come, as we helped our girl move into her new house before the beginning of term today. She was The Small One when this blog began: now she's a gloriously capable, beautiful, independent adult. Her student life starts here and she's ready for it.

And as we've had plenty of time to prepare, we're ready too. She'll probably get a surprise when she drops in today for "more stuff" (sweaters! take sweaters! and your raincoat! and maybe some thermal vests!): for, overnight, we have magically transformed into Freshers ourselves. We look exactly like we did in those first student cards, back in the days when we thought the world was all ours, ready to be held in the palm of our hand.


Oh, all right, then. In my imagination. I found these last week when I was looking for something else entirely. If I show them to her, and she sees that I still have them, I expect she'll refer me to this



which left in the first batch of "some stuff" yesterday. It was an eighteenth birthday present to her psychology student self, from Uncle Dave - a first English language edition - and she took that and the sweater I knitted her and the blanket I crocheted  for her. Just enough home to wrap nicely round the edges of her brand new life. Oh, I wish her all the very best! You reach out and grab it, my best girl!

There were other weekend things I had intended to write about: a dance competition, a night of culture, a new knitting book. But I'm going to leave it there. I have a new kind of normal to start working on. 

And that's my memo, on Monday. If you have one of your own we'd love to hear it. Anything you did for the first time? Anything you learned that you didn't know before? 

 Helena, Jane, Mitra, Mary-Lou, Alexandra, Ladkyis, Maggie, Deb, Barbara and Eileen memo'ed last time. Go on: give 'em a wave! Say hello! And have a good week!

16 comments:

Ruth said...

Oh gosh, I wish I were going with her! Such an exciting time ... perhaps she'll be kind enough to allow you to share some of her stories with us ... do hope so! The best of luck, TNSSO!

Patio Postcards said...

Your words, your story, I too felt wrapped up in the blanket of time making so many changes. I know I was never as brave as TNSSO leaving home. That all too familiar quote rings in my ears ... wings to fly, roots to ground.

Maggie said...

It is very exciting and it does bring it all rushing back from the past! Good luck to your girl. I felt very comfortable leaving my girl on Saturday, she was settled in and busy making new friends. The whole atmosphere was electric with all the new students unloading their gear. So tell me Sian. Were you a child genius and started uni at an early age? You look very young in that photo!

alexandra s.m. said...

Thank you for this wonderful post which also resonates for me.
These identity pictures are precious!
Did we know how young we were then?

Ali said...

I wish your daughter all the best!! Hope she has a fantastic time and I am sure she will xx hugs xx

Jane said...

Great photos, exciting times ahead for your daughter.

debs14 said...

Oh what an exciting time she has ahead of her! I hope that Freshers week goes well and that she makes lots of new friends, and I am sure that she has strict instructions to keep in touch - but it's hard to remember that when there's so much else going on. I do hope you are allowed to share some of her adventures with us.

Melissa said...

New beginnings are exciting . . . and FUN . . . and sometimes sad/happy! Wishing the (not-so)Small One the best as she begins this new season of life!

Mitralee said...

oh! how exciting! And I totally agree on the Monday thing!

Karen said...

I remember her as the Small One which tells me how long I've been blogging! Best wishes to her; she has everything she needs, but most especially, a loving family to support her as she spreads her wings!

Lizzy Hill said...

Well, she's actually gone..... not far, but off to start the next Part of Life.. how exciting! Hope you're managing OK & not missing her too too much! I just heard my boy OS will be going onto Bermuda now until the America's Cup is run in June 2017. Sigh. So I don't suppose we'll see him now ..... I miss him!!!

Barbara Eads said...

Yes you do look the same---maybe a little wiser--but the same! I'm glad to hear you are taking the separation well. A little sadness might creep up on you, but it sounds like you are ready to handle it!

Lisa said...

How exciting for her. I've done several restarts and resets in my life over the last few years and I feel a little old for another one so soon but I can feel it coming. Lovely as always to drop by here and listen to you!

alexa said...

Hoping your new kind of normal begins to feel, well, more normal as the days shift through September. Your best girl is not far away :). And she has gone laden with the gift of great parents, a happy home, and a bunch of talents. Given what I remember of,the first week of term, though, she may not be doing much sitting around wrapped in your blanket with Freud!

Jo said...

I wish her all the luck in the world for this new stage of her life x

Missus Wookie said...

Glad she's not gone far - and hope that the sweater, blanket and book all help ease her into student life gracefully.

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