Woke up to an extremely depressing, dark, rainy day and a text starting 'Mum I've forgotten...' I have a feeling I'm going to get a few of those over the next couple of days.
Knowing that the 'storm' was on it's way we set off early for Hatfield and arrived and moved Andrew into his room in the dry. It wasn't long before the rain started though and by heavens did it rain. We unpacked and put everything away and then met some of his new house mates. The student accommodation on campus is split into individual five bedroomed houses with each house housing a maximum of ten students. The house also has a large kitchen and two bathrooms but no lounge. His house mates seem really nice and are all studying different subjects, I suspect this is to stop students becoming too isolated and only mixing with those on their courses. It will mean they will have a proper break from their subjects too, which is a good thing. Andrew's room mate is very quite although a little on the messy side but then Andrew isn't the world tidiest either. They each have a small fridge in their rooms for milk etc, and a big fridge freezer in the kitchen. There is an oven and a sink but no washing machine but there is a communal laundry with washing machines and dryers elsewhere on campus.
After we got him settled we took him for lunch, as it will probably be the only proper meal he is going to get for a while. We went to a local pub and had an excellent meal, which, I am pleased to say I almost managed to finish. Then it was off to Asda to pick up a few essentials and to work out where it was in relation to his digs. We were pleased to find it is less than a mile away, well withing easy walking distance. We also found a small co-op even closer so shopping should be really easy for him.
By the time we got him back to campus it was really coming down so we dashed to his room for a final chat and a private hug before leaving. So what had we forgotten? The cable to attach his laptop to the Internet. It is now in the post and with a bit of luck he should get it tomorrow, Wednesday at the very latest.
Today is his registration and induction day and he has already texted to say he is having his first placement with the London Ambulance Service in eight weeks time. It will only be as an observer this time though so if you are in London in mid November and you are unfortunate enough to need an ambulance, rest assured you won't be jumped upon by someone who has only just learned how to read a thermometer. You might find yourself being stared at though.
Saturday Laurence came up to see us and to wish Andrew well. He was in a very jovial mood and we spent a few hours laughing at some of his work stories, he always has a few, and discussing early arrangements for Christmas. Both myself and Laurence are roistered on Christmas Day this year so we have decided to put our actual Christmas meal back a few days. We are also supposed to be on New Year's Day too but have agreed to request that day off so we can, hopefully, have a get together before Andrew returns to uni. Unlike a lot of uni courses his is really intense and because of the placements the terms are a lot longer. He only gets ten days at Christmas, about a week at Easter and the summer term does not end until mid August.
Of course we will be seeing both of them again before Christmas but it is going to be difficult getting everyone together on the same day as we all now work shifts.
So how am I doing? Well today I am extremely tired as I lay awake all night worrying about how Andrew was getting on. It is so stupid and so strange. When he went to Bulgeria I had no sleepless nights except for the night before he returned as he was arriving at six in the morning and I was scared of over sleeping. Now he is only thirty minutes away and I'm worried sick. How does that work? I suppose it's because he was staying with people I knew in Bulgaria whilst here it is all brand new and strange. In Bulgaria he had someone who knew the area to help him get around whilst here it is easier to get lost, at least until he gets used to it. I keep telling myself he will be nineteen in two weeks and is a young man not a child but so far it's not doing much good.
On the plus side I've put on almost three pounds in weight and I'm putting this down to long lie ins, sitting around reading or watching TV and eating more as I am able to snack right through the day, something I cannot do at work. Of course there is also the stress factor. Although I get four days off between each working week, I never truly relax because I'm always preparing for the next set. As you know my trip to Papworth has been put back until October 8th so I'm hoping to gain a few more pounds before I get there and avoid the ticking off I got at Harefield.
Our trip away has hit the skids. We originally booked to go to Paris today but then cancelled because Papworth sent me that appointment and we both decided it was more important. Then Papworth changed the appointment so we tried to rebook but have failed to find a free hotel for the days Peter has booked off. So we have decided to book a couple of days at a B & B somewhere near Canterbury for a couple of nights this weekend and do some sight seeing. It is not the trip we intended but at least it will be 'away' which is all that really matters.
This week we've decided on a couple of day trips to fill in the time, the weather is supposed to be better tomorrow so we are checking out some country houses in the area and hoping to take some stunning pictures. We will enjoy ourselves no matter what and spend the time getting used to being a couple again.
Knowing that the 'storm' was on it's way we set off early for Hatfield and arrived and moved Andrew into his room in the dry. It wasn't long before the rain started though and by heavens did it rain. We unpacked and put everything away and then met some of his new house mates. The student accommodation on campus is split into individual five bedroomed houses with each house housing a maximum of ten students. The house also has a large kitchen and two bathrooms but no lounge. His house mates seem really nice and are all studying different subjects, I suspect this is to stop students becoming too isolated and only mixing with those on their courses. It will mean they will have a proper break from their subjects too, which is a good thing. Andrew's room mate is very quite although a little on the messy side but then Andrew isn't the world tidiest either. They each have a small fridge in their rooms for milk etc, and a big fridge freezer in the kitchen. There is an oven and a sink but no washing machine but there is a communal laundry with washing machines and dryers elsewhere on campus.
After we got him settled we took him for lunch, as it will probably be the only proper meal he is going to get for a while. We went to a local pub and had an excellent meal, which, I am pleased to say I almost managed to finish. Then it was off to Asda to pick up a few essentials and to work out where it was in relation to his digs. We were pleased to find it is less than a mile away, well withing easy walking distance. We also found a small co-op even closer so shopping should be really easy for him.
By the time we got him back to campus it was really coming down so we dashed to his room for a final chat and a private hug before leaving. So what had we forgotten? The cable to attach his laptop to the Internet. It is now in the post and with a bit of luck he should get it tomorrow, Wednesday at the very latest.
Today is his registration and induction day and he has already texted to say he is having his first placement with the London Ambulance Service in eight weeks time. It will only be as an observer this time though so if you are in London in mid November and you are unfortunate enough to need an ambulance, rest assured you won't be jumped upon by someone who has only just learned how to read a thermometer. You might find yourself being stared at though.
Saturday Laurence came up to see us and to wish Andrew well. He was in a very jovial mood and we spent a few hours laughing at some of his work stories, he always has a few, and discussing early arrangements for Christmas. Both myself and Laurence are roistered on Christmas Day this year so we have decided to put our actual Christmas meal back a few days. We are also supposed to be on New Year's Day too but have agreed to request that day off so we can, hopefully, have a get together before Andrew returns to uni. Unlike a lot of uni courses his is really intense and because of the placements the terms are a lot longer. He only gets ten days at Christmas, about a week at Easter and the summer term does not end until mid August.
Of course we will be seeing both of them again before Christmas but it is going to be difficult getting everyone together on the same day as we all now work shifts.
So how am I doing? Well today I am extremely tired as I lay awake all night worrying about how Andrew was getting on. It is so stupid and so strange. When he went to Bulgeria I had no sleepless nights except for the night before he returned as he was arriving at six in the morning and I was scared of over sleeping. Now he is only thirty minutes away and I'm worried sick. How does that work? I suppose it's because he was staying with people I knew in Bulgaria whilst here it is all brand new and strange. In Bulgaria he had someone who knew the area to help him get around whilst here it is easier to get lost, at least until he gets used to it. I keep telling myself he will be nineteen in two weeks and is a young man not a child but so far it's not doing much good.
On the plus side I've put on almost three pounds in weight and I'm putting this down to long lie ins, sitting around reading or watching TV and eating more as I am able to snack right through the day, something I cannot do at work. Of course there is also the stress factor. Although I get four days off between each working week, I never truly relax because I'm always preparing for the next set. As you know my trip to Papworth has been put back until October 8th so I'm hoping to gain a few more pounds before I get there and avoid the ticking off I got at Harefield.
Our trip away has hit the skids. We originally booked to go to Paris today but then cancelled because Papworth sent me that appointment and we both decided it was more important. Then Papworth changed the appointment so we tried to rebook but have failed to find a free hotel for the days Peter has booked off. So we have decided to book a couple of days at a B & B somewhere near Canterbury for a couple of nights this weekend and do some sight seeing. It is not the trip we intended but at least it will be 'away' which is all that really matters.
This week we've decided on a couple of day trips to fill in the time, the weather is supposed to be better tomorrow so we are checking out some country houses in the area and hoping to take some stunning pictures. We will enjoy ourselves no matter what and spend the time getting used to being a couple again.
No comments:
Post a Comment