She's leaving home...
Saturday saw the beginning of the end of three years of university life for daughter number 2. The husband and I were summoned with the 'big car' to bring home all of the extremely precious and important stuff which she has accumulated over that time. I say this, because that is how it was described, but having taken a peek into carrier bags, boxes and bin liners, I would say that it is not a fair description. 'Crap' would have covered it better....
She had let slip that every bag of rubbish which the landlord had to remove would be charged at £7.50. I can only imagine that having read 'What a waste' on Friday morning, she realised that her mum had hidden talents...waste removal being one of them. So basically, the husband and I were bin men yesterday, carefully removing all of her rubbish and driving it back down the M1. On getting home, it was unloaded and stored in the garage for future sorting.
Here's the stumbling block. Previous experience with daughter number 1 has shown me that that this 'future sorting' doesn't happen as quickly as you would like. She left university over three years ago, and our garage still holds remains of her student life (as does her bedroom, the airing cupboard and the black hole under the bed of son number 1).
Son number 1, whose student accommodation over the last three years has had a threshold which I am not prepared to cross (vaccinations and a gas mask would be necessary I think) has a different approach to this clearing out. I am sure that you can imagine what a house full of 21 year old boys looks like after a year of serious studying (beer, inflatable Jacuzzi, women, more beer). His approach is to simply throw everything away at the end of each year. Of course, what this means is that every October, once he's been gone a couple of weeks, I will start noticing the absence of various things....duvet covers and pillows are a huge favourite.
But now we're warming up for son number 2 heading off to university in October. Common sense tells us, that having had three go through already, we should have everything he needs for his student squat. However, looking at the state of the returned saucepans, I think he could probably add salmonella poisoning to what he would be taking, courtesy of the withered remains an antique stir fry still residing in a wok. I sense yet another trip to the wonderful Wilko over the summer...
But let's go back to the garage. There is now so much post-university paraphernalia in there, that space is becoming a rare thing. In fact, I am thinking of moving the lawnmower into the hall, as I run the risk of the husband not being able to see it easily (he is the master of the 'Blue Look' - a technique used by most males when searching for something), which in turn will give him an excuse not to mow the lawn.
We will have to clear the garage before son number 2 returns home in three years though. He is the King of the Hoarders, and I can imagine that the 'big car' will be side-lined for a shipping container for all his stuff.
Whoop-de-do......
She had let slip that every bag of rubbish which the landlord had to remove would be charged at £7.50. I can only imagine that having read 'What a waste' on Friday morning, she realised that her mum had hidden talents...waste removal being one of them. So basically, the husband and I were bin men yesterday, carefully removing all of her rubbish and driving it back down the M1. On getting home, it was unloaded and stored in the garage for future sorting.
Here's the stumbling block. Previous experience with daughter number 1 has shown me that that this 'future sorting' doesn't happen as quickly as you would like. She left university over three years ago, and our garage still holds remains of her student life (as does her bedroom, the airing cupboard and the black hole under the bed of son number 1).
Son number 1, whose student accommodation over the last three years has had a threshold which I am not prepared to cross (vaccinations and a gas mask would be necessary I think) has a different approach to this clearing out. I am sure that you can imagine what a house full of 21 year old boys looks like after a year of serious studying (beer, inflatable Jacuzzi, women, more beer). His approach is to simply throw everything away at the end of each year. Of course, what this means is that every October, once he's been gone a couple of weeks, I will start noticing the absence of various things....duvet covers and pillows are a huge favourite.
But now we're warming up for son number 2 heading off to university in October. Common sense tells us, that having had three go through already, we should have everything he needs for his student squat. However, looking at the state of the returned saucepans, I think he could probably add salmonella poisoning to what he would be taking, courtesy of the withered remains an antique stir fry still residing in a wok. I sense yet another trip to the wonderful Wilko over the summer...
But let's go back to the garage. There is now so much post-university paraphernalia in there, that space is becoming a rare thing. In fact, I am thinking of moving the lawnmower into the hall, as I run the risk of the husband not being able to see it easily (he is the master of the 'Blue Look' - a technique used by most males when searching for something), which in turn will give him an excuse not to mow the lawn.
We will have to clear the garage before son number 2 returns home in three years though. He is the King of the Hoarders, and I can imagine that the 'big car' will be side-lined for a shipping container for all his stuff.
Whoop-de-do......
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