Our Christmas was unusual this year, just the three of us at home for Christmas dinner, but I'm not complaining about it being a quiet Christmas, it's preferable to the last couple of years when we've been hospital visiting and having to fit the festivities in around that.
Daniel and Jasmine Skyped us on Christmas Day from Colorado, it was late afternoon here by the time they were getting up. They arrived home last weekend and they're now back into the swing of work again. They had a lovely time. Jasmine's sister is expecting her first baby in spring so they'd like to go back again later this year, it must be hard for her living all this way away from her family, especially when big events like this are happening.
It always seems quiet when Eleanor goes back to university and Mick and I are left on our own again but we soon get used to it. It will only happen once more, Easter will be her last break from university before graduation. How did that happen? Three years have gone by so fast.
Just twelve weeks until she's home again, not that I'm counting or anything!
It is so grey everywhere, I hope the weeks pass quickly.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the weeks will fly by, time seems to go so fast these days.
DeleteI notice the lovely socks in her suitcase. It won't be long before Eleanor is home again. X
ReplyDeleteNot all hand knit, but there are some. We'll probably go over to Nottingham before her next holiday so it won't be so long before we see her again.
DeleteWondering were your son and his girl friend met...? :-) Perhaps when she was in the UK, for a college semester abroad...?
ReplyDeleteOur Granddaughter who is in her Junior Year in college, is going, for this next semester, to the University of Groningen. Will be her first time traveling. And the first time she will be so far away from home. Oh my!!!!!
I'm so glad you had a peaceful Christmas. Our family did not, but all is well again. :-)
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Daniel and Jasmine met at university. They were both studying physics with astrophysics at York University and they were lab partners, now they're partners in life! As far as I understand, it can cost as much to study in another state in the US as it can to study abroad and she liked what York had to offer so she came over here. Very expensive for her but she thinks it was worth it. She wants to stay here and make her life here but it was tricky getting a job, even with a first class honours degree in physics. As an American citizen, any employer has to sponsor her visa, which is time consuming as well as expensive, for both her and the employer, but she's in employment now. She's hoping to apply for British Citizenship but I believe that she'll have to live here for six years, not counting the three years she was here studying, and again, is costly. Good luck to your granddaughter, it's a worrying time for family when they're so far away from home but I'm sure it'll be a wonderful experience for her, it'll broaden her knowledge and will give her extra experience.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear that your Christmas wasn't what you'd hoped, it's a difficult time of year when there's other things going on, but I'm glad to hear that all is well again now, long may that continue.
I am pleased to hear you had a peaceful Christmas and enjoyed having Eleanor home, the next 12 weeks should fly by. I remember her going to uni, goodness, that really has flown!xxx
ReplyDeleteI can't believe where the time has gone, three years have flown by so I'm sure the next twelve weeks will go by in a flash.
DeleteTime is just flying by, I too am counting the weeks until the next visit from family. Hope all goes well in the final semester for Eleanor a reward for all the hard work.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard being far away from family but it does make the time we spend together even more special. Thank you, she's got a busy time now until she finishes with exams and her dissertation.
DeleteI still miss my boys when they venture off to school again. I am sending you a hug.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It doesn't get any easier even after all this time.
DeleteOh my, she has certainly grown up, if she is that close to graduating. She was still at school when I met you in 2014 & I'm not sure where all that time has gone for us all. Quiet Christmas for us too, but Oz is such a huge country & our family are so spread out. Wishes to Eleanor on her final uni year, take care & huggles.
ReplyDeleteShe'll be 21 this year, quite the young lady now. Thank you, she's got lots of hard work ahead but I know she'll do her best.
DeleteHope all goes well for her, glad you've had a lovely peaceful Christmas. I bet your son is havign a wonderful time in Colorado it must be stunning at this time of year!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, she's really enjoyed her time at university but she's got a lot of hard work to return to. Daniel and Jasmine had a wonderful time in Colorado, they spent some time in the mountains which Daniel particularly enjoyed, though it was rather chilly to say the least.
DeleteYou will miss her, it's all the little things. We'll keep you company until she's back. Your Christmas sounds a lot better than last year.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is great for keeping us in touch, I don't know how I'd have coped before mobile phones and Skype. We had a quiet, but lovely Christmas this year.
DeleteIt´s so hard when they are far away isn´t it, I´m sure the weeks will fly pass and technology certainly helps. Can´t believe that Eleanor is nearly finishing uni, seems only yesterday you posted she was going xcx
ReplyDeleteI just count my lucky stars that both my kids are here in the UK, I know there's many families who live in different countries. I was expecting the three years of Eleanor being at uni to fly by as it was exactly the same with Daniel, I don't know where the time goes.
DeleteIt won't be long until Easter (I've seen eggs in the shops already). I used to send ours back with carrier bags of food - most of which they never touched!! They've all left home now and I can't imagine living in a house full now (there were 5 of us in total).
ReplyDeleteThere were carrier bags of food sent back with Eleanor too, she definitely eats well for a couple of weeks once she's back. It seems quiet again at first but it doesn't take long until it's the norm and then it takes some getting used to when she's home again.
DeleteI'm pleased that Christmas went well, and so lovely to be able to skype with Daniel and Jasmine.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe Eleanor will be returning for her final part of her studies … the time has whizzed by. My good wishes to her for the final part, and her dissertation to.
Hope the week ahead may bring us some sunshine, and no snow!
All the best Jan
It was nice to be in touch with Daniel and Jasmine on Christmas Day even though we were so many miles apart. Thank you, I can't believe how fast Eleanor's time at uni has gone either, it doesn't seem nearly three years since we were first waving her off.
DeleteIt's wonderful that Eleanor was able to stay so long over the holidays. When it comes to our kids, time does seem to go by like a flash. One minute they are in kindergarten, the next your looking at high school courses (which we are doing at the moment).
ReplyDeletePeople tell you that when you have kids they grow up in the blink of an eye. I never believed it but it's so true, it doesn't seem long since they were both in primary school and yet Eleanor's now preparing to finish her studies and Daniel's already in employment, it's quite scary when you think how fast life passes by.
DeleteHope you are feeling a bit brighter now Jo. The years fly by so quick don't they. I can't believe my eldest is 18 yrs old, how did that happen. The youngest at 16 finishes school this summer though he'll stay for 2 more yrs of sixth form. Thankfully his school had that option, of course he could've gone to college but I think he'll prefer this way. I read somewhere it's not us getting old but boy have our children aged so much. Change, forward thinking plans, dates on the calendar it's all good.
ReplyDeleteSorry I've not been about much, I've tried to pop in and catch up on blogs and do enjoy visiting yours. Take care Jo. Cathy x
Thank you, I'm getting used to the quiet house again now. Daniel and Eleanor went to their school's sixth form too. Some of the students did leave to go to other sixth forms or colleges depending on the courses they wanted to take but Eleanor wanted to stay with her friends, I think it worked out the best for her. The years do fly by, only a few months now until Eleanor finishes uni and then it's on to the next chapter.
DeleteHugs for you, Jo. I just have to say I think it's really wonderful that you are so close to Eleanor and enjoy her company so much. I can only hope for the same for me and my daughter someday. You're an inspiration to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you, what a lovely thing to say. We are very close, it's funny really as I could never imagine myself with a daughter after having a son first. It's nice having a boy and a girl though, I have close relationships with them both.
DeleteHi,I don't know what it's like to have children so can't comment.I do know though that I have always been very close to my mum.As she was a very young mum we would enjoy going shopping together having a laugh and I have always been able to talk to her about everything.Hopefully the time will fly and she will be home with her washing in no time.Hugs.Cuddle for Archie xx
ReplyDeleteI've always been really close to my mum too so I'm glad that the closeness is there between me and Eleanor too. She's actually really good with her washing, she didn't bring a thing home with her at Christmas as she was all up to date with it at uni.
DeleteSounds like it was a lovely time with Eleanor. I'm not expecting any of my boys to stay in New Zealand forever and am totally used to family being spread all around the globe for decades... and moving between multiple countries! Even though mine are still at home, I barely see them some days and they go can be away for days with mates. We don't even all go on hols together anymore - times are changing! But mine don't want to go out of town for uni, as home seems too good and much cheaper!
ReplyDeleteDaniel wasn't really keen to live away from home when he was applying to universities, he had the same idea, it would be cheaper at home, but I encouraged him to live on campus and he looks back now and realises that it was definitely the right decision for him. He had a great time, made so many friends and gained independence. It certainly set him in good stead for moving away from home after university. Times do change as each milestone with our children is reached, it's hard sometimes but I'm just happy to know that my kids are happy.
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