Changes in the family
So much has changed since the last time I posted here. Adam has now left for St Andrews University to study Chemistry, Fraser is now in 6th Year and agonising over what he wants to and where and Kate has now entered Primary 1 in Scotstoun Primary School. As if that is not enough Caroline's Mum has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer, my Dad has skin cancer and Kate has been told she has to wear specs, probably for the rest of her life. All of this has happened in a matter of 3 months but it feels that it has been happening forever!!
We had been waiting so long for Adam to go to University. Actually longing rather than long! Of course when it happened we were caught short and surprised that the time had come so quickly. Caroline was was very concerned about how he was going to handle the situation but is that not what Mothers do? She cannot stop beng a Mother! I took Adam through on the first day and to be honestit was a very nervous Adam. Would he like it was his first concern. Who would be his housemates that he would have to share a good part of the next four years with. The biggest concern to all of us was would he cope with studying again! He had done a 6th year and a gap year in which he had hardly had an academic thought. He was worried, especially about Maths, and we were worried that he would just "chuck it!" As in most thing that you worry about, they are never as bad as the thought. He has settled in well. He has a good bunch of house-mates and the campus he is staying on, "Albany", is the place to be if toy want to play hard and study hard. In other words the old adage- " Worry is like a rocking chair-it just goes back and forward but gets you nowhere!"-is true!
Fraser has now gone into 6th year at school and is now getting closer to having to choose a University. He did really well in hs Highers, getting 4 A's and a B. Funnily enough that is the same as Adam did. Fraser's problem is not that he will not have choices for courses at Uni but they are what he will do! He wants (he thinks) to do a double honours in English and Music and there are very few Uni's that do it. He would like to move from Glasgow and so that is one less choice left to him. The other choices are Trinity College Dublin and Queens University Belfast. I know he would love to go to Dublin but they are difficult to get into and we don't know how funding would go. Either way it is going to be an expensive time but we will try our best to do what we can for him. He deserves it!
At the other end of the spectrum our little darling Kate has now gone into our local Primary 1, Scotstoun Primary School. She is loving it and come home happy most days. Unfortunately after having had her eyes tested in Nursery School we were told that she would need glasses. We assumed that it would only be "part-time" glasses and only when she was reading. It has not turned out that way and in fact they are pretty strong. She was diagnosed as being long-sighted and there is not much chance that the eyes will be able to do without them. She has been very good with them and has adapted really well. After being told that she had no sense of depth and that she did not see in 3D it is not surprising she wants to wear them. It is sad because it has changed her looks no matter what anybody else says. She is so young to be wearing them but I suppose if she was having such difficulty seeing properly then it's a small price to pay. As always it's the Parents who make the bigger fuss!
The most serious piece of news was Caroline's Mum, Joy. She was diagnosed with Breast Cancer a couple of months ago. This is a return of the same disease from 20 years ago! I for one was convinced that it would have spread throughout her body but fortunately for her it has not spread. She has however had to have a Mastectomy. She has as always been very stoical about it and in fact 2 weeks after the successful operation she took herself into Glasgow to be at a concert in the Royal Concert Hall! That is so typical of her. She still has a way to go and has just started her medication which will not include Chemotherapy or Radiation treatment because she had that 20 years ago. The medicine has quite a few side-effects but they have yet to be realised. So we are waiting with baited breath!
My Dad has been suffering with a mild for of Skin-Cancer for a while but it has recently got worse and unfortunately it has spread to his scalp and ears. He gets rather large growths on his head and ears. This of course has made him grumpy, even more grumpy! He is in good health otherwise and is still working at the age of 78! Not bad for a man who had a kidney transplant 20 years ago. I'm sure he can get over this latest blip.
These are just the most important things that have happened over the last 3months but there has been much else. Life just now is moving so quickly. I am working hard and the time is just disappearing. I am lucky to be alive and with a loving family but sometimes I feel it is all a bit much and I want to disappear back to Tuscany! I think that will have to wait till next summer. If the time continues to pass as quickly as it is then that will be soon enough!!
We had been waiting so long for Adam to go to University. Actually longing rather than long! Of course when it happened we were caught short and surprised that the time had come so quickly. Caroline was was very concerned about how he was going to handle the situation but is that not what Mothers do? She cannot stop beng a Mother! I took Adam through on the first day and to be honestit was a very nervous Adam. Would he like it was his first concern. Who would be his housemates that he would have to share a good part of the next four years with. The biggest concern to all of us was would he cope with studying again! He had done a 6th year and a gap year in which he had hardly had an academic thought. He was worried, especially about Maths, and we were worried that he would just "chuck it!" As in most thing that you worry about, they are never as bad as the thought. He has settled in well. He has a good bunch of house-mates and the campus he is staying on, "Albany", is the place to be if toy want to play hard and study hard. In other words the old adage- " Worry is like a rocking chair-it just goes back and forward but gets you nowhere!"-is true!
Fraser has now gone into 6th year at school and is now getting closer to having to choose a University. He did really well in hs Highers, getting 4 A's and a B. Funnily enough that is the same as Adam did. Fraser's problem is not that he will not have choices for courses at Uni but they are what he will do! He wants (he thinks) to do a double honours in English and Music and there are very few Uni's that do it. He would like to move from Glasgow and so that is one less choice left to him. The other choices are Trinity College Dublin and Queens University Belfast. I know he would love to go to Dublin but they are difficult to get into and we don't know how funding would go. Either way it is going to be an expensive time but we will try our best to do what we can for him. He deserves it!
At the other end of the spectrum our little darling Kate has now gone into our local Primary 1, Scotstoun Primary School. She is loving it and come home happy most days. Unfortunately after having had her eyes tested in Nursery School we were told that she would need glasses. We assumed that it would only be "part-time" glasses and only when she was reading. It has not turned out that way and in fact they are pretty strong. She was diagnosed as being long-sighted and there is not much chance that the eyes will be able to do without them. She has been very good with them and has adapted really well. After being told that she had no sense of depth and that she did not see in 3D it is not surprising she wants to wear them. It is sad because it has changed her looks no matter what anybody else says. She is so young to be wearing them but I suppose if she was having such difficulty seeing properly then it's a small price to pay. As always it's the Parents who make the bigger fuss!
The most serious piece of news was Caroline's Mum, Joy. She was diagnosed with Breast Cancer a couple of months ago. This is a return of the same disease from 20 years ago! I for one was convinced that it would have spread throughout her body but fortunately for her it has not spread. She has however had to have a Mastectomy. She has as always been very stoical about it and in fact 2 weeks after the successful operation she took herself into Glasgow to be at a concert in the Royal Concert Hall! That is so typical of her. She still has a way to go and has just started her medication which will not include Chemotherapy or Radiation treatment because she had that 20 years ago. The medicine has quite a few side-effects but they have yet to be realised. So we are waiting with baited breath!
My Dad has been suffering with a mild for of Skin-Cancer for a while but it has recently got worse and unfortunately it has spread to his scalp and ears. He gets rather large growths on his head and ears. This of course has made him grumpy, even more grumpy! He is in good health otherwise and is still working at the age of 78! Not bad for a man who had a kidney transplant 20 years ago. I'm sure he can get over this latest blip.
These are just the most important things that have happened over the last 3months but there has been much else. Life just now is moving so quickly. I am working hard and the time is just disappearing. I am lucky to be alive and with a loving family but sometimes I feel it is all a bit much and I want to disappear back to Tuscany! I think that will have to wait till next summer. If the time continues to pass as quickly as it is then that will be soon enough!!
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