Emptying Nest

It's been a strange and sad week in our house.  On Sunday Elizabeth left for Germany where she will spend the next academic year as an English Language assistant in a Gymnasium right down in the south of Germany.  It has seemed so quiet without her and walking away after watching her go through the departures gate was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.  I know we are used to her leaving for university, but that is not too far, it is drivable in a couple of hours at most.  This is not.  I don't miss the noise she makes, I don't miss the squabbles between her and her brother.  I don't miss the shoes, coats and assorted accessories strewn around the house, but I do miss her.  I miss her most when I want to say something to her and she isn't here.  I can't even just phone her because she only has her mobile and it would cost both of us a fortune, and when it comes to texts - she believes in using as few characters as possible.  Even if the answer is simple and a yes or ok would do - what I normally get is "k"  K for goodness sake - would an extra character matter so much?  'K, I suppose it must.  To get useful information from her by text usually means about 20 texts between us, and this morning when I texted her a question I got the reply "consult Facebook"   ?*!*?*!  Not a happy mummy!!

I think she has found it an eventful week, she had to get to Cologne by train from the airport at Dussledorf and then find her hotel.  First she missed her train and then got a little lost in Cologne quite late at night. I was very relieved when she Skyped me to say that she had arrived safely, although the Skype connection was very poor.    

She had a couple of days' training at a centre in Cologne before travelling onto her school.  The training was accommodated in a former monastery, where abbey bells still ring about 5 times through the night!  She was so unimpressed by that!  Mmm - Elizabeth + mornings + lack of sleep - not a good combination.  I'm so glad I wasn't there.  I will only say that maybe she might have been a little crabby.

She has now arrived at her host school and will be settling in tomorrow morning bright and early.

Meanwhile back here, I must learn not to go to her room looking for her, and not to pick up the phone to call her at random times.  Most of all I need to make the most of the peace and quiet, because it isn't really that long until Christmas when all the bickering etc will start up again.

Speaking of Christmas - eeeeeeeek  - let's not do that.