Flying the nest

I spent most of the day with Davie today, first of all accompanying him to his dentist appointment and then chatting and making plans for the summer. It has been really nice spending time with him over the last few weeks; an unexpected silver lining to my eye problems. Yesterday Davie received a conditional offer for the University of Dundee. He will need to work hard to meet the requirements but I think he can do it and I'm rooting for him. However this means that he will leave home in September, just like Jamie before him, and to a certain extent Alasdair (who is in Oslo for this academic year, will be back home for the next session, and after that who knows.) Jamie was the trailblazer and I found it very difficult when he left home at only seventeen. Oh I know that it was for a great reason, to study medicine, and I am very proud of him, but I missed him terribly. The good news is that he keeps in close touch and visits often; I know I'm lucky. He still comes on some holidays with us and will be skiing with us at Easter. 

I miss Ally a lot this year. Thanks to Skype and FaceTime we are in frequent contact; several times a week plus Sunday evenings so that he can talk to Grandma too. Just now he is going through interviews for internships and has been seeking advice for application forms. But it's not the same as having him at home and I can't wait to see him at Easter.

And now I will have to get used to the idea of Davie leaving home too. It will be really, really good for him but what will I do without his cheery company and enthusiastic but futile attempts to educate me about science? 

I realise that all of my chicks need to fly the nest - if they didn't do this eventually I would have failed  to encourage their independence. But it makes me feel a bit wistful!