Best wishes to all the new second form

[lonelymom]

Hi The Gardener.

It's so hard, isn't it? Like you, I have an elder daughter at CH who loves it, everything about it, and is extremely happy. But my daughters are so different, and the youngest is really struggling. I'm sure, given time, she'll settle, but I wish I could press 'Fast Forward' to get to that point!

If you want to know how he's doing, give the housemaster a quick buzz.

[Momto2]

Just returning very quickly to St Matthew's Day, this year we got a letter saying that as parents of a Grecian we could put our name in a draw to get a seat at the Service and they have all now been allocated so I doubt there will be spare places - well worth going to watch the marching though. Every child in the school gets a 50p in a commerative little plastic wallet every year - I have all my children's back to 2003.

[Mrs C.]

I`d just like to reassure parents of new 2nd form that they WILL be fine!
The sheer size of CH site, the number of different lessons in different rooms, the number of new faces to get to know -- etc etc, all add to tiredness - and that`s probably the main reason they appear to be struggling at the moment.
I promise you, it will pass!! (once they find the tuckshop!!)

[lonelymom]

Mmmm, I think that was probably the first place my daugther found!

[Grandad]

Thanks for all the encouraging messages. Our house is a bit empty too - we've had 3 granddaughters (one squit and 2 cousins age 9 &11) staying most weekends during the summer plus a two week cottage holiday for all the family! Except we've now gained great grandad, who's more of a liability than when the kids were 5. The bathroom taps are always running and the cat has a limp after being trodden on ....
I think she'll love it at CH - one letter and an E-Mail so far, except no comments about the food. One thing she will miss is shopping every weekend - Horsham....or Crawley........or Chichester..........or Brighton............... she knows them all.

[Ajarn Philip]

Great first post, Grandad - welcome to the forum!
(With regards and respect to Great-Grandad and a smidgeon of sympathy for the cat...)

[YadaYada]

Funny old times! Talk about up and down.....and I mean both him and me.

On the positive side, great marks for his English prep and is getting on well with the other boys.

On the downside, terrified of getting hurt playing rugby and still desparately missing home (counting hours rather than days to the Leave Weekend).

As for me, can't tell what will trigger a down moment but expect, and hope, that these will get fewer as the years go by.

Thinking of all of you out there in the same position. Deep breaths everyone X

[dinahcat]

I also love Grandad's post. But unlike Ajarn have no sympathy with the cat. I am left with a cat that hates me. Never mind that I feed it and let in and out every two minutes and even get up before God to let it out. My 'squit' is devoted to this vile body and is the first thing she will ask about at Leave Weekend. Said cat leaps around the garden and wider community with gay abandon tormenting every other cat in the neighbourhood. It has me feeding it biscuits one by one and serving its every need. I know for a fact that when ' squit' returns at Leave Weekend it will limp dolefully across the garden with an expression of pleading despair on its irritating face as if to say 'How could you leave me with this heartless woman?' and I will be in the dog house for two days.

[anniexf]

I am left with a cat that hates me.

Er...how come you're dinahcat, then?

[dinahcat]

Because the hideous creature is called Dinah and I am stupid enough to think I can ingratiate myself with it.It has its back to me at this very moment.

[Grandad]

The cat is in training to be a walking cat, and a bruised foot is not what he needs as he's only 6 months old. We also have a pair of unsociable feral cats that only eat and scowl. By the way I gained a bitten nose after the trodden foot incident - big enough to put a ring through...Not into piercings though.

[anniexf]

Curious creatures, cats. It (she?) would probably miss you terribly, dinahcat, if you went away & would put on the same sort of performance. They do sulk, though. One of mine used to get really bolshy when my lovely neighbour tried to feed him if I was away - he would glare at her from the bottom of the garden & resist all inducements, only to come bounding up to me on my return & then tell me in his own inimitable (noisy) way what a rotten time he'd had in my absence. Yet he knew her well & normally treated her as family!
I wish you well - you can hardly try any harder! If you need a character reference to offer your DD at Leave Weekend, I'll volunteer - plenty of experience of feline wiles!

[lonelymom]

The day my youngest daughter started at CH, in the dining hall as we said goodbye, the last thing she said to me was 'promise you'll give Buddy lots of cuddles every day!' Buddy is her cat, a great big, fat, dark grey persian-looking moggy! He is a cross between Bagpuss and Garfield in that he doesn't 'do' running (or anything else requiring effort) so I stand with the back door open for ages in the pouring rain while he strolls in, he just sleeps, eats, purrs (extremely loudly) and does that clawing thing when he's on my lap. But he is the most soppy cat you'll ever meet, so I had to promise. Wow, did I feel bad on her first day away when he came in, ate, then went out again before I'd had time to cuddle him! I actually stood calling him back in so I could fulfill my promise! I know, I'm mad.....

[midget]

Don't give in Lonelymom, cats know when they have you well and truly grovrlling, and whatever you do, they will tell lies about you, so stand firm!

[lonelymom]

Don't give in Lonelymom, cats know when they have you well and truly grovrlling, and whatever you do, they will tell lies about you, so stand firm!

Do you think they can be bribed with lots of treats and chunks of cheese? I need him to say nice things about me, otherwise I fear he may disappear after leave weekend and re-appear in a wardrobe in Horsham!