We had a lovely family farewell for Daughter2 on Sunday, as she is moving to Perth to live today. I am going to pretend that she is just away on an extended holiday for awhile so that I won’t feel the finality. She knows that she can always come home – there is a bedroom for her in the new house.
As most of the kitchen ware and serving dishes are already packed in boxes, I resorted to paper plates for a simple sausage sizzle [Barbecue sausages and fried onion on white bread with tomato or barbecue sauce] with a little salad thrown in.
It was 35C today so we ended up inside, eating in the airconditioned house, but it was still a lovely day with our children, my sister and her husband, their daughter, her husband and three delightful children. It was our first gathering without Grandma FD, as we felt it was too far and too hot for her to travel, plus the house is a minefield of boxes, but there did feel as though there was a vacant chair at the table.However, in only a few weeks, if the house sale goes through, we shall be able to visit with her much more.
Daughter1 is now 21 weeks pregnant and she brought some little baby outfits that they purchased on their recent holiday to show us. I kept rubbing her tummy and telling the baby that it was her grandmother speaking to her. I am sure she was exhilarated to know that she was going to have me as her grandmother! She may call me, Grandma. I detest those silly names that some women ask their grandchildren to call them, just so that they can pretend that they aren’t really grandmothers.
I know some some children develop their own names and that is different (Mr FD called his grandfather, Graf), but women who refuse to acknowledge the ageing process and to be proud of being the matriarch of a family are so sad, in my opinion. We can deny time as much as we want, we will still die on the day we die…
And on that happy note, I will also add that the new school term starts today! Back to work I go…as much as I love my job, and enjoy working with my colleagues, it is hard to go back to work when things are so unsettled at home. I know I was fortunate to have two weeks to start packing, it would have been near impossible if I was working full time to pack in just a couple weekends, but it will be hard to concentrate on work. I can only hope that once I step back into the library, school life takes over for the hours I am there – it might be a welcome relief.
Three days and we will know whether we move now, or not; whether we need to beg, borrow and steal to secure the country house despite the tree haters.
SO exciting! big FC family changes, most positive!!!!
Wow, you are dealing with a LOT. Each time one of my kids moved out it took me about a year to get over it. I know that’s not encouraging, but nevertheless, true. And then two of them moved back for a year (at different times)….only to leave again (for real this time) and I had to go through the withdrawal symptoms again. I am joking, slightly, but I really do miss having my kids here!
Hang in there!
I’m a bit baffled by friends who don’t want their grandchildren to call them “grandma” as well. It seems like an honorary title, one that a woman should be proud to have. I will draw the line at being called “ba-chan,” the Japanese word for grandma, however. “Ba-chan” was my grandmother, and she’ll always be known in my heart by that name. Like The Highlander, there can only be one.
One family here had names such as Geegaw and Peepaw and Googaw and Poopaw depending on which grandparent it was. And I suppose it was “cute” (to some, not me) when the grandkids were little … but a little silly when they were in their 20′s.
I hope you get the house sold and moved. And I hope one of the trees (if they end up having them felled) falls right on the house.
Our daughter almost moved to W.A. last year and we were contemplating all the travel involved in visiting…..even further than Cairns-Melbourne. At least with email and Skype you’ll be able to stay in closer contact than was possible a couple of decades ago.
Hope all goes well with your property settlement today.
I asked her today that considering she was in a different time zone did she want me to send her a parcel from home – vegemite, tim tams, minties.