That's us burling down the backroad to the CAR PARK where I needed to drop off the Cherub ten minutes ago. He has an urgent appointment with the Duke of Edinburgh Team. Not satisfied with an earlier attempt which was rained off (Scottish summers... fill in your own thoughts here...), my baby is off camping again. A bus with him and twenty of his dearest pals is off to Aberfoyle for the weekend. Last time they tried this they were flooded out and had to return home at 2 in the morning. This time they will get that Bronze award or... or I dunno develop some kind of fungal rot in the attempt.
He's nagging me. It never works. I'm taking revenge by SINGING to KANYE WEST.
I'm also threatening to HUG him before I let him go on the bus. Even if I don't get to hug him, it's fun threatening, just to see him change colour at the very thought....
The bus is already there when we get to the car park.... so I have to let him off sharpish so he can catch up with his mates whilst I park. I can catch up. I have time to embarrass him.
Except when I do get to catch up I can't find him. And I can't find any of his pals either; wee Cam and Stu are not there. Forrie I know had dropped out, but where were Mark and Malc?
And The Cherub??
The car park is just full of swarms of youth. Not all of whom have hoodies, but y'know... they're all Big Kids. Great big hulking teenagers, with great deep voices and matching attitude. And that's the boys. The girls??
Frankly the girls scare me even more. The Cherub should not be heading off with twenty or so FHM supermodels.
But wait, one of the big tall lads is waving at me and giving me a thumbs up. It's not... wee Cam.....? But before the summer wee Cam was wee enough to be officially smaller than me. Now "Wee" Cam looks like he's not far short of six feet. So the blonde haired guy behind him is... Stuie??? Even wee Stu's filled out enough to at least look like he could carry a rucksack.
Well that's my baby - the one with the ginger blonde hair. The one with the broad shoulders and big shy smile. He's one of the big kids now.
He's nagging me. It never works. I'm taking revenge by SINGING to KANYE WEST.
I'm also threatening to HUG him before I let him go on the bus. Even if I don't get to hug him, it's fun threatening, just to see him change colour at the very thought....
The bus is already there when we get to the car park.... so I have to let him off sharpish so he can catch up with his mates whilst I park. I can catch up. I have time to embarrass him.
Except when I do get to catch up I can't find him. And I can't find any of his pals either; wee Cam and Stu are not there. Forrie I know had dropped out, but where were Mark and Malc?
And The Cherub??
The car park is just full of swarms of youth. Not all of whom have hoodies, but y'know... they're all Big Kids. Great big hulking teenagers, with great deep voices and matching attitude. And that's the boys. The girls??
Frankly the girls scare me even more. The Cherub should not be heading off with twenty or so FHM supermodels.
But wait, one of the big tall lads is waving at me and giving me a thumbs up. It's not... wee Cam.....? But before the summer wee Cam was wee enough to be officially smaller than me. Now "Wee" Cam looks like he's not far short of six feet. So the blonde haired guy behind him is... Stuie??? Even wee Stu's filled out enough to at least look like he could carry a rucksack.
20 August 2011 at 10:58
Oh I know JUST how you're feeling. Rory is bone idle so doesn't do Duke of Edinburgh but I know what you mean about seeing a sea of teenagers and realiisng they are all growing up. Rory has a pal called Sam who is also wee (wee sam?) and yes, even his voice is breaking now. And the girls???!! Those lithe limbs - thye are all legs, aren't they.
20 August 2011 at 12:12
My wee bairns are 30 this year. It doesn't seem possible, does it? Me being so young and all. Mind you, I was a child bride.
20 August 2011 at 13:50
It just seems to arrive---you don't see it comming---you see them every day but until you see them with their friends, you live in denial-----and the FHM models---he may bring one to the door soon
20 August 2011 at 14:12
Honey, you and me both. I thanked every deity I could think of when I had a boy, teenaged girls are SCARY.
Yeah, I totally get your shock. My baby is 17, learning to drive, has a girlfriend and is talking about uni.
I still look at him and his mates and go 'WTF'? How did that happen? I've talked to other mothers, they also say the same. Maybe we stop saying it when the children give us the granbabies, I suspect not.
20 August 2011 at 14:21
Let me go, boys
Let me go, boys
Let me go down in the mud
Where the rivers all run dry
20 August 2011 at 22:34
Scary almost, the way they change.At one stage I didn't recognise my kids when I saw them unexpectedly in a shop. eek! :)
20 August 2011 at 23:56
When I collected my younger son from camp they said they were very worried about him as he hadn't eaten all week-end.
When I saw the trestle tables with the food laid out I understood why. I had always told then never to eat anything a fly had been on. Do the biology;)
21 August 2011 at 00:45
Buy him a bike?
Yes I know IKnowiknow ... it's not easy. Got some pics of the models?
And something serious - the day job is just this - a day job. Things may seem smooth now and all, but you know that there are snags. Take it easy, one thing at a time. And the job should end when you leave the bureau. Easier saied than done, I know, but don't bring it home. Home is you. And yer son of course, but he's riding bike now ... :)
21 August 2011 at 01:21
Trish - The girls are the worst. Why don't I remember being that glamorous at their age?
Dave - Incredibly I haven't aged a single day since the arrival of the Cherub.
Clyde - Y'know I didn't see either this day or the FHM model coming...
Roses - Grandbabies!!!!
Sounds of howling from under a pillow
LX - Oh god, now I'm officially old because I'm watching that video and thinking "Doesn't Shane MacGowan look so young"
Jenny - As long as we're never asked to recognise them in a police line up I supppose...
Pat - I made sure he took the hand wash with him.
But I shall stock up with immodium for his return.
Just in case....
63mago - You are wrong about the bike. One thing I do know is tha the Duke of Edinburgh award involves a lot of pointless walking...
You are however, completely right about the work.
And you have sussed that work has been creeping into my personal life again.
21 August 2011 at 02:08
"sussed"?
No, sorry, I just read yer blog.
21 August 2011 at 02:57
63 Mago - And remembered what you'd read....!
21 August 2011 at 03:38
Berufskrankheit.
21 August 2011 at 07:38
And remember that at this age, they develope very good hearing for things that go on in the house and have a new imagination
21 August 2011 at 08:11
How can you comment here at nearly 3 in the morning, and then at my place at 8? I know you young people hardly need any sleep, but this is ridiculous. I hope you've not been up all night worrying about your wee bairn.
Or are you doing it in bed?
21 August 2011 at 08:32
63Mago - I hope this staying up late isn't an occupational disesase too....
Clyde - ~Nothing goes on in this house - well apart from the usual deaths and disasters and etc!
Or are you hinting that this nocturnal blogging must stop too???
Dave - Damn. You are on my case.
Wht can I say, there are good nights and bad nights... and nights where I leave a trail of devastation across the world wide web...
21 August 2011 at 08:32
Oh and some dog trained me never to sleep past 7am....
21 August 2011 at 08:35
I'm an early bird by nature. Early to bed, early to rise.
It's certainly made me healthy, wealthy and wise. Err..
21 August 2011 at 09:00
Oh Mace this made me smile...tis great to see your cherub on his way to being a man...but I have to know..did you get to hug/kiss him before he set off?
21 August 2011 at 10:22
Yes, big boys (and big girls) can be pretty scary, can't they? So the Cherub is one of the big boys now. I suspect "Cherub" may not be appropriate any longer, except in an ironical sense. Oh, maybe it was ironical to begin with....
I only went camping once, with the Boy Scouts. It rained non-stop for a fortnight. I shall never go camping again.
21 August 2011 at 10:22
Dave - Early to bed...Ha! I see where I've gone wrong now.
Libby - NO!!!! I never get hugs anymore.
Sulking about this isn't helping either...
21 August 2011 at 10:26
Nick - Heh heh, yes it was always a wee bit ironical. He was twelve when this blog started. He's just had his fifteenth birthday, so it's getting ridiculously ironical....
I've done my share of camping in the wet and the rain too - and am filled with admiration that the boys are actually going to re-try this after getting flooded out of ther tents during the last attempt.
21 August 2011 at 10:43
Well, there is a big problem if there is nothing going on in your house-----
In the next couple of years there might be---and it's not you.
Oh, public hugs are now out of the question for the next 5 years at least
21 August 2011 at 13:12
Wee Eck never grew up.
Oh hang on - I see he's turned into Alick Salmon :-(
21 August 2011 at 19:18
Ha ha - welcome to my world! the good news is that the hugs do return eventually - they manage to get over the blushing phase however they're still accompanied by a roll of the eyes :)
21 August 2011 at 20:29
Staying up late is a normal thing, I just follow my rhythm. I sleep from 2 to 10 or 3 to 11 latest. I can adapt to a more "normal" schedule, but not now. And I worked through nights.
21 August 2011 at 20:46
Staying up late isn't normal at all. For thousands of years our ancestors went to bed when it got dark, and woke up when the sun rose. It's only the invention of atificial lighting, and especially the electric light, that allows us to change our patterns.
Bring back living in caves, I say. And the sabre-toothed tiger. Those were the days.
21 August 2011 at 20:47
Hmmm. It appears to be 8.48pm. I expect it's still light in Scotland at this time of day.
21 August 2011 at 21:20
For thousands of years my ancestors turned in their beds when those nerve whacking early uprisers jumped off their couches and started their daily whatever. Mostly noisy activities, outdoors. Oh Herr ...
21 August 2011 at 22:44
Clyde - I have plans for this house. Watch this space that's all I'm saying.
Wee Rog - D'ye not mean "Wee Shrek"??
Anyhoos you can have him.
No really. You're welcome.
Ms Curry - I know. I know. I should have trained him better. Too late now...
Dave & 63mago I love the way you've been having your own wee conversation through here! Can I get anybody a cup of tea or anything?
63Mago Are your nocturnal habits a side effect of being self employed do you think? If it wasn't for the day job I'd probably be up through the night.
Dave - No... The nights are drawing in. I noticed it was getting dark about 9 or so the other night.
Somewehre out there, there's going to be a bunch of amateur astronomers who are actualy happy about this.
22 August 2011 at 00:11
Tea would be nice, thank you.
22 August 2011 at 01:17
Count yersel lucky. As of today I am the father of THREE teenage girls! :¬)
xxx
22 August 2011 at 06:45
Earl Grey please. Oh, it seems to be before 7 am, and here I am, eating my breakfast. Now then, do I have any e-mails to reply to...
22 August 2011 at 07:47
63mago - Theatrical sighs I'm going to show you where everything's kept through in the kitchen. That way you'll be able to sort yourself out.
Maps - And I've seen photos and they are beautiful! Hearts will be broken...
Dave - 63mago's got the kettle on the boil. I'm off to try and find a photo of myself for those people who are not on Google+
22 August 2011 at 07:51
Stop nagging. I'll go back on Google +
22 August 2011 at 20:00
I've been on it all day. I'm not sure it's me. I think I prefer FB. Still, if it increases the chances that you'll talk to me eventually...
22 August 2011 at 21:34
But only the tea stuff!
That's dangerous. I am easy in taking over kitchens. Next thing I know is I have to cook dinner ...
23 August 2011 at 09:46
Someone said something about food?
And I'll have a cup of coffee.
24 August 2011 at 06:58
Roses - I think Dave and 63mago will have polished off the biscuits between them...
Altough now you come to think of it, does anyone dunk biscuits in earl grey???
24 August 2011 at 20:53
I'm not allowed biscuits. I wouldn't dunk them in Earl Grey, if if I were.