As we speak, Mr Chalk is taking eldest son up to Birmingham Conservatoire, so he can start his four year course in jazz piano, and I am so very proud of him.

It has been a really stressful few days. Telephone calls to the student loan company trying to find out when his grant would be coming through, trying to make sure that he has everything he needs on his list, and then receiving his desperate call on Friday afternoon to tell me that he had driven into the back of another car.  Thankfully, he was unhurt, but very shook up, and my car looks as though it could be a write-off. It may have been prophetic that I was talking about stress in my last blog.

I thought that I would feel more wretched waving him off this morning, and it was true that I did feel sad as I will miss him terribly. However, a sense of calm and relief seemed to descend on me as I know that now is the right time for him to go, he is doing the course that he wanted to do, he is staying in a really nice hall of residence (with en-suite rooms for heaven sake!) and he is now able to do what he really loves to do, play music, all the time. Actually, in all honesty, I’m probably a bit jealous.

As a parent, all we can wish for for our children is happiness, and I know that Olly has it within him to do what makes him happy, he has been one of the lucky ones who has found the key to his personal bliss early in life.

So, although I know that there will be hard times when money is tight, he misses my cooking (or maybe not) and has the stress of exams and performances, overall he will love it, because he will be immersed in music, and will be with ‘his people’.

My very best wishes to all of those going away to university, and to those sending them off.  You just have to let them fly now.

Wendy x

PS. I think I may leave it a little while before I go in his room.