Well have finally admitted defeat and got the winter duvet out. Held out for as long as possible in the hope that our Indian summer would continue but the reality is it's getting dark at half past five and it's blooming cold in the middle of the night. Wonder what the weather is like in Afghanistan.
Had a visit yesterday from a lovely colleague from work. When I joined the College she was my 'buddy' and helped me settle in and she was so kind, and true to form last night she arrived with a sweet collection of gifts and it was so good to chat and laugh and find out that everyone's OK. Really miss work but it's strange how things pan out - it's as if the Almighty said 'you're going to have a bit of time out because you need it', so my enforced solitude has allowed me to slowly adjust to the reality of being a soldier's mum. Truth to tell it's only now, in the third week, that I'm almost capable of concentrating on something for more that five seconds without my mind wandering off at a tangent.
Our work is challenging but at best utterly rewarding. Working with kids and adults who for one reason or another it didn't work out the first time around in education and helping them, in the most extreme cases learn to read, or pass their first exam, is a privilege beyond compare. They're invariably defensive at the start of the year because previous experiences have usually left feelings of inadequacey and in some cases deep scars, but by the end of the year you can see how their confidence has grown. When you are made aware of what has happened in the lives of some young people in Britain today you wouldn't think they inhabit the same planet as the rest of us. In many cases to return to learning is literally life changing.
Yesterday I had a peek at the Rifles' blog from the front and it's so sweet and idealistic - it's like one of those government broadcasts from the 1940s all stiff upper lip and job to be done. I wonder how realistic it really is though.
Being taken to a friend's house for dinner tonight. People are so kind.
Speak soon. A soldier's Mum x
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