h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Actually, I don't think I am. I let my youngest darling go away tonight. Drove him to the station in fact. He's gone with four friends to see a concert by a group they're fans of (no one else has heard of them) in - wait for it - Oslo! They're travelling to Mainz tonight - sleeping at my other son's flat (more about him later).

In the morning they take the coach out to Hahn airport and the flight goes at something like 7 am. He is taking NO luggage - not even a small backpack. I can quite understand this. (Those of you who've seen me at London meets with all my luggage in my handbag might begin to realise where he gets it from).

They're going to spend the day in Oslo, going to the concert in the evening, and the return flight is really early on Sunday morning. No overnight stay - sleeping in stations and airports. So he'll probably be coming back from Hahn airport on the same train as we took this morning.

Oh well, he's gone now. If he's cold, he just won't get much sleep. He shouldn't get hungry - he took plenty of Norwegian Krone and we gave him some Euros for emergencies. I'm not going to worry about anything else.

He has oodles of street cred. Plus which he speaks fluent English. I hope that'll do.

I did ask jokingly if the group who are playing knew they were coming. He said "Yes - and they sent us an e-mail saying we can get in free". Kids!

I shall put it down to experience. It'll certainly be an adventure!


And what of No. 2 in Mainz, I hear you cry!

Well, he took an assessment test today for Spanish. Having spent last semester studying maths and then deciding he wasn't up to it, he's gone back to the original idea of Spanish and music. Perhaps he'll dabble in some English while he's there. He's got to pass this test though to be able to study Spanish at all! I have some doubts, but I am banking on his solid Latin from school and his listening to Spanish pop music and his sheer nerve. He never had Spanish at school, and learnt from an ancient "Teach Yourself Spanish" that I used when I was his age, plus some conversation lessons with a Spanish student he's found. He's been to Spain a few times.

This kid is 23 next month, and still hasn't started on a career. Did I mention that he started off learning to fly? As if that wasn't a financial burden enough for us. And now he needs a new violin.

Just to clarify things - in Germany you have to take (at least) two subjects if you're studying to go into teaching. Spanish will probably be quite established as a school subject by the time he graduates, and music is, of course, always needed. One hitch there: to get into the music faculty you have to take an entrance exam. I've mentioned that before probably.

The entrance exam is in January. He has finally found a violin teacher and is making progress there. Now he's found a piano teacher, too, but has yet to figure out how to get hold of an instrument room to practise in. Funny he's so lacking in confidence in everything else but he is convinced he's going to get in to this.

Sorry. Had to get it off my chest.

If anyone's interested in how my other one is doing, studying in a language he doesn't speak, I'll ask if I can post his blog address here.

Mine left home at 17, thank goodness

What age is Trillian's youngest grandson? Sounds like a together bloke.

Double

!

He'll be 18 on 1 November.

He's the one who is making us despair when it comes to school work. Don't ask!

So now it's Sunday morning. When I wrote the first post to this thread I realised afterwards that, at that particular time, he was safely asleep on his brother's floor. It was dark and late at night, and I was just more easily worried. Apparently they got off on time for the airport, so that obstacle was successfully negotiated.

We've had a sunny weekend and I have been less worried in the daylight, and haven't had any qualms at all - am just hoping he's enjoyed it. We'll know in a few hours, when he rings to be picked up from the station - or perhaps he'll just turn up, creep up the stairs and go to bed.

As for No. 2 - he boobed his Spanish test.

oh sorry to hear about Nr2 son

The German higher education system makes me even more than the Kindergarten/Primary system. Which says a lot.

Can't wait to hear about Nr 3 son - it's the sort of thing I used to do

He should have landed by now - hubby just checked the website. I told him not to get drunk and keep his wits about him (apart form the fact that a bottla costs an arm and a leg in Scandinavia. He has been known to be legless. But, as you say, when we were 17...... we didn't know what we were putting our parents through!

I'm sitting here chuckling as I read your post, TC. (Bye the way, what's all this with people putting up anagrams of their nicknames? Have I missed an event - or a fashion?)

Little told me some while ago he was *never* leaving home. I told him gently that at some stage, it will be a really good idea for him to leave - and he will probably want to do it at the right time. He gave me to understand that hell would freeze over before that time arrives. I'm not going to hold him to it.

So your fledglings are making good progress.

Learning to fly and needing a violin? Yes, it does sound expensive.

I do like the idea of the minimalist packing. Personally, I tend to go for the opposite, but wish I could be minimalist.

I'm famous for having everything in my handbag. At a recent wedding I was able to do emergency stitching in the church, provide grown up wetwipes (don't ask!) and produce a small Philips screwdriver.

When something started squeaking on a trolley that someone was riding around on, they jokingly asked if I had a can of WD40...not a can but a really useful pen-type tube of the stuff.

oh the anagrams are Halloween disguises.

He finally turned up at about 5.30 pm. Apparently he hadn't even taken his mobile phone, so I was sending texts and ringing into nirvana.

He had a great story to tell.

Two of them (he included) were under 18. The laws in Norway are very strict about underage drinking. OK so he didn't buy or drink any beer while there (was very dear anyway). But - he wasn't allowed in the club where this group were performing, because alcohol was on sale there.

The bouncers were being very strict and some members of the supporting group walked by as they were trying to explain that they'd flown all the way from Germany specially for the gig. The support group couldn't help either, but then the singer of the main group came past and asked what was the matter.

To cut a long story short, the singer then organised for them to climb in through a back window, if they were quick and if no one saw them.

So they got in and had a great time.

They sat in the bus station after the concert until the first bus to the airport left in the morning and only took such a long time getting home because there weren't so many trains running on a Sunday in Germany.

He seemed to have had enough "luggage" with him, although it did get a bit chilly in the bus station as there was a young family waiting with them with a pram which they'd parked just inside the doors which opened as soon as they detected a movement. So the doors were opening and shutting every time the baby moved, until one of my son's friends asked them to move the pram.

He was fine, apart from smelling rather, and as far as I know, went to bed on time last night. But he didn't go to school this morning, claiming to have a stiff neck. (From sleeping on buses, trains, planes and in bus stations and airports).

I could clobber him.

Sounds

Oh yeah - he'll come out on top in life with no effort and with no work. He's got himself a bass guitar and an acoustic and an electric one (I think) One day there'll be a drum kit up in his room and his dreams will come true. But surely no one believes these days that you can make a fortune as a rock singer.

Even No. 2 has finally got it into his head that the only sure bet with music is teaching. Especially if you only started learning the violin at 19. He (Patrick, that's my No. 2, named after his grandfather) and I are romantics at and ... sorry, a bit distracted here, too much (in the middle of the week!?) ....

Recently I recorded a concert off the telly because it was Dvorak's 8th which is my favouritest ever. (sentimental value as well as jolly good tunes - singing along at the top of my voice I was) and I missed the first item on the programme which was Brahms' violin concerto which was also jolly good (another good singsong - I think had something to do with that, too).

Unfortunately I couldn't record the Brahms because I had to format the disk first and only managed to record the Dvorak which was second in the programme. The Brahms was breathtaking and knocked me out. Absolutely. The Dvorak, which I did record, was a bit of a disappointment.

And now I get back to joining up the various points made above. The Brahms was played by Baiba Skride, who I caught again last night playing something or other. She really hams it up - well, perhaps she's really good, and likes to play romantic stuff, I'm not qualified to judge - and I think she's wonderful.

Oh God, I'll be hankering after Andre Rieu next (shoot me first). He's only what people's mums like.

Oh. Wait a minute. I am someone's mum.

Bang bang. Feel better now?

Hmm. Not sure.

I had a bit of good news yesterday. No. 2 has been let in to study Spanish. Go figure. Apparently there were so few candidates they decided to lower the level and let some of the riffraff in, too. He was quite chuffed.

He's also going to English lectures and really likes one of the English teachers for her methods and stuff.

Whoops - must dash, potatoes are shrivelling up in the microwave and we've got theatre tickets for later on.

Tell me, TC, does that never end? I thought all would be well once they finished school? No?

He left school in 2001. We're far too soft with him.

We can't be soft, we don't have the money