One week on, and the Deckhand has been experiencing ‘teething’ problems with his on-site house share. We Skyped the one day for over an hour, and he seemed quite angry about it all, and a bit lonely. Fresher’s week was a bust as far as he was concerned, and I’m hoping that once classes start on Monday, that he’ll settle down and be happier.

His room has a small window and due to being on the ground floor, it opens barely a crack so that nobody can get in that way. It has a leaky seal, so the double-glazed unit us totally fogged up and he can barely see out. His radiator was on, and wouldn’t go off. The upstairs sink is leaking and the two bedrooms downstairs are damp because of this. So, for a week, he’s been living in a hot, damp room and has developed a hideous cough. He can’t use his PC due to the heat and damp, and has barely slept all week because it’s too hot. Outstanding! Seriously, they’ve had all summer to sort out faults.

He sent me a message Sunday night and said that they’ve measured his window and will order a replacement, and that a plumber has managed to turn off his radiator. He’s going to wait for his room to cool down, then will ensure the damn thing will turn on again for when it gets cold. He’s done some laundry, at quite a cost, and found some clothes came out slightly dirty, and the dryer, after a 50-minute cycle left all his clothes damp. On top of that, the washing machine has all but eaten one of his quite pricey thermal socks. The laundrette has 1 star, and to compound matters, it isn’t run by the university even though it’s on their land, so the students have nobody to complain to. So far, as a parent, I’m not impressed and neither is my son.

He has asked if I’d be willing to move and he would then live at home again. I suggested this in the first place as it would save him money however he wanted to try to be independent which I can’t fault. I’ve made some inquiries about a house move, and will see where it goes though I do hope once the issues are sorted, that he’ll be happier and will settle in. I’ll do what needs be to keep him happy; it’s not like I have a job here, or many friends, and we do have family in that area albeit family of my ex. They plan to demolish part of my ‘old’ campus next year and start building a few hundred houses. This will take many years and maybe leaving here wouldn’t be such a bad plan – the campus is within half a mile. The biggest issue will be finding a landlord who will allow a large dog. I’ve already inquired about one house that looked great, but no dogs allowed. This could take some time…

Finally: I’ve noticed posts about subscription charges. I don’t have many contacts and live within a very tight budget (as do many, I know) and they already state there won’t be a ‘free’ option for those of us that don’t post much in the way of photos and so on, so I may well leave once I have to pay. I’ll be sad to go, but will look for another potential site that I could use for blogging. If any of you are on a different site, and would like to keep in touch, please let me know. Thanks.