Up In The Morning And Out To School

First days of school.

Everywhere I look on the blogosphere at the moment, children are starting school and it put me in mind of the Baby Angel's first day of school.

(Oct 1999)

Oh, look at that! Is she sweet or what??

Blimey, I had forgotten how yellow that hallway was! I think I was trying to inject some Australian sunshine into the drab British landscape. Oh well, it was the 90s and we had all just rediscovered colour after the beige 80s....

Anyway, look at that tiny little girl with her navy tunic!!

Here she is with her best mates, all starting Reception together (pardon the flaws in the shot. I don't have a scanner anymore so I had to take a photo of the photo and I got a bit of 'flare'). Three happy bunnies and one very unsure young lady. We used to take it in turns to take them to school in the morning and we had weeks of trouble with our little friend here. She cried every morning :-(...it was heart breaking. The others were sweet though and tried to cheer her up. As you can see though, no sweat starting school for the BA. She loved it!

Which brings me to her school situation:

You know of course she had to leave my Alma Mater when it was announced that there would be no senior school next year? Well, on her last day she went through the usual rituals...

Do they do this where you are? On the last day? It was not the norm when I was a gal; we signed each other's year books (which is what is happening in this picture)!


And similarly here where my Bestie, in her final year, is getting her yearbook signed.


Nowadays, writing on paper seems to be 'old hat' and everyone signs everyone else's clothes! Hrrumph. I got quite irrationally prudish about this.

Scene: Last day at Alma Mater

Me: Don't go getting people to write on your uniform today BA.
Her: Why-ever not? (as if she really said 'why-ever'...still...)
Me: (unsure as to the root of my own disquiet) We-ell, we-ell, (thinks furiously) well....because it's common! That's why not!!
Her: Of course it's 'common' mother....everybody does it!!!!!

Faced with this rationale I had to capitulate. When she brought it home that night I had a chance to actually look at what people had written. I was actually quite moved by many of the tributes, this one from her Business and Enterprise teacher(All the best for the future. Remember, you have lots of potential.)

And this one from her Principal:

who had confided in me that she felt very honoured to have been asked to sign the dress.

I am sure our yearbooks were easier to store, but I know the dress will be treasured for years to come too.

But then it was on to the first day at a new school.

The Baby Angel is now attending St Saviour's (as I shall call it), a Catholic girls school in the north of the city where Prof J's daughter is Head Prefect.

We did have a laugh at the beret.

When we went along to buy the new uniform ($$ouch! and we couldn't sell the old one of course as there will be no more girls wearing that uniform :-(...) the lady selected a slightly overlarge beret for the first try. I am ashamed to say that I laughed hysterically.
"You're not helping, mum," said the uniform lady, through gritted teeth.
The BA loked crestfallen. Although my Alma Mater had a boater for the summer, there had not been a maroon velour winter hat for thirty years. Since my day in fact! What cruel irony that my 21st century girl should have to wear a French Navy wool beret!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


In other uniform news, she is also playing netball for her new school. Yet another lycra body suit
and more school uniform costs!



She cannot, however, let go of Alma Mater completely.

So from her first day at school in a navy tunic, to another navy uniform. It seems we have come full circle. On Wednesday night she was choosing subjects for her final year. *sigh*