After 3 Years it's OVER!

Megan had her final Uni exam last evening; it started at 5.45pm and was all over by 6.45pm. She rang just as she got out of the room. I can't believe that three years have passed in the blink of an eye. She didn't quite know what to do with herself either - whether to laugh, cry, scream, go out and celebrate or just go home to bed. She ended up going out for Italian with her boyfriend. He went out and she went home to College and was asleep by 8.30pm! It was a bit of an anti-climax in the end. This is the moment she's been working towards since February 2006 when she first moved to Brisbane - and now it's all over. Then she rang today and felt like she should do something to celebrate but didn't quite know what. I gave a few suggestions - climb the Story Bridge, go to lunch on your own and savour the moment, go shopping and choose a special ring or bracelet or necklace - something special that symbolises all that she has achieved - but none of those suggestions appealed and she's not sure what to do. I think she's a bit lost as there has always been something that needs doing - and now there isn't.

She is really excited to be moving out of residential college and into a beautiful apartment with a girlfriend. It's on the Brisbane River and only a two minute walk to the City Cat and a one minute walk to an iconic pub, where I spent many a Thursday night in the early 80's with the bunch of girls I lived with. She's excited to have some real money of her own to have to manage, budget, spend and save (for a car). She's looking forward to making a real home and to going shopping to buy sheets and towels and bedside tables and pizza stones and rice cookers and all the other things that will seem so necessary! It's an exciting time in her life.

She officially has one week left at College but I will go down next week and help her move. By Saturday the 15th she will have left the place that has looked after her for the last three years and be out "on her own" in the real world. There's a lot to miss but there's a lot to look forward to as well.

Gibbo and I went to the College Valedictory Dinner on Oct 21.

The Governor presented the Valedicts and Graduands with their

leaving certificates. We took some photos of course although we're not sure what Gibbo was doing when he took his (see below). We sat at a table not far from where we were sitting on the very first night in Feb 06. At that dinner I willed myself to stare intently and with purpose at my bread roll in an attempt to prevent a very public meltdown while the Principal talked about "loving and leaving". It's a wonder the bread roll didn't spontaneously combust or shoot around the room, pinging off the stained glass windows and portraits of principals long gone, such was the level of scrutiny and concentration given it. Unfortunately, I didn't quite hold it together through to the end of the dinner and ended up eating the bread roll with more force than really necessary while rueing the fact that I hadn't brought enough tissues.

This time around I was slightly more composed, although not much. I realised as I sat there that I had never really imagined this point, that one day we would sit down for a "leaving" dinner and that Megs would actually leave College. I had enough tissues this time and there weren't as many tears.

The three of us had a huge laugh when we saw the photo that Gibbo had taken (he prides himself on being an excellent photographer). Angela thinks it looks like we're at Hogwarts and he's captured a wizards cloak and broomstick. He's actually photographed the shoe, cane and lower robes of the very interesting and nice 84 year old botanist who sat next to him.

It was a lovely night and jolted me into realising that the end was nigh.