18 years, 11 months..

..and 362 days later, we have launched our Zac-Man into the world. He has been a joy, like a sponge, learning and trying, testing and practicing, everything he needs to set off .. and taking a little credit we think he's more than ready!  Off to visit his first cruise ship tomorrow and follow it with uniform allocation and then, on his 19th birthday, starting his 5 year commitment to be a Deck Officer on a cruise ship.

(Hell, and they're paying him to do it...) His tutor at college says she will be telling everyone to read the newsletters and listen to the bulletins as that's where the course and Warsash open day was first brought to Zac's attention. Since then it's been a whirlwind of applications, interviews, VISA forms and medicals, but the days are finally done and we hope he had a good send off.... not least of all with plenty of ironed tee-shirts in case he doesn't get around to the washing before he comes home for a weekend in a while!

The other night he took over the ironing, it was harder for me to watch (the control freak that I am), he had the board (in my mind) back to front and the shirts upside down.. but then I realised I was watching a left handed ironer.. and a perfectionist Virgo to boot! But he did good..!

Last night we had a minor family gathering, take away, one of JB's fabulous cakes and a few stories and later on made the most of a nice fire out on the decking....

I have scrapbooking tomorrow and am nowhere near ready, just going to grab the bags from last month and hope!  It's a beermat mini-album and I think I'm going to do some of this summer's 'best bits', so that should be fairly easy to organise.. if I can find the gesso.. before bed.. to prep the mats.. now, where is Jordan??