Preparing for Hogwarts

Back to school notebooks

The holidays are sadly drawing to a close and I’m sure that the last two months have gone quicker than in previous years. Back to school, or La Rentrée, will see a big change in routine for us as from 1^st September Ed will be boarding from Monday to Friday and I can’t help but feel a little daunted by this. I always hate to see the supermarkets full of La Rentrée displays of paper, pens, exercise books etc, however looking on the bright side, the 395€ back to school payment is always welcome and I love that my favourite notebooks are now available everywhere. Handbags have never really excited me, but a hardback, spiral bound, A5 notebook can never disappoint. You can never have too many notebooks and with Ed away I’m hoping to have plenty of writing time, so have stocked up. In addition to all the usual back to school shopping, this year I also need to buy him a single bedding set, as he has a double bed at home so the jungle animal set he had when he was four was donated to the dog many years ago and probably wouldn’t be cool enough for the Lycée dormitory.

Neither Ade nor I spent time away from home during our school years so the only experience of boarding we have is what we’ve read in books, especially the Harry Potter books. Yesterday was a significant day as it was textbook collection day and it reminded me of Harry, Ron and Hermione meeting in Diagon Alley to buy their new textbooks from Flourish and Blotts bookstore. The lady who served us, with her wispy long hair, loosely pulled back from her face and large glasses that when weren’t balanced on the end of her nose were dangling on a large beaded chain, just added to the Harry Potterness of it all, although there was no butterbeer on offer for stressed parents. Textbooks at Lycée are not provided by the school and according to the information pack would cost between 200€ and 250€ to buy a set brand new. However, by joining a parent association for less than 15€ a year (this amount is tax deductible) we have been able to borrow a complete set for 70€ which is magically exactly the same amount our regional council have given us towards buying textbooks.

The Lycée he is going to (according to their website) can trace it’s history back (almost as far as Hogwarts) to 1623 and the building, set on a hill, is almost as imposing as a modern day Hogwarts with an impressive set of concrete steps leading up from the road to the glass entranceway. That glass entranceway will, in ten days time, swallow my baby up and keep him for the whole week. Gulp.

I’m not sure Ed was overly impressed by all our Hogwarts references, the poor child has to cope with very immature parents, but he did smile when Ade left out my sweeping broom with the words Nimbus 3000 written on it and this old photo of him at the primary school carnival in 2009 just proves that he was always destined for Hogwarts.

Harry Potter at the carnival