Graduation Situation

After years of fun and games, my daughter finally graduated

- MANDY DIXON. SHUTTERSTOCK

And when I say fun and games, it really has been just that. One reason was our decision to move 150 miles and a ferry journey away from Cambridge, at the exact time Maya started there. OK, they always say the family are special, irreplaceable, and best on another island - I think that saying would probably apply more to the relief felt by my wider family - but it wasn't a clever move by us.

Another reason has been that, Maya's never been sure from one term to the next if she's meant to actually be at university, working from home, or a bit of both, as guidelines changed halfway through. Those factors combined meant that I've spent a disproportionate part of the last three years at sea or on motorways. As Maya would say, "Well, who's fault was that?"