Thank you so much Will, a really lovely read on such a finding cold day with a biting wind. (Envious of you in Crete!)
The three articles are such interesting reading - really interesting history from Sarah, finding postbox details from you and some real nostalgia reading Tony's career in nursing.
Seeing your Plymouth Village Nurse badge made my remember my role as a District Nurse in 1970, I was given one country patch and also an Army patch taking in Tidworth and Perham Down ( for anyone knowing the area). I was only working part time and supposed to do mornings only with 2 patches. I went to one old lady and introduced myself and she replied " Oh, you'm the new Parish Nurse then are you?" She told me that the old Parishes used to pay for a nurse and provide a house. Another 2 patients both had parrots finding loose which terrified me as I had been badly pecked by a parrot when I was little. It was usual for all of the stroke patients to be cared for in their old double beds always the furthest side away from you, no hoists at that time. I got called to the HQ to see the boss to explain why I kept crossing from Hampshire into Wiltshire so many times per day because apparently there was some charge for this cross county, she decided she would accompany me to show me how to be more efficient in travelling - after having been whizzed all over the place to do the diabetic injections and to meet up with colleagues to help with heavy patients plus coming out of an isolated cottage and having to get the peacocks off my car roof she decided that she would let me continue as before!!Happy days that didn't last so long as I became pregnant and at 7 months couldn't clamber over the beds!my daughter was only 3 months old when I started and I sometimes took her with me ( illegally of course) if my friend who looked after her couldn't for some reason. The baby was the best tonic for a lot of lonely people who were delighted to have a cuddle.
