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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 7, 2021 13:57:55 GMT
This is the Story of two Years at the Convent.
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 7, 2021 14:32:32 GMT
A bit about my Nursery Nurse Training, with the Church of England. I was sixteen when I started my training, and the Course, if I can call it that took place over two Years, when you took your Exams, and hopefully passed them to become a Nanny, or went into general Nursing. Being the eldest of nine, to all intents and purposes it was tailor made for me, but not anyone could be a Trainee. You had to have a good Reference from your Minister, Doctor, Headmaster, Uncle Tom Cobley, and all. So we were a very Select Bunch, peppered with Daughters of Ministers, just to keep us on our Toes! They took me two Months before my sixteenth Birthday, as Father, was posted to Ireland, and fifteen was considered young for all the Travelling back and forth. So, my first Evening in the Common Room, was an Introduction to the spooky goings on, in the Convent, The Grey Lady, who walked past the Nurses Stairs, the Lights that went on and off in the Chapel, they had that investigated, and said, it was a Mouse running over the Wire, and the rest! Never caught the Blighter anyway. Everyone dreaded making up the Stove in the Passage, and we had to do it twice a Night. There were only two of us on Nightshift, a Senior and a Junior, and we had too much to do to be together. Going to leave it there, and prepare my Dinner.
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 8, 2021 11:54:04 GMT
I always wanted to work with Children, and to become a Nanny, well, I worked with Children, but never became a Nanny. I vowed that when I got married, as in those Days that was the ultimate Goal, I would foster as many Children as I could, and love them to bits. We worked Shifts, either finishing at Six o'clock, or two to four off, and finishing at eight. Two Nights a Week, we had Classes in all things Nannies needed to be able to do, as we had to produce certain Things as part of our Exams, so we made a smocked Dress, or Romper Suit, knitted a Boy's Jumper with a Fair Isle Collar, knitted, mended, all sorts of Skills. We moved to different Areas, that is, for three Months you would be on Babies, then small Toddlers, then big Toddlers, then Night Duty. Everybody hated Night duty, it was such a big Place, and if an emergency happened at one end and One of the Babies started howling, you were up the Creek without a Paddle. But you could always call on Sister, if the Situation demanded it. Of course, there were always Babies who needed feeding through the Night, Bottoms needed changing, and you had Washing to do, Feeds to make up, Nappies to Sluice, you hardly had time to snatch your Dinner, if you could eat it, as it was simply the same as they had for Dinner that Day. But you were so hungry you would have eaten a scabby Horse, all Food was kept in the Kitchen Store Cupboard, the Key kept by Matron. Will tell you a story about that, but right now, have to do a bit of Work.
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 9, 2021 14:48:04 GMT
Well, I did tell you there were two Nurses on Night Duty, a Senior and a Junior, and of course the Junior Nurse, had the dirtiest Jobs, sluicing the Nappies, cleaning up Sick, and the other, some Children used it as decorative Motifs, and what One did, they all did. There was one little African Girl, who was convinced it was good for her Hair, and if you have ever tried to get S--t out of a very curly Barnet, you will know it aint easy, and the howls of protest, set the lot off. When we had new Children, they had to be bathed, and deloused, and the Beasties would run up your Arms. But we were young, and cheerful, well, you had to be in those circumstances. In my Years there, from Matron down, I never met an unkind Person. Matron was lovely, firm, of course she needed to be, we had two different Sisters, at different times, and both were helpful, when you needed Teenage Girl, Advice. One April Fools Day, we, I shared a Room, tried to get dressed in the Morning, and our Uniforms did not fit, and their was a small Glass of Pink Stuff, with a Message to "drink immediately", it was if not nasty, not pleasant. Naughty Sister, had swopped our Uniforms ! That was the kind of Place it was. There were different sizes of Rooms, they had been Cells of course, One Bed, reserved for Staff Nurses, and Seniors, two Bed, and three Bed. I was lucky enough to share a two Bed, with someone who became a great Friend, and it had the advantage of being the Turret Room, that looked out over Fields, and we could not be seen by anyone, so we would get our Boyfriends to tie Fish and Chips, and once a large bottle of pale Ale, to a Rope, and carefully haul it up. Had to use a Rope, as our Hair was not long enough!
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 10, 2021 17:51:24 GMT
We were well fed, the usual Fare ein those Days, Breakfast could consist of , Porridge, and other Cereals, you had a choice, then Scrambled Egg on Toast, or maybe Bacon and Tomato, a rather rare Treat, with plenty of Toast and Marmalade to fill up any Gaps. We had to be well fuelled for the busy Day ahead. Dinner, could consist of Soup, Cottage Pie, always Fish on Friday, Sausage and Mash, Macaroni Cheese, and a peculiar Concoction, a Bread and Butter Pudding, made with Cheese, I did not like that, we always had Pudding, Rice, Semolina, Apples and Custard, again very generous Portions. Tea, was a light Meal, the usual, Cheese, Salmon Sandwiches, home made Cake. We had Supper in the Common Room, a Drink of your Choice, plus Biscuits, and or Cake. So it is a wonder we could walk, but we needed every bit of it.
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 11, 2021 13:50:28 GMT
Am just writing Things as they come to me so, at Christmas, it was as exciting as Christmas is everywhere, except fitting in Choir Practice, have always loved singing, and the Choir went round, as Choirs do collecting for different Things, and on a frosty Night, well wrapped up, it was a Magical Experience. The Children , the older Ones, forgot to explain to you, The Children left when they were five, to go into Family Homes, unless they were adopted, which was rare. So we would make Cards, Paperchains, all the things Children do , that all add to the Excitement of Christmas. On Christmas Morning, the Children all got a main Toy, plus lots of smaller Things, much as every Child does, small Bar of Chocolate, o, the messy Mooshes! Does not do much good to a White Apron! You can imagine it was the Sickfest of the Year. We had many, Many Gifts just left at the Main Entrance, and the Nurses were not excluded, so whatever had been left for us, was put into the Common Room, in the Evening, always plenty of Chocs, and Toiletries. Fruit as well. We were well supported by the local Churches. The Babies had some pretty Dresses, and one little Chinese Girl was so adorable. Her Parents were one of the few that visited, they were Students, I do hope in later years they took her away, because they did adore her. She was also one of my 'Specials', we all had a Child from each Age Group, that we treated, as a Child special to us, not allowed to do that, Matron did it. My Heart has been broken many times, but think leaving One of those Children, broke mine for the first Time.
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 20, 2021 16:00:11 GMT
Just a wee bit, today. Every Evening, we had to go down to the Kitchen to fetch the Milk, Baby Porridge, and anything else that might be needed in the Milk Kitchen for the Babies Breakfast. We needed a big Trolly for this, as there were a lot to feed, and it was always loaded, with a big Double Boiler full of Milk. As befitted her lowly State, the Junior Nurse, pushed the Trolly, and the Senior Nurse, in this Case, Moi, walked ahead, was doing this one Night, when I realized I had left something under the Grill in the Milk Kitchen, could have burnt the whole Place down! so started to run like hell, when I heard the Trolly, bash into the Wall, thinking J had seen something strange, I broke the four Minute Mile ! and she arrived having set a new Record, covered in Milk from Head to Toe, beside me in the Milk Kitchen, "what did you see?" I panted, " nothing!", she said, "what did you see?", nothing, I said, I left something under the Grill !
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 20, 2021 16:02:56 GMT
The Grill would have been just on low !!!
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 20, 2021 21:14:05 GMT
In the two Years I was there, not a Lick of Paint was ever applied to the Walls, so the Marks of the Crucifixes, that had hung on the Walls, were clearly visable. There were no Curtains, in the big Toddler Playroom, which is where we rested when we had a Minute, where we ate our heated up Dinners, etc. You looked out on nothing but Darkness and Bushes. I remember being so tired I leaned on a Pile of Stretchers, and woke up, could not straighten up ! I never actually saw the Grey Lady, but she was there alright!
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 21, 2021 18:51:17 GMT
There was an enormous Washroom, which led to a Bicycle Shed, it had a 'Washing Machine' of sorts, a big round Wooden Tub, with a Paddle, and along the Walls were more Tubs, then big Dryers, that pulled out, like Giant Airers/Dryers. Again, no Curtains, anyone, at any time could see in, but we were too busy to think about that, giant piles of Nappies to be washed, and the Stains removed, or the Housework/Laundry Police, hauled you into their inner Sanctum, for a Dressing down, and she had made it into an Art Form, a Pit Bull Terrier was not as fearsome, but a great deal better looking. Anyway, I digress. It was the unfortunate Junior Nurse, in this Case, me, who was the Washerwoman, on this occasion, and with One Eye on the Bike Shed, easiest access from Outside, and scrub a Dub dubbing away,with the Lights going on and off in the Chapel, the last couple of Nights, I felt a Hand on my Shoulder, and passed out cold! Course, it was my Senior, silly me!
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 23, 2021 16:25:00 GMT
Set in the Middle of the Country, the only Place for Miles was a very small Hamlet, about half a Mile away, to say we were Isolated, was true, and we had to have Bikes to get anywhere. Mine, was an old Bone Shaker, a sit up and beg Model, boy, did that take some Effort to Pedal. Isolated, as we were, we were a positive Babe Magnet, for the Teenage Boys for Miles around, we used to meet up at the Cafe, in the nearest Town, a good five or six Miles away, mostly, but some came from the Hamlet, as mine did, for most of the time, but I changed them quite frequently. They would take us for a couple of Ports and Lemon, and we managed to make it back. We had to report in to Matron, and it was Nine Oclock, we only had an Eleven O'Clock Pass, if we went to a Dance in the Town, and a Staff Nurse had to be with us. The Staff Nurses were worse than the Girls! As I have said, Matron, was lovely, firm, but always fair. As well as Work, we had our Studies, knitting a Jumper, working at Smocking, and Paper Work, so what little spare time we had was precious.
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 26, 2021 15:24:30 GMT
Earlier on, I mentioned a Bottle of Pale Ale, I believe it was, being hauled up to our Bedroom Window. the reason, was not that I had become a secret Drinker, but reading in the 'Woman's Own', that Beer, made your Hair nice and Shiny, so, asked my Boyfriend, if he would get me a Bottle, expecting the usual small Bottle, but obviously, wanting to impress me with his Generosity, being newly established in my favour, he got the biggest Bottle he could find ! Why Pale Ale? who knows, perhaps he thought it would not be so intoxicating. Washed my Hair ! the entire Nurse's Wing, stunk like a Brewery, and I had to find somewhere to hide the empty Bottle. The only Place I could find was my Wardrobe. Unfortunately, my Wardrobe , did not close properly, and that was to be my undoing. Some Sundays, Groups, like, Mother's Union, WRVS, and Church Groups, would come round, and needed to be impressed, as they were a big part of our support, so they were shown round every part of the Convent. After One of these Visits, I was summoned to Matron's Office, had not a Clue what I had done wrong, shaking in my Shoes, I knocked on the Door. It appears that someone, had glimpsed the empty Bottle, and it had been remarked upon, if you can imagine me trying to convince Matron, a drop of the intoxicating Liquid had not passed my Lips, unless accidently whilst washing my Hair, decided to believe me, she always had a soft Spot for me, don't know why, so I got off lightly.
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Post by irist on Jan 26, 2021 18:10:10 GMT
This tale made me chuckle. It's amazing what we girls used to do to beautify ourselves. I'd have had no trouble in getting some beer for my hair as I lived in a pub from birth till 18 when I went off to London to study.
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Post by ambersparkle on Jan 27, 2021 13:36:49 GMT
Well, all good things come to an end, and so did two Years Training. No wonder we were able to get good Positions, as we really had such a thourough Training, for which we worked extremely hard, without a Wage. What I would have done without my Gran, and my Aunty, I do not know, as my Father had made it clear he would not be contributing to my upkeep I got a good position, in a beautiful Country House, strangely , it was in the Turret, with Views over Acres of lovely Gardens, and Grasslands. The Weekend before I was due to take up my new Position, I got a Telegram, saying the Baby had been taken very ill, and was in Hospital. I do hope the little Dear recovered. But I was up the Creek without a Ladder ! Had to leave, but had no Money, and even if I had wanted to had no means of getting to Ireland where my Family was. Had just about enough Train Fare, to get to my Aunt, in Reading, a rather fearsome Lady, whose Party Piece, was to perch her two mini Poodles on her rather generous Bosum. Delighted, not, to have her impecunious Niece thrust upon her so abruptly, next Morning, she marched me to the Job Center, where upon presenting my Credentials, I got a Job of Staff Nurse, in a Children's Convalescent Home, in the Country. A beautiful Place.
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Post by irist on Jan 27, 2021 14:25:32 GMT
You worked really hard, Tina. Not many school leavers these days (and they are mainly 18 years old) would have put up with the tasks you had to do without pay. It made you who you are today. Good on you!
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