Some days at the Day Hospital there are gaps, occasionally long ones, when you have no appointments This is how I have managed to do so much reading.
Yesterday I had planned to populate the new handheld with address data.
However.
On arrival I was served with tea and biscuit.
Before I had even finished the tea, the doctor came and asked me to go and see her. She carried my cup of tea, bless her. She was very pleased to see how much improved I was on the previous week, and admitted that she had been quite worried about me. We had a chat and she examined my chest, saying that it was clear and told me that I would be having a repeat x-ray in 3 weeks.
No sooner had I sat down and put in about 3 names and addresses when it was the turn of the Occupational Therapist. 4 of us went along to the OT room for Reminiscence Therapy. Now, I was always an intellectual snob and could never see myself taking part in such a thing.
She produced a box of black and white photographs, about 9 ins x 5 and produced them one at a time. The lady opposite me was handed each one first, then it was passed round and reached me last. (Just as well it was in this order as it gave the others a chance!)
There were some I didn't know (such as Sylvia Peters - a very early announcer on British TV), but most I recognised. What was particularly good was that, after a photograph had been identified, memories were triggered. I thought the Coronation was in 1952, but that was the year King George 6th died and Princess Elizabeth became Queen. Many had seen the Coronation on television, but I remembered being taken with the school to the cinema to see two films "A Queen is Crowned" and "The Ascent of Everest".
A photograph of Marylin Monroe provoked memories of the Kennedies, and Chappaquiddick and so on as well as her 2 marriages - to Joe Di Maggio and Arthur Miller. It also led on to another photograph of Maria Callas. It all interrelated. The time just flew past.
And then it was lunchtime.
I had barely sat down after lunch to do some more data entry when the Physiotherapist arrived to do some more work with me.
A little more work then Sister came to discuss the visit I had had that morning with the Doctor.
And then it was home.......
I had bought a protective case for my last handheld, but it did not fit my new one. I was reluctant to shell out for another one, but found an elegant substitute.
When TBSITW and I were on holiday in Switzerland she bought me a very pretty soft spectacle case , white with little eidelweiss all over.
It holds my new handheld perfectly.
Thank you TBSITW.
Showing posts with label reminiscences. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reminiscences. Show all posts
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Reminiscences prompted by a Comment
When I was reading a.'s comment on my post about The Thunderbolt Kid, I was taken back in time to the Bay of Pigs fiasco.
Now this is not going to be a political blog, but the late President Kennedy and former Prime Minister Tony Blair have something in common.
Both were good looking men while in office. Both were much admired for their political savvy, but turned out to be more style than substance.
It is tragic that boyish good looks can so influence the country's choice of premier.
Anyway, back to what I was going to say which was that that was the era in the early years of my marriage, when we had our first television - which we rented as we couldn't afford to buy one. Also, as the town we lived in at that time was in quite a deep valley, we got our TV signal via a receiver on the summit of a hill which was then sent to us by cable. The cable was the only source of a signal for the whole town. This was long before the days of Cable companies.
It served to bring us the news from the BBC (no other news stations available), and the early days of Dr Who. I do remember my eldest son hiding behind the sofa when that was on!
Now this is not going to be a political blog, but the late President Kennedy and former Prime Minister Tony Blair have something in common.
Both were good looking men while in office. Both were much admired for their political savvy, but turned out to be more style than substance.
It is tragic that boyish good looks can so influence the country's choice of premier.
Anyway, back to what I was going to say which was that that was the era in the early years of my marriage, when we had our first television - which we rented as we couldn't afford to buy one. Also, as the town we lived in at that time was in quite a deep valley, we got our TV signal via a receiver on the summit of a hill which was then sent to us by cable. The cable was the only source of a signal for the whole town. This was long before the days of Cable companies.
It served to bring us the news from the BBC (no other news stations available), and the early days of Dr Who. I do remember my eldest son hiding behind the sofa when that was on!
Friday, 9 November 2007
Reminiscences - Education
My parents held a firm belief that having a good education was a matter of prime importance and they scrimped and saved and did without themselves to give their children just that.
I can still remember my first school, or rather kindergarten, to which I went at age 4. To this day there is a smell that takes me straight back there. I seem to remember that we had slates, so the smell may be a combination of chalk and milk; of course we still got milk in 1/3 pint bottles, one each per day, provided free until “Maggie Thatcher, milk snatcher” came along and stopped it. I seem to remember that we played a little, but certainly also did some kind of school work. I was definitely reading at this time as no doubt were at least some of the rest of us. I was probably there for a year. I think it was of great advantage to go there as it made a good preparation for school. However it must also have helped my mother to have one child out of the way for part of the week!
I then went on to the school where I would spend the rest of my schooldays, all 12 years of it. Entry was by merit and depended on an interview. I still remember being asked the colour of an apple and, in response feeling somewhat flummoxed, as I felt it was an unfair question. So I said “Well, you can get a red apple, or a yellow apple, or a green apple, or a red and yellow apple, or a red and green apple, or a yellow and green apple, or a red and yellow and green apple”. What an obnoxious child I must have been!
However do you think that this rather good example of permutations and combinations was a portent of my future love of mathematics?
In many ways I was very lucky with the school to which I was sent. Because it was single sex, there were no preconceived ideas of what subjects were or were not suitable for a girl and we were all encouraged to set our academic aims high.
The down side to this meant that we were very definitely not encouraged to mix with boys (who were seen as some sort of strange creature). I am not sure if I have got over that attitude yet! :-)
I can still remember my first school, or rather kindergarten, to which I went at age 4. To this day there is a smell that takes me straight back there. I seem to remember that we had slates, so the smell may be a combination of chalk and milk; of course we still got milk in 1/3 pint bottles, one each per day, provided free until “Maggie Thatcher, milk snatcher” came along and stopped it. I seem to remember that we played a little, but certainly also did some kind of school work. I was definitely reading at this time as no doubt were at least some of the rest of us. I was probably there for a year. I think it was of great advantage to go there as it made a good preparation for school. However it must also have helped my mother to have one child out of the way for part of the week!
I then went on to the school where I would spend the rest of my schooldays, all 12 years of it. Entry was by merit and depended on an interview. I still remember being asked the colour of an apple and, in response feeling somewhat flummoxed, as I felt it was an unfair question. So I said “Well, you can get a red apple, or a yellow apple, or a green apple, or a red and yellow apple, or a red and green apple, or a yellow and green apple, or a red and yellow and green apple”. What an obnoxious child I must have been!
However do you think that this rather good example of permutations and combinations was a portent of my future love of mathematics?
In many ways I was very lucky with the school to which I was sent. Because it was single sex, there were no preconceived ideas of what subjects were or were not suitable for a girl and we were all encouraged to set our academic aims high.
The down side to this meant that we were very definitely not encouraged to mix with boys (who were seen as some sort of strange creature). I am not sure if I have got over that attitude yet! :-)
Friday, 21 September 2007
Keep Fit (Not)
Well, I was a bit concerned as to whether I would go to Keep Fit yesterday, because I was still feeling a bit stiff and sore. My mind was made up for me with a knock at the door opening to two of the other ladies who go. They were here to inform me that the person who takes the class had phoned to cancel, and they were on their way to inform the last one (another lady is away on holiday). I invited them all to have a cup of tea and we had this and a grand chat, until almost 4 o’clock.
On 11 September I did a post about Barbara’s reminiscences of being evacuated, and a few days later dizzy_the_ posted a reply giving an update to how things are nowadays. It was most interesting to hear that schoolchildren there are still taught about the evacuees and each year a class dresses as close as possible to the clothing worn in the 1940s, they carry a mock gas mask and bring a packed lunch more or less of the 40s.
Unfortunately dizzy_the_ has not posted a profile on blogger, so I cannot give you a link.
I printed a copy of this comment and showed it to Barbara, and she was delighted to get an update on that, and amazed to hear that the schoolchildren are still being taught about the evacuees.
We were both commenting about being the oldest in our respective families now, with nobody left to ask about how life and family were before our time. It is so important to hold on to those memories and pass them on before it is too late.
On 11 September I did a post about Barbara’s reminiscences of being evacuated, and a few days later dizzy_the_ posted a reply giving an update to how things are nowadays. It was most interesting to hear that schoolchildren there are still taught about the evacuees and each year a class dresses as close as possible to the clothing worn in the 1940s, they carry a mock gas mask and bring a packed lunch more or less of the 40s.
Unfortunately dizzy_the_ has not posted a profile on blogger, so I cannot give you a link.
I printed a copy of this comment and showed it to Barbara, and she was delighted to get an update on that, and amazed to hear that the schoolchildren are still being taught about the evacuees.
We were both commenting about being the oldest in our respective families now, with nobody left to ask about how life and family were before our time. It is so important to hold on to those memories and pass them on before it is too late.
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