Yes those of you who said it yesterday - sometimes things take more out of you than you realise. I had a biopsy and refused sedation as it was a short procedure and in any case I wanted to know what was going on. Great hilarity from both the Consultant and the four nurses in the biopsy room. The Consultant welcomed me with 'welcome to the madhouse' and the nurses chatted to me throughout. Little or no pain, bit of discomfort and funny whirring noises now and again as tiny tissue samples were taken. Loads of good red blood - well not all that much but a little goes a long way when it spreads out - what is probably a teaspoonful looks like a pond.
Then it was a hour's rest in the recovery room, a chat with the consultant and then home again with S and T who had waited the four hours or so. Northallerton is not a bad place to wander round, especially on market day but not in dismal rain.
My carer W, who comes for an hour to help me get ready for bed, stayed all night and went just before I got up next morning. For something to do as we sat chatting I got out the tin of old photographs which I had been labelling the previous day. Some of them go back several generations and just looking at the clothes is hilarious.
There are photographs of my mum and dad on holiday at Skegness (our nearest seaside place) . To us it seemed a mighty long train journey (we got on the train at our village station - five minute walk from home down the aptly but not very creatively named 'Station Lane'. Steam train of course, with those windows which you let down with a strap with holes in (and had to be careful if you stuck your head out of the window in case you got a face full of smoke from the engine - or even worse a tiny bit of coal - and yes it did happen sometimes). Oh the excitement.
There is a photo of mum and dad with Mr and Mrs Ashley and Mr and Mrs Applewhite - all six walking in a line and smiling - all the ladies wearing hats, all the men in trilbies and 'sports jackets' (not buttoned and braces showing).
But the photograph that set me thinking after I had gone to bed was of an occasion when I happened to be staying with my sister and old school friends in the village (few of my friends 'escaped') got together and we all went out for a meal together. Somebody took our photo and there we all are round the table. I moved away in 1964 - away from Lincolnshire that is - I had moved out of the village in 1952 but not far away. The photograph was marked 1970.
Looking at it now - a group of middle-aged (very), stout 'ladies' dressed as village ladies did in those days (before mass TV watching in villages reached the stage of preaching 'anything goes') - I could not identify a single figure. I guess now (all but one are still going strong) if they saw the photograph it wo uld be easy for them as they all still live around there. But I only remember them as they were in our school days - in the playground, fishing with a net and a jar for tiddlers in Sandhill Beck, shrieking down the steep hills when it snowed and we had dragged our sledges to 'Hills and Hollows', blackberrying along the village hedges or swimming in the River Witham in the Summer.
Memories, memories = yet again a few tears flowed but my carer and I had a few laughs too. I don't go back quite as far as skirts almost touching the ground but not far off.
Back to normal today - done a few jobs, had a laugh with my hairdresser as she sashayed up and down the kitchen floor with my new vac sucking up my snipped=off locks. looked out on another dismal day - fog this time. Off to make a cuppa. See you tomorrow.
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26 comments:
You seem to be in a fine state of mind,I quite enjoyed sharing your walk down memory lane,thank you,-Mary
It's always good to see what doctors are doing and they are usually very keen to show an interested party to the proceedings.
Back home and happy. That is as it should be. Are you tagging those photos by the way?
I have been going through my late husbands slides and tossing most in the garbage. His children said they wanted them but have not come for them in almost four years. I mentioned that I would be getting rid of them a few months ago but still no one came, so now they are gone. I kept the few that were of my husband and very funny to see him with sideburns and old fashioned clothes. Glad to hear you are back on track. Gigi
What a delightful post, Pat, and am glad you had such an enjoyable time while the biopsy was happening. Having worked for nearly 20 years in the operating room (surgery, in the US), I can tell you the conversations were always interesting and the music varied. One heart surgeon always had 'Weird Al' Yankovic's "Like a Surgeon" playing as he began each surgical procedure. Make no mistake, all attention was on the patient, his/her vital signs, and on sterile technique.
Hope you're adding names and dates on the photos you recognize. Alas, that wasn't done on most of the old photos I am dealing with. Who are those people?
Hugs!
Glad all went well
Pirate likes to see what is going on like you do..after all, your body, it's good to know how it works!
My daughter worked as a theatre orderly when young, and always interested in proceedings.
Surgeons used to ask her, 'what do you think this is Cait', 'what do you think would cause that', during surgery banter.
They strongly suggested she study nursing, and get into forensics. After nursing, she left it completely to get a Masters in Creative Writing so basically she is still into the ' when, why and where it happened'.
You may not go as far back as dresses to the floor, but you have seen out mini-skirts heading sky high in the other direction. We had to be very careful how we sat and moved at work in those days! Your English model Jean Shrimpton was invited here for the iconic Melbourne Cup races and introduced Australian matrons to the miniskirt, much to collective gasps.
Glad your procedure went well. - Pam.
Glad you sailed through the test & are perky today. I get so stressed I'm out for the count for the day after. So happy it all went well. Pat in Pennsylvania
Old photos can act very much as our own in-built little time machine… not quite as irresistible as scent, but still triggering a lot of things we have not been thinking of in a long time.
Good to read from you again today, Pat.
So good to know you are feeling so perky. My daughter borrowed a lot of my old family photos as she is acquainting herself with our ancestors and trying to trace back as far as possible. I went through them when she returned them and they brought back so many lovely memories.
I am glad to hear the procedure went well and you are feeling good. The photo album always provides a nice trip down memory lane. You seem to enjoy your album as much as I enjoy mine.
Good to see that you are so upbeat after your surgery visit, Pat, and I hope the biopsy results will be nothing to worry about. I look forward to continuing to read your posts for many a year. xx
I love old photos, too. When my grandparents and great grandparents picnicked, all the men wore suits, ties and hats. In my great grandparents time, all the women wore long dresses.
So good to hear from you today. I love old photos too. My husband’s grandmother used to tell me how much she loved my visits because we both would spend hours looking and discussing her old photos. Jackie
When you look at photos you see how much has really changed. My kids are 52 and 54 and it's amazing the changes that have happened in their life time.
Good to hear that your visit wasn't too taxing or painful. I love looking at old photos, most of ours are up in the (difficult to get at) loft. I must bring them down.
When you referred to your parents' friends as Mr. and Mrs. it reminded me that when I was a child ( late 40s early 50s) my Mum always addressed the neighbours as Mrs Lee, Mrs Emson etc. Never used first names as we would now!
We were lucky to have been brought up in the era of steam trains. They were still running when I was a kid. I used to stand on a bridge and wait for one to thunder past underneath, enveloping me in warm fog. I can still remember the smell.
Sad news on Gardeners World last night Pat, with Monty's oldest dog Nellie having died.
Derek - I didn't watch last night but noticed last week Monty was cuddling his dog and I did think the dog looked old. He gets terribly upset when he loses a dog - the downside of having them I suppose.
Tom - me too. They occasionally run over the Ribblehead fiaduct still. Happy memories.
Red. Do you think every generation has said that. My son is 66 in March but I have to steel myself not to give him advice!! Perhaps every generation has said what you said - but I do agree that the changes for this generation seem unbelievable.
Thanks everyone for your good wishes and your interesting takes on old photos.
Yes, it was quite sad to see Monty talking about it. They feature the lovely Hever Castle this week, I go there at least once a year, it's a lovely place.
Skegness...I have a photo of my mother as a young girl with her mum and friend, labeled on the back Skegness. They had gone there on a day trip, I think, although it seems a long way from Cambridgeshire? Anyway, their car broke down, someone told me, also they were having a picnic by the road while waiting for help. This would have been in the mid to late 1930s I think. Ibwish I knew more about that adventure.
So glad you are feeling well after the biopsy, Pat.
Skegness is not that far for a day out from Cambs especially as a treat.
It is many years since I went to Skegness but as a child I used to think it wonderful. The only other seaside places I ever visited as a child were Hunstnton and Cromer = both possibe as a Sunday School trip on a coach once a year. Later on we branched out to Bridlington and Scarborough. Ihave been to the North Norfolk coast with the farmer for weekends - I love places like Aldbrough andd Blakeney - lovely hotels too!
You share the best memories Pat - you are special and bring so many things back to me of those early days when growing up in England was the best of times. Thank you.
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