Stepping Back in Time

Sometimes a chance encounter or a casual remark can send you spinning way back in time.  I was sitting In my local garden centre having a cup of cappuccino and a very nice slice of white chocolate and cranberry tray bake 

when I became aware of a lady staring at me, she actually came over and sat down next to me and asked me if I was the lady who had come to the craft fair last year she said, "I remember you  because my friend gave you some things for the Syrian refugees". I agreed that yes I was, in fact I blogged about that encounter here.

We got chatting as fellow crafter's do and she asked me where I usually bought my wool from and said that she usually got hers from Kemp's, well I thought she meant Kemp's on line but she was actually referring to a shop called Kemp's and when she explained where it was I couldn't believe it!  This wool shop stands opposite the Hospital where I did my nursing training many years ago, I couldn't believe that it was still there 41 years on. 

 I remember I had just started going out with my future husband, he was a Doctor on one of the wards and I worked as a student nurse on night duty, I decided that I wanted to make him a jumper and I bought the wool from that very shop, it was the first wool I had ever bought and it was for the first big project I would ever make. It was a ribbed polo neck sweater in petrol blue and it took me forever to make but it was loved and worn for years and years.

Another thing I bought

was this

As you can see it's a bit worse for wear and has been well used over the years, I taught myself how to crochet out of that same book.

I couldn't leave it there of course, I had a need to actually go back there and see the shop in question, so I took the bus into the town and walked up to the shop, a very long walk but this was a trip down memory lane and I wanted to see it all. 

I found the shop right opposite the hospital in exactly in the same place,  I  took a deep breath opened the door and went inside.  It has changed of course the front part of it taken up with lovely hand knitted baby items and quite a good selection of wool at the back.  I spent ages in there studying all they had and did I make a purchase? well yes of course I did, I couldn't go all that way for nothing.

Right next door to the wool shop is a little shop that sells magazines and gift cards and doubles up as a coffee shop so feeling quite tired after my long walk and long browse in the wool shop I went in and had a cappuccino and sat there for a long while gazing across the road, the hospital is still there but has changed enormously, in fact they were drawing up the plans for the new hospital, when I was doing my training, we got to see the model of the new hospital before we all left and went our separate ways.

I could see the nurses home where I used to live, now turned into offices, my bedroom was fourth from the corner right, second floor down.

                          

I was transported back to the sound of giggling girls, getting ready to go out for the evening, some sat on the floor in the corridor drying their hair, while boxes of Carmen rollers were heating up in preparation, that dot seemed to take ages to turn black.  Then in my mind’s eye I can see and hear a dear friend I haven’t seen or heard from since then, strutting up and down in her new shoes asking what do you think, do they go with this dress? Pointing her toes and twirling her ankle, have a good look! Don’t you think the pink one’s would be better? we would all sigh in exasperation, she could never make up her mind.  

Where is she now? Where have they all gone those lovely girls that meant so much to me at the time, gone and some never seen or heard of again.  We had such good times, do the ghosts of our giggling voices still echo in those corridors.

I feel a tear rolling down my cheek and rapidly bring myself back to the present, back to the little café and my now empty cup, it’s time to go home.

Three friends having a laugh outside the nurses home

Pub just down the road where we would all go for a drink after work.

Me as a student Nurse on the steps of the nurses home.

Have a great week !

with lots of love