Party Vibe

As a first year student nurse I spent a lot of time with a Gentleman named George in a home for the elderly mentally ill who I will never forget. I helped him get dressed to go to his Masonic events in the evening, we chose his waistcoat, his fob watch, (Hunter) polished his shoes and talked about who he would see tonight. After an hour we would go to the communal lounge and talk about his friends and his watches. Shaving and books. Then all over again. After dinner in the home I helped him undress, put his best bib and tucker away and chat about buns and baking. We never left the building but he had a night out every night in his best suit. I’d always wondered what and where Masons did.
One day I decided to arrange permission to take him to the local pub. It was a pub, largely frequented by Irish Travellers in South East London. Abbey Wood. Rough.
He looked the part, not for the pub but for de-mob, waist coat, trilby, fob watch and polished shoes. People were friendly and George had a Guinness, which took him an hour to drink. He didn’t like the pub after that so we went back to the home so he could see his mates down the masonic hall, in the home. Being a student nurse allowed me to enter a folie a deux with George and his life, past and present by having so much time to indulge his nights out/in. He taught me a lot about the reliability of the Hunter fob watch, shaving being a luxury and how a person can live a full life with nothing but simple help and assistance. When I left that placement I said goodbye and asked others to do the same and indulge the perfect Gentleman. I hope they did. I restored a hunter watch and called it George. Rambles.

I was a student (2000) and was supernumerary. Not counted in the books, although you worked. Had the time to try and understand these peoples lives who had slowly reversed. Got lots of memories of looking after people as a student and carer. Now I work in a well known Hospital in the Private sector where the emphasis seems to be so different. I only started last week, from the NHS. I hope this is just my early cynicism as I know Dr’s and Nurses do what they do as a calling or vocation, well, I used to think that ;-).
The best thing I have done recently was to do three night shifts with Crisis in London. They get two weeks of bed and board and health checks and some legal help if possible, then back on the streets. My girlfriend did days, I did the nights, being a creature of one. Reaffirmed my belief in inherent kindness and a disintangled unity, usually only convuluted by personal circumstances or finances, break ups that could happen to anyone. Me once or twice. It was good and will do it this xmas. Met so many different people, volunteers and ‘guests’. Humbling. I’m defo no saint material though, why have you been up all night? 🙂