Good Times & Bad

A Memory of Alton.

I was in the hospital for two & a half years. I was in a plaster case with straps all the way from top to bottom. I was on my back through the night & in the mornings the nurses would turn me so I could see the other children. I made lots of friends while I was there & all the nursing staff & doctors were great. The best time was weekends when my mum, dad & my brother came to see me. It was a long way for them to come because they lived in Fovant near Salisbury, Wiltshire. They came on a Saturday & stayed in bed & breakfast then came & spent the whole of Sunday with me. They never missed coming up. Tuesday was a good day as well because my auntie who lived in Nottingham sent me a parcel. It always had a toy & a book & sweets.  We had school lessons for about two hours in the mornings & I think it was about an hour in the aftrnoons. On sunny days we had lessons out on the verandah. The food was always good. We had ice cream on Sundays, I'm not sure if there was a sister Owne there or if it was another hospital I was in because from Alton I went to Hayling Island for 6 months. Christmas was fun because the ward was decorated & there was a big tree with lots of fairy lights & the nurses would sing carols & they carried lanterns, it was magic.