Those were the days my friend.......

Once upon a time there was a tavern

Where we used to drink a glass or two

Remember how we laughed away the hours

And think of all the great things we would do

Those were the days my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose

We'd fight and never lose

For we were young and sure to have our way

This was a firm favourite of my generation 

Mary Hopkins 1968!!!! Was it really that long ago?

We'd join loudly in with the chorus, the song

defined how we felt in those heady, rebellious

years when anything was possible.

Continuing with the nostalgia, I decided to

revisit my old London haunts. Ever since I

can remember, I wanted to be a nurse, so.....

I left the provinces behind me and headed to the

big city of London where I lived for 4 years while

taking my nursing training at Kings College Hospital

and then Croydon Technical College, Surrey.

Last week I headed back to my old hospital!

This building has not changed at all since those days.

I still remember walking through the main entrance here,

for my interview. As soon as I walked in, I felt I'd come home!

I didn't feel nervous, I just knew nursing was for me.

The elevator was still in the same place.

Of course we weren't allowed to use it!

Some of the ward names were familiar, but there

were a lot of new ones. I headed up to the first ward

I ever worked on: Victoria and Albert ward, male

medical. Now I do remember being nervous on

my first day!

It sure has changed, it used to be an old Victorian

Nightingale ward, 

Princess Elizabeth Ward where I did my first Paediatric

rotation- I still remember some of my patients..... 

As we were a teaching hospital, we tended to have the 

sickest of the sick. I still remember my first paediatric

death......

I visited the hospital chapel - lots of history there....

And a stained glass window to commemorate all the

nurses who had trained at Kings.......

The badge in the right corner is the badge we received

when we graduated - I still have mine even though it's

blackened with age! It was made of solid silver!

A memorial to all the School of Nursing Head Tutors

My tutor was Carolyn Moos - her name is at the very end.

She must have lived to a ripe old age as she seemed old

when I was a student!

Outside, lots of building and renovation

The Emergency Department - I hated my rotation there!

Times have changed.....  it's my favourite place now!

Additions going on there too. The skyline of London

is full of cranes with lots of construction going on.

The Day Surgery building. The hospital campus is much

bigger now withlots of new buildings.......

Across the road, the Maudsley Hospital, a world renowned

psychiatric hospital. They're quite famous and lots of interesting

research is carried on there. As a student nurse I 

volunteered for some of their studies - non-invasive of course!

The pay was good and augmented the pittance we received

as student nurses.

They've expanded too, lots of new buildings........

I read recently about the tremendous increase in anxiety disorders

in youth, no one appears to be able to cope anymore. A sign of the

times.....

And no visit to Kings would be complete without a

visit to my old neighbourhood........

Love the name- if you pardon the pun!

Lovely Victorian terraced homes......

And Georgian homes.....

Walking up Camberwell Grove, that's a girls school

on the right.....

Past these Georgian terraced homes.....

Now this is new!!!!

And so is this Yoga Studio. Wish it was there when I

lived in Camberwell!

Past more homes.... I was looking for no. 74......

And I found it! It's the house on the left..... Looks like it could do

with some sandblasting!

This is where I lived for several years. My bedroom was the

one upstairs on the left. I shared the house with three other 

nurses and our landlord, Dr.White, had his surgery in the

basement. We often had break-ins downstairs- people

looking for drugs. Angie, who had the big downstairs 

room,would often hear them but was too scared to do

anything in the middle of the night.

We had great times here, lots of studying - and partying!

We'd make our party beer in a plastic garbage bin in the 

bathroom and supplement it with very cheap Spanish plonk!

And, if we felt a bit peckish, we would head down to this 

joint:

The Greek restaurant down the road. It's still there!!

I'll have to go back for a meal one day. We enjoyed

going there as food was good, cheap and we could bring 

our own wine.

And, if we felt truly repentant, we could always visit

St. Giles Church .....

Those were the days my friend.......

And I consider myself very fortunate....

And, to lighten the tone and give you a laugh.....

A brand new and very proud Kings College Hospital

Staff Nurse!! Thank God we don't have to wear those

hats or starched collars anymore!!!

                 Talk soon

                     Zoe