Bath Times and Nursery Rhymes

A heart-warming memoir about life as a nursery nurse and nanny in the 1960s, for fans of Call the Midwife. In 1961, sixteen year-old Pam Weaver began her training as a nursery nurse. Drawn to this profession by her caring nature and a desire to earn her own living, Pam had no idea of the road she was about to start down. At the government-run nursery, she found early mornings, endless floors to scrub, overbearing matrons, heartbreaking stories of abandonment, true friends and life lessons that would stay with her for decades. Bath Times and Nursery Rhymes is Pam's memoir about her time in state nurseries and as a Hyde Park private nanny. It will recount the highs and lows of that time with engaging and uplifting honesty.

I really enjoy reading real life books, following the lives of student midwives and nurses. I have never wanted to train in either of these professions but I absolutely love reading about them. It may be because I work in the childcare sector and I think this is why this book is my favourite of all the ones I have read (so far).

Pam Weaver is also an author of fiction novels but this is her career story from when, as a 16 year old, she enrolled as a trainee nurse in a local children's home. I found it really interesting to read about how these children's homes were ran, but also found it interesting to see how the daily routines and 'teaching' exercises were carried out.

The book had times of happiness and sadness but it also included moments when you wanted to laugh out load, the words that come out of the children's mouths - they never stop making you laugh and in times of sadness just one sentence can change the mood of everyone involved.

I enjoyed this book much more than some of the other student midwife and nurse autobiographies, perhaps because it is because it is the area that I work in. I would however, have enjoyed it even more if the different stories had been expanded a little more, although in these times of confidentiality etc this may be difficult.