LIVING AT HOME AGAIN WITH WHEELS TO TRAVEL

After three years and three months of living in the Nurses Home Quarters I was now allowed to live out. A fellow colleague suggested we share a flat in Hastings but I had to get permission first from Matron who in her wisdom decided my companion was unsuitable and wrote to my Mother to inform her and give her reasons, bearing in mind I was now 24 years of age!

If I decided to return home to Fairlight to live with Mum and Dad I now had the worry of travel as my home was seven miles from Hastings. My friend Sally also had transport problems so bought a Lambretta Scooter so not to be outdone I decided on a Norman Nippy motor cycle mainly because it was half the price of a scooter. During all my training period I only received a monthly salary of £8.00.  

Which gave me no opportunity to save as we had to supply all our own textbooks, files, paper, black shoes and stockings etc? However I bought the motor cycle complete with crash helmet on monthly instalments and was now mobile with daily transport to and from work.

One morning on my way to work on my motor cycle I ran over a six inch nail which went into my front tyre. I completely lost control and aimed for the hedges which unfortunately for me was a blackthorn and disappeared into it head first. Before I had time to think how I would extricate myself I felt my legs being pulled and a postman who was passing at the time got me out into an upright position again! Of course I could not ride my bike so had to push it four miles to a garage and leave it there to be mended and catch a bus to work. When I eventually arrived very late my patients had a great time picking thorns out of every visible part of me mainly face arms and hands, I certainly received some teasing that day?

I think it was this occurrence that made me decide to learn to drive so I had a course of driving lessons with BSM