Call the midwife part 2

[TwinklyFawn]

I know that my first thread isn't full yet. I just wanted to create the second thread before i forgot.

I think he's a trained engineer

I think he was specifically a Civil Engineer hence was working for the council as a Housing Inspector

Yes he was qualified in Civils and applied for many jobs until he was thinking he would have to work forever as a mechanic and maybe one day own a garage. (or that is how I remember it).

Then the application for the housing job was successful which suggested to my Civils DCiL that nobody on the writing team had ever spoken to a civil engineer.

Exactly. When i was in hospital a few years ago ny first name was used. The doctors gave me their first name too. I also called my physio by her first name.

I'm on first name terms with my dentist, optician and physio and the vet. My GP calls my by my first name but I call her Dr. Wellspoken. My dh is the same!

Many years ago I worked on a men's ward with a young nurse who called the patients "lovie ". One old man bellowed at her "Stop calling me Lovie! " She was mortified and apologised to him. A couple of days later she was helping him to turn over in his bed, and said gently " Soon have you settled, lovie......Oh, sorry, sorry....." He answered "No, it's me who should be sorry. You're so kind, and I'm such a grumpy old man."

I always forget the name of the dentists at my practice. They are always leaving.

That made me awww ❤️

I'm happy to be called by my given name and find the whole Miss, Ms, Mrs too formal for me but in hospital I've been asked which I prefer by many nurses. They all have given name badges so will be addressed that way. Doctors are more often Dr surname but when you see a lot of them many are more than happy to have their given name used.

I didn't know there was a Casualty thread here. I might have to head there and discuss my rather large crush on one of the doctors. I bloody love Casualty!

I'm happy for my first name to be used by all humans who introduce themselves with theirs. Anyone who introduces themselves with a title receives a lovely smile, a tinkly laugh and a "I think it's Mrs Hellebores Mr Arrogant Arse". They invariably stutter a bit and say "oh you can call me Paul/Matt etc. Interestingly the women never do, they just move swiftly on.

I reckon it's due to widening participation. They didn't learn manners and etiquette from their parents .

Head on over to the Casualty thread I'm sure you can get who the too sugary nurse is.

When in hospital at the end of her very long life, my grandmother was not known by her first name, among the Adas and Edies she was Mrs Surname. She retained the Victorian/Edwardian formality of her youth and I do understand why.

A 35+ year serving social work colleague of mine would address his clients as "Mr/Mrs" "Sir/Madam" and I have to say I picked that up, especially 30 years ago when an older generation were with us. He was a renegade from a really quite grand background and although times have changed a lot, I don't think deferring "up" in terms of titles is a bad thing at all.

Do still think the CTM usage isn't offensive, though, it doesn't seem patronising in intent.

I felt as if I'd done something right in my children's upbringing when DD1 did some work experience in residential care for elderly people and came home raging because members of staff barely older than she was (17) were calling people old enough to be their grandparents by their first names. When I started work in the NHS in the 1980s we used titles and surnames more often than first names even among ourselves when we were at work, and certainly for adult patients.

A long retired colleague of my dh is in a nursing home in his nineties. He is an important academic in his field,but never progressed up the system as he didn't complete his doctorate. So he was Mr Important when he retired.
The nursing home staff call him Professor, which he seems to like.

I was looking forward to CTM earlier, then remembered it wasn't on. It's such a treat in the coldest months. So I watched the first 2 ever episodes on iplayer and enjoyed them. Very sad when the 15 year old girl had her baby Kathleen taken away in the mother and baby home in the second episode.

I've been called professor by other patients and then by a couple of nurses, all of it being done lightheartedly because I'm, I dunno, I have some interests that are quite intellectual as well as loving me some CTM and happily watching dreadful real housewives. It was meant sort of lovingly with my fellow patients as we became friends, sweetly from the nurses who picked up on it and I loved it because it was all about closeness and care between all of us, patients and nurses. And because I have a big old head and love it if people think I'm all smart and shit.

I got the book out of the library and goodness me, I don’t remember this part in glorious technicolour on Sunday night TV.

Shocked of Tunbridge Wells

Crikey! That's like something from Last Exit to Brooklyn!

@killedanotherhouseplant which book is that?

It's Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth!

@killedanotherhouseplant wow, really!

I have listened to this on Audible, and don't remember this at all! Perhaps I blocked it out 😕?

I've noticed from watching the first series on iplayer that parents hit their kids in it, which is something you never see in the more recent series. Despite the fact that I definitely remember plenty of public smacking and hitting of children (including me) in the London borough I grew up in in the 70s and 80s.
I like the way the nuns singing features a lot in the first series.
I find it hard to imagine a nun (Sister Evangelina) would have been defending siblings living together as man and wife, even if they'd had a tough start in life.

Getting back to CTM. Does anyone think that the young Sister Catherine will feel she is sacrificing too much and not take her vows? I like the character but I'm wondering if they have just brought her in short term. They did something similar with the young doctor Kevin?

I think that now hitting kids is referred to but not shown on screen. I think there were even cigarette burns shown in a fairly recent episode. I actually felt that Sister Evangelina who had seen so much would have been capable of understand the brother and sister situation. People who have worked up close are often far more broadminded than others with a more limited experience of the human condition give them credit for. I don't think Sr Evangelina was condoning it, but she could understand it.

Anyone spotted any CTM actors in anything else recently? Cyril pulled a mummified leg out of a chimney on Unforgotten, he didn't have any lines though which is a shame as he does have a lovely voice.