|
|
Janet Osborne's Memories |
My name is JANET BARBARA OSBORNE.
I was born in 1941. So was I in the war? This birthday coming I goin to be 59 and next year I shall be 60! In 2001.
When I was a baby, I went into Orphan Hospital (in Bristol) And they looked after me till I was 4. (My mother died when I was born.)
Then later I moved on to Rockall, down in Bath and I was there till I was 14. Then I moved on to Painswick and there was a home there. I’m not quite sure what it was called.
(What was it like at Rockall?)
I went there when I was 8 years old. And went to school there. In those days they brought cocoa at eleven or twelve. We used to do a concert, acting.
My favourite lesson was adding up, what do you call it - Arithmetic. I’d have liked to do a bit more reading. They used to have 8 bedrooms and all the children used to go and get into bed and what not.
When I was a little girl, there was a little boy he must have got scarlet fever. That was the first time I saw anybody die.
We used to have a playground, and when it was time we used to go out. And my favourite was a bicycle. I never got back on it cos I fell over! I used to like ice creams and sweets. And I remember malt; I used to have that. (I joined in reminiscing too!) And PT. We used to do and exercise when we was at Rockall, in Bath.
But my other thing is, well, I love doing puzzles.
Ooh another thing I can remember. We used to go camping. It was quite good and I sat on a seat and there was a nail and it caught me on my knee. But we laughed about it. It was a great big place, and there were five tents, and five to six was in each tent, and we slept there. We slept on small mattresses, grass underneath you. (Cooking) They had these old saucepans and a fire. Yes, we did, we had to get wood for the fire.
When I was about 48 I went back to the home when I was brought up. I was amazed it changed. But I haven’t been back no more. It changed… for the better.
I must tell you something. When I was 13 years old I went with a teacher, (a lady I think) and they had some money. And I was so excited cos I did not know what money was. And I went to the seaside, I think it was Weston. It was a lovely day; the sea was coming in; lots of people round the town. We had a lovely dinner, chicken, chips and beans and a trifle and a nice cuppa lemonade. Was I surprised!
When I had this money when I was 13, I don’t believe in wasting money.
When I was in my teens I loved cooking. That was one of the things I wanted to do. Cos I got asthma, I couldn’t do it. But still I love it.
When I was 16 I had to go to work. We done corridors and classrooms sweeping up and washing floors.
This was me when I was 18
When I was about 20 I worked in St. George’s road in a hotel. The name began with D. After that I want to the Boys' College, Dean Close, cleaning dormitories, cleaning steps, doing a bit of washing up. Same with the Ladies' College. Then I want to the Ladies College, Overton Road called St. Helen’s. I was a cleaner then. After that I went to Faithful House. I’ve worked there for thirty-one years coming up and I live there too.
For breakfast this morning, I had Ready Brek and a cuppa tea. Then I got up at 7 o’clock. Got to work at a quarter to eight. Washed up, do drinks sometimes. And we seem to enjoy it very much.
What else?
I got a family, they live in Cheltenham.
I am a friend, but they treat me like family. They are called Mr. and Mrs. E. and I’ve known them for about 30 years. And all the family are very kind and I think that I am very very lucky cos there are people around Britain who have not got anybody and my heart goes out to them.
Mrs. E. they are very kind. And they help me. They got two sons and one daughter and they got grandchildren. And this weekend they’re going to Disneyland. And I said I always wanted to go but I got to hit the Jackpot. If I hit the Jackpot I’ll take anybody who would like to come!
When I got free time I like to go to the pictures. Once upon a time I used to go to Gloucester to do Pottery at the Guildhall. I used to go on a Tuesday. I used to like swimming. But I've got this arthritis in my knee. It started when I was 40 and I'm a bit scared but I would LOVE somebody to take me.
And when I used to go to a club called Spa we went abroad to Spain; and I did enjoy it. And it was one of the wishes I wanted to do and I did enjoy it.
If I did not have a laugh, I don't know what I'd do. It keeps me going. There is a lot of people around me, Christians and what not. I like to keep going. Where I am at Faithful House it’s the young people. Without the young people we would not keep going. The doctor gives me gold injections and with the young people that keeps me going. And I think that there are lots of people in the world today that are worse off than I.
Ooh and I been to the Town hall. We went to hear the band called Goddington and I think the choir was Cheltenham.
Ooh I watch on the TV they do Countdown, Carol Smiley. I like to watch that sometime.
Ooh and my favorite toy was puzzles. And my favourite one was a (jigsaw) KINGFISHER.
Sometimes my friend Pat takes me to where Peter Scott is. What’s it called..(Slimbridge) cos I love to see them animals, ducks
But when I look at it, I don’t think I had a bad life. No we had a good life.
And another thing I must tell you, ……….
My friend died in May and I'd like to tell you about her.
She was a lovely lady. Her name was Gertie Wilcox. I think she was 85 when she died. She worked very hard at Faithfull House, Sussex Square. And it was about 38 or 40 years I was a friend to her. We used to go on holiday, down to Weymouth, Southsea. Sometimes we went down to Weston Super Mare. It was a lovely day.
And then she told me when she went to Faithfull |House. She used to get up in the morning at 6 o'clock giving the residents their breakfast. Then we cleared up. Then we had a bit of breakfast. And when she was alive we loved going down the town, shoppin, or go for a cup of coffee in Littlewoods. And then sometimes we would go to the pictures in the afternoon. We had some laughs and fun, her and I. Oh she was a funny person! She had grey hair, she had lovely eyes, I think they was brown. And a good sense of humour, just like me. She was a bit tall and fat! She loved her biscuits and sweets just like me! And she used to do lots of knitting. I want you to put that in. Oh she loved her knitting. She was in so much pain, and she was never moanin. She was always happy and smiling, nothing was too much for her.
And could I say some of the nurses names. There was Janet and Caroline, and Tracy and I must tell you here, these three here are a family and they done a lot for Gertie and I.
And I like living dangerously and I like a challenge.
transcribed by Lucinda Pearce-Higgins and Margaret Penfold and edited by Margaret Penfold
© October 2000 Janet Osborne Part of the Silver Surfers' Project by trAce Online Writing Centre for the 2000 Cheltenham Festival of Literature