Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Mid A 15 wrote:One legacy of CH is that it has to be very cold for me to feel it or want the heating on.

The downside is that the wife and daughters don't feel the same way!

Same problem here. However we had one man at work who come rain, come snow and ice never ever wore an overcoat and in mid-winter could be seen walking to work with his jacket slung over his shoulder. Masochism!!!

Angela W wrote:A Lakeland catalogue has just been delivered. I was excited to see a splendid chocolate coloured electric fleecy throw, with nine heat settings! Ideal in which to huddle to do one's prep, I thought.

Don't tempt him; they'll run out of wall sockets or money to pay the electricity bill.

GMA wrote:This thread name made me smile as yesterday morning, around 6a.m. I was laughing like an idiot and thinking of old school days as my other half and I got dressed under the bedclothes as I used to do at Hertford. .

Lucky girl! We had from 6.55 until 7.05am to:
get out of bed, and
get washed, and
get dressed, and
fold each sheet and blanket separately, and
put the mattress in an arch on the bed frame with the blankets NEATLY beside it *, and
get downstairs, and
Put outdoor shoes on and be ready for breakfast parade

That was for the plebs - those on dining hall trades had to be in the dining hall by 7.05 at the latest having completed the above and walked along the back of the houses to the dining hall..

* if it was then judged to be insufficfiently neat everything was thrown on the floor and you had to re-do before breakfast parade.
Not a spare moment to dress under the sheets which would take an extra 28.5 seconds (or more!)Green for envy

I, also remember the "Morning Rush Hour " which, for us included the "Cold Bath" --- this involved dunking one'self in and getting out again --- in about a total of five seconds !
Arched Mattresses and Squared Blankets experience, were useful when joining the Army--- with addition of setting out------
Knifeforkspoonrazorcombandlatherbrushtoothpastetoothbrushsoapwashingatthewashbootsattherepairotherwisekitpresentandcorrect-- SIR ! ( Deep breath) -- 2726504 Guardsman Evans N.-- SIR !


Oh Happy days --- 3 shillings a day, and few responsibilities !!

sejintenej wrote:Lucky girl! We had from 6.55 until 7.05am to:
get out of bed, and
get washed, and
get dressed, and
fold each sheet and blanket separately, and
put the mattress in an arch on the bed frame with the blankets NEATLY beside it *, and
get downstairs, and
Put outdoor shoes on and be ready for breakfast parade

In a junior House, the horrible Millie woke us at 0645hrs - vigorously thumping us on the back if we weren't already awake. Dressing under the bedclothes in vest, linings and blues bought the extra keen an extra moment of washing time. It was best to bag a minute of time in front of the cloakroom mirrors before Prayers at 07.20 hrs. We hated Millie. The bed arrangement stuff sounds much the same.

The Senior House was similar, but no thumping - and we got up at the Rising Bell at 0700hrs.

Actually, five minutes less to do our hair.

Used to be School issued grey woollen jumpers available for LE and below and then UF and above could were their own jumpers under full housey in winter. This was about the only kind of personal fashion statement one could make outside of a Saturday night activity.

Never really had a problem with cold but do rememebr walking back from Horsham in a deluge and when we got back the perosn with me stood in the LHA lower dorm dayroom (it was during the block system 1988) and holding his coat by the shoulders he spun round on the spot leaving a green/black line of wet scum at a height of 4' on everything within range. Which did at least answer the question of whether socks going green in the rain was through their colouring or transfer from the coat


A wet houseycoat weighs a ton by the way for those on here who have never worn one

We do indeed still sell scarves in tuckshop, knitted by Mrs Plum Senior (she`ll kill me for calling her that!!) .
I think she`s only knitting to order at the moment though.....

Grandmothers knit very good ones too!

Not this grandmother! If any of my grandchildren had to wait for me to finish knitting and actually assemble a garment they would die of old age (or hypothermia?) in the meantime. I still have in my knitting bag a garment which I started for my nephew when his mother was four months pregnant; he has recently celebrated his 21st birthday!

wurzel wrote:Used to be School issued grey woollen jumpers available for LE and below and then UF and above could were their own jumpers under full housey in winter. This was about the only kind of personal fashion statement one could make outside of a Saturday night activity.

Never really had a problem with cold but do rememebr walking back from Horsham in a deluge and when we got back the perosn with me stood in the LHA lower dorm dayroom (it was during the block system 1988) and holding his coat by the shoulders he spun round on the spot leaving a green/black line of wet scum at a height of 4' on everything within range. Which did at least answer the question of whether socks going green in the rain was through their colouring or transfer from the coat


A wet houseycoat weighs a ton by the way for those on here who have never worn one

I think our school jumpers were blue. As you say, seniors wore their own jumpers, and there was a period during the early / mid seventies when just about everyone had a waistcoat of some sort. These could be picked up for next to nothing from any second-hand clothes shop.

The coats used to smell a bit when wet,too. Do you remember the odour in Dining Hall at tea-time on a rainy day? Lovely...

dinahcat wrote:Grandmothers knit very good ones too!

They do indeed. My grandmother made one for me, for which I was very grateful.

Richard Ruck wrote: I think our school jumpers were blue. As you say, seniors wore their own jumpers, and there was a period during the early / mid seventies when just about everyone had a waistcoat of some sort. These could be picked up for next to nothing from any second-hand clothes shop.

The coats used to smell a bit when wet,too. Do you remember the odour in Dining Hall at tea-time on a rainy day? Lovely...

I guess the waistcoat died out at end of 70s as in 80s it was the good old cardigan that took over...

It is amazing that we wore breeches and Housey coats in all kinds of weatehr and for three months at a time without a
dry clean! True they did smell of old socks when wet and soemtimes left a stain on the shirts. Of course the worst ws the pen flicking and some people ended up with Jackson Pollocks... Chromotography on the bands was fun too...I think Parker Quink made a fortune out of us in those days...

Angela Woodford wrote:

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:We used to have --and I still do -- a Double-knitted CH Scarf --and we used to wear them as hat and scarf combined.

Are they not still sold, in the School Shop ?

Yes, NEILL! I sent a tenner and a big jiffy bag to The Great Plum and he kindly acquired one for me - knitted, I believe by Plum Maman.

It's really warm and cosy, and converts into a hat-and-scarf, exactly as JR describes. If it carries on being this damp and cold here in Devon, I shall be utilising the scarf in this manner and reporting it in the "What Do You Wear In Bed?" thread.

A thread to which you have not yet contributed, NEILL!

I bought my "replacement" in th eTuck Shop on an OB's Day
What do I wear in bed ????
"Well hellooow " (Leslie Phillips) Come and see my Dear !!!
As I have said before --- TBA , as photographed, can't read this !!!
But at 81 I have (Not yet) had any complaints !!!

I rarely got cold in my housey (it was the bands flicking in my face that was the most annoying...) On cold days, however, I wore a jumper under my coat and the coat has two hand holes to keep the hands warm... gloves were reserved for snow balls...

Yes, Mrs Plum Senior knits the scarves and Grandma Plum sows on the tassles...

I think she sews them Matt!

Mrs C. wrote:I think she sews them Matt!

Cue the 'Pedants' thread

Well she adds the tassles onto the scarves!