Remembering My Life

When I first went to London as a Nanny it was to several short term positions as Maternity Nurse and where I moved in to stay with people who were having a second or third baby and I would take care of the older ones while moms were in the hospital and then stay for two months to help with the newborn.This was a good way to begin and see what I wanted to do .After three families as Maternity Nurse I went to stay with the Crawley family.Ann and Eustace, had one thirteen month girl called Emma and just had another newborn girl called Willa.They were a very nice family.They lived in a 4 story row house in Holland steet in Kensington and I had the top floor to myself.I had a nursery combo sitting room,my bedroom,kiddies bedroom and bathroom and kitchenette..
I was able to bring friends in and often my friends from College, who were also nannies in Kensington, would bring their friends in for afternoon tea and the children enjoyed their new friends.We would also enjoy our daily walks in Kensington Gardens and at the time walked daily with HRH Princess Margarets nanny,who was an older straight lace nanny always in black..We never talked.
I would also take walking with me the Crawley's two dogs,William a gray poodle and Henry a long haired Daschund.As a dog lover I never minded taking them along although it wasnt always easy walking them with the huge English Silver Cross pram I had to push made for twins.With the weather over there twin prams were popular with two young ones close in age .I had a couple of busy roads to cross to get to the park and it was always a relief when i got there.After a year and a half Rebecca Crawley was born and I was honoured to be asked to be her God Mother.I stayed with the Crawleys until Rebecca was 8 months old and then decided it was time for me to branch out and travel abroad.I decided on America.I had lived there for 3 months in 1957 when my dad worked in Seattle for Boeings and always said I would go back.Back I did and I stayed.October 5th 1965 I flew to America.