Admirable Nelson

At each bookstore along the way I peruse the shelves for a book with a local connection. At Ardea’s I purchased Beggar’s Garden; Laughing Oyster, Broken Ground; Hooked on Books, Lakeland.

But in Nelson the book … came to me — whisked off the shelf, slapped down on the table in front of me. This is my book, a woman said, grinning.

Jennifer Craig’s Yes Sister, No Sister, is a memoir of being a trainee nurse in 1950s Yorkshire. Dedicated to Registered Nurses everywhere, it tells the story of the goings-on a half century ago at Leeds General Infirmary.

Thanks to Jennifer and all the friendly locals and tourists who stopped by Otter Books on a sunny afternoon. Thanks to Letty and the two Catherine’s at the bookstore. And thanks Nelson for being one funky city full of artisans and writers. Love the Hume Hotel and Wait’s News for one of a kindness. You kick major ass for authenticity and for being non-generically modified. Long may you exist.