Cards that are tagged with "Smell"
From 2022
I remember… My husband was in hospital for 6 months, the food was good – he liked it very much, particularly their lasagne. The staff were wonderful. As a visitor I also remember the smell of the food – delicious! I would walk up the corridor and know they’d had their lunch.
From 1949
I remember… I had an adenoid operation to remove them in London – Christmas Day, 1949 – I remember the smell of chloroform! I was only 6 years old. It wasn’t an unpleasant smell, it was actually quite refreshing though the mask was scary.
I remember… The smell of coffee on the breath of my exhausted family members who took it in turns to visit me or stay with me overnight.
I remember… I like the smell of lavender, my perfume Charlie, and my favourite food is jacket potato with cheese & beans
From 1984
I remember regular meals – the smell of horlicks! Constant noise all day, but no piped music! The feeling of safety and security with many staff, able to chat to you on odd occasions.
From 1970s & 80s
I remember… Not enjoying the food. It was cold soup for lunch and same for tea. Nurses & Drs were more friendly than in 2000s. Smell of everywhere like bleach – was pleasant.
I remember… Antiseptic smell, voices, difference in lighting, some people rushing around, some more relaxed, telephones, equipment sounds
I remember… Goosebumps on my arms as cool sterile air blew past me. Curiosity matched with anxiety as I rush down endless angular corridors. Smells like stale bleach. People are either nice or miserable.
From 2020
I remember… When my baby son was very ill in Spring 2020 I have a keen sensory memory of the mixed smell of bleach and baked potatoes that they brought me every evening (no other vegetarians on the ward!). To begin with this was a smell of worry and stress, but as he recovered it became a smell of hope. I remember finally bringing him home and bringing the smell back with him and feeling our lives restart properly.
I remember… The incessant beeping of monitors. Telephones at the nurses’ desk ringing constantly. The unpleasant smell of breakfast wafting in from the HDU. A lone 1980s copy of ‘Pâtés and Terrines’ in the family room, nothing else to read. The atmosphere mixed with the smell of disinfectant and burnt toast.
I remember… Waiting to hear the results of my partner’s breast cancer test … exploring the free lending library in the lobby of the hospital. The smell of well-loved books in this little alcove for a few minutes comforted me by taking over the usual hospital smells. I dropped a pound coin into the donation slot, then took with me a hefty paperback of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx & Crake. The test was good news, so now that book is too.
From late 1960s
I remember… Going to hospital to have a cut on my forehead treated + stitched when I was in my early teens. The smell was distinctive and powerful and horrible. After leaving I couldn’t get the smell out of my clothes. I vomited.