The Island Nurse

Disillusioned with the way of life in the south of England in the early 1970s, Nurse Cameron moves to a small, remote and beautiful island in the Hebrides with her husband and two young children, where she becomes the district nurse. In Peat, Smoke and Porridge, we are introduced to the crofters, the laird, the doctor, boatmen and members of the small community as the nurse goes about her duties. Joy and sadness, hilarity and piety are set against the old fashioned island culture, the glory of the mountains and sea, and the wild weather, while jolly ceilidhs and humorous events rub shoulders with real danger, adventure and tragedy, as the nurse attends to her patients and gets to know the islanders and their sometimes bizarre ways. A young girl suffering from leukaemia is carried through the snow by the village men to be airlifted to hospital; a woman, who had been held prisoner in a farmhouse for years, is discvered and rescued. Elsewhere in the book, there is a ghostly encounter, the exploits of the nurse's children cause concern and a family dog wanders into a wedding and causes an uproar. Peat, Smoke and Porridge is a charming account of a nurse's life and work on a remote Hebridean island provides a fascinating snapshot of community life on a small island in a bygone era.