Bøger af Chris Davies Curtis

Monique (Nikki) de Caen is third generation Tobagan French. She lives in London with her grandmother Fleur, whom she calls Gran'mom, as her parents left her to go to America. They said they would send for her but never did. Nikki is a rebel. Although she qualified as a Nurse, she becomes involved with the 1960s 'Flower Power Movement, ' much to her grandmother's disgust. Here she meets Jacko who goes off with money Nikki had saved to go to America. After an argument with Fleur, Nikki answers an advertisement for a horse-drawn carriage driver in the tiny car-free Feudal Island of Sark in the British Channel Isles. She has no intention of staying, but travels on the overnight ferry as an act of pique, still dressed in her flamboyant 'Beatnik' clothes. At first people do not know what to make of this feisty, exotic young woman. With her mane of dark hair, almond-shaped eyes and creamy complexion she attracts a lot of attention: particularly from Tony Green who has taken a job driving a tractor for one of the Island's stores. He has escaped from his wealthy background and plans to have his own small farm and smallholding on Sark. Gradually the young woman realizes this unique and beautiful Island holds the answer to her feeling of not belonging anywhere. She has to call on all her resources to find her place among new friends and to accept a future beyond her wildest dreams

Life was exciting for the young Ellie Carre after she left school in the Island of Guernsey, in the British Channel islands. She managed to get a job in a prestigious store and caught the eye of Henri Le Feuvre, the man she had admired for years. There was also Simon Purdy, the manager's nephew, who fell for the lovely young woman. She enjoyed the admiration of both men, and was delighted to be able to share a flat with the glamorous Ginny. Then everything went wrong: she became pregnant and found herself in a loveless marriage, back on the Island of Sark where she was born. 'Ellie's Story' is a prequel to 'Escape to Sark' by Chris Davies Curtis. Here we first met Ellie as she gave birth to her second child, on Sark. She was helped and befriended by the feisty Monique de Caen, a nurse and ex-flower power follower. Each book stands alone, but readers have remarked how this book answers questions posed in 'Escape to Sark.'

In this final of the three nursing stories about Tina, Sally and Hine we start in New Zealand. Sally is safely married in England, while Tina and Hine travelled out by ship to try and find Hine's lost son, Tane ...see 'Nurses at Large'...With Hine also happily married, Tina finds herself involved with the charismatic David Robb and his elderly mother, Ainsley. All seems well at first, but the sparks fly when David tries to control the feisty Tina. While they both find the physical attraction almost too much, Tina is not about to be overwhelmed and resists the handsome Scotsman. Their ways part dramatically, with David flying off to Scotland and Tina returning to her home in England. It will take soul-searching for them both before a possible compromise might be reached.

In her previous books Chris tells of her move to the tiny Feudal Island of Sark, in the British Channel Isles with her husband Ken, to run their guest house and smallholding. They then journey out to New Zealand to explore and finally settle there. Over the years the marriage starts to falter and in the opening chapter of 'So You Returned to Sark' it comes to a dramatic head. Chris returns to Sark with 'the love of her life, ' Peter, and begins a very different existence. She becomes involved in many activities in the community; from the Water Carnival to the Sheep Races and the Channel Island Music Council to founding the Sark Garden Walks. She continues as the Island nurse, and trains to be a Homeopath, holding clinics in Sark and the neighbouring Island of Guernsey. Over the seventeen years of this book we meet many interesting characters. We enter into the unique life of this beautiful Island, which is still car-free and has a Seigneur at the head of its own parliament or 'Chief Pleas.' Chris has to call on all her courage and strength to cope with situations that can arise in a small community; but it is that community that rallies in the end to help her through the most difficult time in her life. The earlier books are: 'So You Want to Live on Sark, ' describing how Chris and Ken leave their jobs as a district nurse and advertising executive in London, and open their guest house and smallholding of 200 hens, two goats, a donkey, hives of bees, a dog and cats. ''From a Feudal Isle to Aotearoa' where the family travel to New Zealand by ship and buy a Bedford van to live in. They tour both the North and South Islands, getting jobs when the money runs out. From Queen's Nurse to Godzone, ' tells of Chris' earlier days as a district nurse in London in the 60s and in New Zealand in the 70s. All the books are illustrated by the author and there are many black and white phot

In this sequel to 'Nurses in Training' which can be read as a 'stand alone' romance, we meet again Tina Anderson and Hine Weaver. The two nurses are now State Registered and plan to travel out to New Zealand to try and find Hine's little son. Sally, the third of the three friends, has married Peter Phillips, the surgeon and lives happily in the Midlands of England. Hine and Tina decide to travel out by ship, and helped by Peter Phillips get employment on the 'Fairsky' to help pay their way. Hine starts out in the nursery and Tina is the ship's nurse. At first Tina has trouble with the only doctor, Jim Wainright who is grieving for his wife who died in childbirth. He has taken to solving his problem with alcohol, but after a dramatic crisis when Hine has to step in to help in the surgery he discovers that his heart is not entirely broken. Arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, Jim and Hine go in search of her son Tane and travel to the South Island, meeting up with Tane's father. Tina, in the meantime takes a job for a short while as a Matron of a small Medical and Post Operative Hospital in Auckland. Here she looks after Ainsley Robb, and through her meets her son David; a red-headed strong-willed Scotsman. From the first the sparks fly, but could this be the man Tina has been waiting for?

In 1965 while on holiday, Ken and Chris Davies bought a two acre property on the small feudal Island of Sark, in the British Channel Islands just off the coast of France. Leaving their jobs as district nurse and advertising executive in London, England they set up a guest house. It was a steep learning curve, as they had not done anything like this before. Chris had to learn to master a solid fuel cooker, cook for up to fourteen guests, and cope without motor transport, as cars were forbidden. Guests were met by horse and carriage and cycling was the main means of transport.Eventually Chris and Ken developed a smallholding as they had prime land, and it was a good idea to be as self-supporting as possible. So much had to be imported to this tiny Island, just five kilometers by three, with a population of just 500. They had to learn to drive a donkey and cart; milk goats and look after 200 hens and hives of bees. Many were the amusing incidents before they became proficient.Chris also practiced as a private district nurse, helping the only doctor on the Island. She had to visit her patients by bicycle or tractor and we meet several local characters like the farmer 'Hap' and his daughter Annie.'So You want to Live on Sark' is an entertaining true story of Chris and Ken's struggles to survive. It is full of incidents; some funny some sad and we meet many characters as we follow their progress from new arrivals to experienced residents of this unique island.Chris has illustrated each of the chapters with a 'cartoon-type' sketch, and there are one or two drawings of local buildings as well as many black and white photos.This is a second edition as the first is almost out of print: it has proved very popular.Since the first edition, Chris Davies Curtis has written two other memoir books; 'From a Feudal Isle to Aotearoa, ' where the family travel to New Zealand by ship, buy a Bedford van to live in. They tour both the North and South Islands, getting jobs when the money runs out.'From Queen's Nurse to Godzone' Tells of Chris' earlier days as a district nurse in London in the 60s and in New Zealand in the 70s.Both these books are also illustrated by the author

It is the 1950s. Tina, Hine and Sally are three young women who meet for the first time at the Preliminary Training School of a large Midland Hospital Group. After a rocky start the girls with very different backgrounds, form a lasting friendship. Tina comes from a sheltered life in a middle-class family in Stratford-on-Avon: Hine is half Maori and had an illegitimate child in New Zealand, but this is not known to the others for some time. Sally was born with a silver spoon in her mouth but after a escapade in Switzerland, is packed off to train to be a nurse, much to her disgust. The story follows the nursing experiences of the young women as they pass their Preliminary Examinations and find themselves facing the real challenges of their training and the development of relationships with the opposite sex. ++++++++ Tina is a born nurse and revels in the work in a male surgical. It is here that she meets Jerry, a man who will have an important part to play in her life. At first Hine is very homesick for the land of her birth, and for the South Island sheep station where she grew up. She was parted from her young son and longs to have news of him, but has lost touch with the cousins in New Zealand who were looking after him. She settles to study and also becomes a competent nurse. Sally is the lively, beautiful product of a wealthy family, whose mother has little time for her after her father dies. She is shunted off to an austere aunt living in a lovely old Manor House for her days off. The three year training sends the nurses to many different wards in five different hospitals, and they grow in confidence and experience. From the older General Hospital to the modern Queen Mary's; from the Children's to the Women's and the Nerve Hospital. In each, the young women have to work long hours and face many sad, exacting and even funny experiences. After the first year, the students are allowed to live away from the Nurses' Home. Tina and Hine decide to share a tiny attic flat, while Sally's mother arranges a bedsit for her in a friend's house. This does not stop Sally enjoying a lively social life. However, Sally at last finds work she revels in and is gifted to do. Here she also meets Peter Phillips, who finds the real young woman under the brash exterior. Tina becomes attracted to the worldly-wise Ralph whom she meets at a disastrous weekend with Sally at her aunt's. The innocent girl is no match for Sally's scheming cousin and has to learn the hard way how to look after herself. Hine also comes under the influence of the charismatic but amoral Ralph as he plays one girl against the other, until a crisis is reached and diverted by Jerry. After three strenuous years of training, when the friendship is cemented, each girl finds her future path.

After seven years of running their guest house and smallholding on the tiny feudal Island of Sark in the British Channel Islands, Chris and Ken Davies decided to have a two-year break. In 1972 they packed their suitcases and booked passage, with young son Roy, to New Zealand, calling at many exotic places en route. Arriving in Auckland, they bought a Bedford 18cwt delivery van and the three Davies set off to drive all over the two Islands, from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island, living mainly in the van. From a Feudal Isle to Aotearoa tells the true story of the trip out by ship, the many places visited and jobs the Davies took on the way, from Matron of a small Auckland Hospital, to running a motel and giving horse and carriage rides, in the South Island. All the illustrations are by the author.

In her third book Chris Davies Curtis looks at her life as a district nurse. From London in the 60s to New Zealand in the 70s she describes with humour and pathos the many patients she treated and the sometimes difficult situations she encountered. We meet again husband Ken and read how they met on a pony-trekking holiday, learn of their early years of marriage in London and their eventual emigration to New Zealand in 1976 with young son Roy. After a two-year working tour of New Zealand (see 'From a Feudal Isle to Aotearoa') they had fallen in love with this beautiful country. They leased off their guest house and smallholding on the tiny feudal island of Sark in the British Channel Islands (see 'So You Want to Live on Sark') and emigrated In 'From Queen's nurse to Godzone' Chris tells of visiting her patients in rough areas of London, riding a bicycle and having to boil instruments and bake dressings in the days before pre-packaged equipment. In New Zealand she exchanged her bicycle for a car and was the sole nurse on call twenty-four hours a day, in charge of patients living in an extended area of forests, orchards, vineyards, villages and seaside settlements. As in the two other books in this series, the Author has illustrated each chapter.