Una Gogarty

I really love this series. Firstly because it does remind me of that time- I was born in 1962, the first of six children born in eight years, my mother being so regularly pregnant and the concerns she had about related health and birth control issues, the way she dressed - always feminine, with heels, simple line maternity dresses, two piece suits, hats when at social events or to church. I remember Milton, glass bottles of baby formula or milk being warmed in pots of boiled water, endless cotton nappies being washed and hanging on the line. I remember the feeling of life being so full on a local, personal level with lots of children around, playing on the streets, the plain diet, people cycling so much, city buses with bus conductors and rear step-on entrances. I remember the constant background music of the ‘60s on the radio. And also the relative innocence of that time with far less cynicism. But it is the wonderful humanity of this series which really draws you in - no matter what the circumstance of the pregnancy or the birth, the midwives’ care and professionalism to each mother is really heartening. There are some real heart-tugging scenes but always a message of the great joy of the birth of a child. The actors are all wonderful, and they are really well-drawn characters. Always great story lines, really absorbing, and while it can sometimes be very sad it is essentially a tribute to love and kindness. There is very good treatment of the developing social policies and health practices at such a time of change, which must be very enlightening to today’s generation. I hope there will be more seasons, as we have to see Trixie come back! And maybe we will get to see how Ellie-May and other beneficiaries of Nonnatus House will fare as the 1960s progress. Final word - great to see progressive nuns -pioneering women and true Christians!