Brotton

September 27, 2008
Brotton

This week I spent one afternoon counseling patients about hearing aids in the small rural town of Brotton. This is nearly a seaside town; the sea can be seen from the windows of the hospital but there are no homes on the waterfront. The windows of the hospital rooms that we were in also looked down on allotments; this is a very old British tradition in which each family is allotted a small amount of land in an enclosed area. This land is to grow vegetables or keep small animals such as geese, goats, and chickens. The adult males in the family take care of the plot of land and it is also a social time in which the men of the town can come together and work their allotment and then spend time having a few drinks, smoking, and talking about “men” things. Brotton was once very secluded from the surrounding villages and because of this many of the people look very similar…I’ll let you figure out why. I would see one patient and then call the next one back and it was as if I was speaking to the last patient’s brother or cousin the resemblance was that strong. Predominant characteristics seem to be large noses and ears and long oval faces. This is one of the first “rural” places I have visited and greatly enjoyed; it is very similar to being in a rural American town.

~Nancy