Dog bathing
Georgia Styne from Australia had been a part-time nanny for two years when her employer made a surprising request as she left for work. 'She was just stepping out of the door,' says Georgia, 'when she grabbed a box and threw it to me and said, "If you get a chance can you give the dog her flea bath".'
'What bad luck - I had just put the two children down for their naps!' says Georgia. 'Of course I now desperately wanted them to wake up - and then I wouldn't have to do it. But they slept soundly through.'
The family pet Susie wasn't a child-sized dog, either, but a huge retriever. 'She was really a big, fat sunbathing dog - she used to lie and bake in the sunshine. I managed to drag her into the spare bathroom downstairs, but as for washing her, well, it was really, really hard.
'Usually the family would just hose Susie down in the garden, but the flea bath was the important thing this time. So indoors I held her down with one hand using all my weight and tried to soap her with the other. As soon as she got out she started moving and wriggling and I couldn't get near her. And all I could think was "They've got such a beautiful home and it's going to be ruined".'
Five minutes later Georgia had managed to propel a wet but flea-free Susie into the garden. The nanny was now wetter than both the dog and the room she had washed her in. With no change of clothes available, there was nothing for it but to sit in the sun herself to dry off.
'When the parents arrived back home they burst out laughing - I was still so wet,' recalls Georgia. 'But they did give me a bit of extra money.' Georgia wasn't at all daunted by her experience. Four years down the line she was still happily working for the same family. 'But they never asked me to bathe the dog again,' she says.
TRAINSPOTTING
Eighteen-year-old Linda Scott thought that spending three months as a temporary nanny in Italy would be a good way of filling the long summer gap between A-levels and university. She found a job with a wealthy family who lived on an exclusive estate near beautiful Lake Maggiore. Her charge, Roberto, was a blond-haired two-and-a-half-year-old, and very keen on his new nanny.
'Things were OK for a few days,' says Linda, 'but there wasn't much to do on the estate - there were no other children for Roberto to play with, and he did get quite bored. Then his grandma said that there was one thing that he always enjoyed and indicated that I should follow her. So I did, down the road to the railway station, where we all sat on a bench on the platform.
'Actually I thought we were going on a trip somewhere, so I was looking forward to it. After about 15 minutes a train came in and stopped. But we didn't get on it. After another 20 minutes a second train came in, but we didn't get on that either. Then the grandmother turned to me and said in broken English, "He loves it here. You could bring him every day."
'I was completely stunned. In the end we sat there for over an hour, just so this little boy could watch the trains go past. Actually I have to admit that he was quite happy to do so - it was me who was slowly going mad!
'I was expected to do this on my own with Roberto at least two or three times a week. And when it was just me and him, of course, he really played up - I managed it again once or twice, but I was quite fed up with the job by then and left a month early. I'll never complain that children in this country get too much stimulation again!'
IRISH DANCING
Czech-born nanny Katrina Kminkova has a typical hard-playing five-year-old in her charge - or at least she thought she had, until a month ago. 'Harry's mum asked me if I would take him to Irish dancing, as she thought it might help with his co-ordination. It would certainly be an unusual thing for a little boy to do at home in the Czech Republic, so I didn't know what to expect at Harry's first lesson.
'We got there early, at 4.30 on the dot. There were seven in the class and Harry was the youngest. He talked to the girls getting changed and then watched the bigger boys teaching the smaller ones. He was amazed when the girls began dancing - his mouth dropped open! Then the teacher did a few steps with him and was very encouraging.'
Now Katrina and Harry are committed Irish dance enthusiasts. She watches while Harry learns the complicated 'one-two-three' routines, which Katrina says are incredibly difficult. 'I sit there staring at the teacher wondering how she can talk so fast - but the six-year-old girls understand it!' Later Harry will have to wear the special high-heeled dancing shoes worn by male Irish dancers, but for now he's happy to stay in T-shirt and shorts. What does his dad think of it all? 'I've no idea,' laughs Katrina, 'but if Harry enjoys it, everyone's happy!'
WEDDING PARTY
It needed a very special nanny to help an important day go smoothly last year. And Shirleybelle Corrigan became that nanny when she agreed to what must be one of the shortest temporary jobs, that of taking 18-month-old Emma Hawkes to her parents' wedding in Shropshire.
It was to be a magnificent occasion, with marquees, various bands and a lavish buffet. Shirleybelle was there to make sure little Emma didn't feel left out, but had a special friend right by her side. 'I was collected at the station first thing in the morning, then I was taken to the house for a sandwich and a glass of wine. I wore long, pale pink linen slacks with a long tunic dress over the top and I knew when I saw the relief in the grandmother's eyes that I'd got it right.
'Emma was a flowergirl, and didn't go right up to the altar, but sat on my lap. She wasn't talking much but understood everything. She had her own little language and I spoke to her in that for much of the time. But she also enjoyed being treated as a grown-up and choosing what to do next, and we got on very well. I even taught her a little bit of sign language.
'During the reception I sat with the children - there were about ten of them altogether - and kept them amused by bringing out various treasures from my bag, which always works well. I played cards with the older ones and let the younger children look through my make-up bag. The children's menu wasn't for me though -I had fruits de mer and oysters.
'Later there was waltzing in the marquee and another band playing outside, and guests could wander wherever they pleased. I retired briefly to wash Emma's clothes in the bathroom sink and bumped into the bride and groom, who were getting ready to leave for their honeymoon. They said their day had gone wonderfully, and asked about my knack with children.
'That evening, after I had put Emma to bed, I stood and watched the dancing with the rest of the hotel staff. And now I have a photo in my kitchen of a wonderful day.'
With thanks to Jean Birtles and her team at Top Notch Nannies, and the Garden House Nursery, London SW4
