I remember when my brother james took ill. He was still a little boy maybe 11 or so he went in to a kind of coma and had pains in his legs he could not walk. He went to strathblaine hospital for convalescence . he had a lot of stitches in his leg.
Back court concerts were a must we children would all get together and either sing or tell a joke dance or anything entertaining. We would let all the neighbours know when this event would take place so that they could either watch from their windows or come down to the back court and watch. We used to make some money or get sweets or what ever the grown ups decided we deserved.
My mother aquired an electric wringer the old ones were manual and therefore you decided how quickly to put the clothes through. My mothers "new wringer" being electric you had no control over this, I remember being outside hanging washing out for her and hearing an almighty scream,I ran in to the house to be confronted by my mothers hand knuckles first half way through the wringer. I screamed for help and one of the neighbours came to her aid.Until she died her right hand used to be blue as an aftermath of this incident.
Rats were part of everyday culture in Springburn I remember being sent out with the rubbish and tossing a stone at the bin before I went near it to warn the the rats to get out of the way.
We had a fab dog called butch my dad was so proud of his training with the dog he took him along to 2jimmys"shop at the corner and buying an evening times folding it and giving it to 2butcth to carry home when they got to our close butch decided to run in to the railway yard and proceeded to tear the paper in to shreds. No matter how many times my dad called butch he ignored him. Butch was having great fun.

I used to go for shopping for my mum to galbraiths in Springburn road to get just the basic groceries, as we didn’t have a fridge this was a daily occurrence.on the way back home I would go into the fruit shop for potatoes and veg as these were the heaviest things on the list.

I remember the community spirit in Springburn with great fondness, people would stop for a chat and were genuinely interested in your life, no one ever seemed depressed though they had every reason to be,you could go to the corner shop which would take about three minutes and be out for an hour or more just blethering to all and sundry.
I was a member of the girl guides in the church in gourlay street and remember getting my first aid badge .

Our immediate neighbours were from all walks of life. A few were spinsters and batchelors some married couples with children some just married.but they all took aturn in cleaning the close,polishing the tiles and wooden banister also using brasso for the little knobs on the banister till they shone.
The religious parade I remember was the orange walk ,my dads sisters and mum and my mum were members it was a sight to see them marching down Springburn road and following them with my dad to –queens -------------- park in the south side of Glasgow.
When I was eleven I was allowed a record session for my birthday .. still at gourlay street school this was my first "party" that boys were at.my mother was never far away!
I remember sneaking in the back door of the princess cinema.two of our friends would pay to get in and open the door for the rest of us to get in free this was soon sussed.
Sellyns Hoeys and the Co-op were really great shops you could browse for hours in them.my mothers favourite was livingstones and terleys where for a few pennies every week you could save for items needed for the home. Someone would run a ménage{you needed twenty people to join} all the numbers would go in a hat and you would pick out your turn. Getting an early number ensured you got your goods right away.you paid your money for twenty weeks,then it would start all over again.
I used to love sitting outside the close waiting for my dad to come home from work at that time he drove a huge lorry, you could hear him coming before he turned in to gourlay street as it was very loud the number plate was something xmb we used to call it fireball xmb as at that time on the telly was fireball xl5.

My friend across the road was my best friend she came from a very poor family her dad left her mum to bring up a large family on her own.at the time of beatle nylons coming out my mum bought me several pairs,when my friend saw them she told me how lucky I was ,when my mum found this out she bought my friend the nylons as well she cried with delight.
I remember the day we moved in to gourlay street the house was a mess. My mum exchanged her house in easterhouse with the gentleman from gourlay street.when the movers arrived he hadn’t packed any of his stuff so it was all tossed in bags and moved
When we walked in to the house there was a tombstone in the middle of the floor I remember the rumours that he had buried his wife under the floorboards! I couldn’t sleep for weeks after that. Turned out his wife had left him.that same night we all had fish and chips from endrick street chippy and by the next day new most of the kids in the street!
We didn’t have a bathroom our toilet was in the close,my brothers would go to kay street baths for a bath I went to my grannys in burnbrae street for my bath!

There was a Chinese restaurant opened in Springburn road my dad took us for a meal after winning on the horses none of us were brave enough to try the Chinese food we all had gammon steaks and pineapple.
I remember a basketball tournament in the sports centre in millarbank street I was enjoying the game until I got hit in the face with the ball.

At the end of gourlay street was the park my friend and I would play tennis in the summer.i remember I had a dressy skirt white pleats I cut it into a tennis skirt got a row for that as it cost my mum a lot of money.
There were older boys in the street who used to sit at the close with there guitars singing till the small hours at the weekend I loved this ,my friend and I used to fancy them all but we were too young.
My friend and I used to walk from gourlay street to the barras on a Sunday and back again we would have been about twelve years old .we would buy candy floss and whelks and get our photos taken before returning back to Springburn no chaperone in those days

A person who influenced me was Beanny Mckay my aunt's mother in law she was born and bred in Springburn a bit above working class she reminded me of a matronly character she always used to say I should be a green lady when I grew up [health visitor to do with new born babies] I never did heed her advice although her future granddaughter did
I remember my last day at gourlay street school was very sad as my best friend was going to Petershill school and not Colston.she did stay across the road from me but we kind of drifted apart after that as we both made new friends at our new schools.
I was twelve and on Christmas day was aloud on my own to walk to my aunt margarets in bedlay street to show her my new outfit.

My mum and dad went to the petershill club on a Saturday night with aunt Margaret and uncle george.i babaysat my brothers at aged twelve.my mum and dad slept in a bed settee in the living room as my brothers shared the small room and I had the big front room to myself.i used to make sure mum and dads bed was ready for them coming home as I knew they would have had a few drinks and danced and be very tired.
My best friends brother was the leader of a gang called Springburn young carpet.he was in and out of jail.i was scared of him as I had never met anyone who had been in jail before.but he wasn’t as scary as he made out he was quite kind in fact gave us money for sweets.
I loved Springburn park it was a great place to get a tan as it was very sheltered with all the bushes. I particularly loved the winter garden with all the exotic plants and the scary stairs inside never felt safeon those stairs. There were usually bands playing on the bandstand on a Sunday and crowds of people milling around great atmosphere.
A particular shopkeeper in the street next to endrick street was of asian cocaision I remember he was very fat and wore open toed sandals I had never seen such huge toes
And hard skin on feet in my life totally gross.
I feel very lucky to have grown up in Springburn I had great parents and all my cousins aunties and for a time my two precious grannys close by.
New years day my cousin alex was always our first foot he loved the breakfasts my mum used to make.the same cousin was there when our budgie escaped, he chased it all over the close caught it put it back in its cage the next day it was dead my mum was heart broken alex took it away for burial aye right he put it in themidden.
I used to love Halloween getting dressed up and going round the doors getting all sorts of goodies and cash. My mum and dad always let us dook for apples I was really good at it but my brother james used to cheat by leaning too far over on the chair.
My favourite games were beds [chalked the street and used empty polish tin to move with your foot] balls against the wall one tennis the other rubber and we used to sing songs as we played.Skipping ropes, chap the door run away, hide and seek.
Saturday mornings were great my dad would be getting ready to go to the football my cousin alex would come over alsoon occasion my uncle alex and uncle george would come over there was always a smell of shoe polish and bacon and eggs. Still reminds me of a Saturday everyone was in a great mood. Once my dad and uncles left mum and I would hit the big city of Glasgow and the shops. I was always guaranteed to come home with new clothes records or posters or something.
Sunday I would go to jimmys shop on the corner for papers he always had a smile and a cheery word for everyone.his wife used to sometimes be in the shop but latterly she did not keep well she also was a lovely person and everyone liked them both.

My mums sister stayed in Morrin street in a single end. She was just married and her husband was away at sea a lot so I used to stay with her as she was feart on her own I used to love this as she would go to the wee dairy in keppochill road and buy my favourite lemon curd .then when her husband came home from sea she started having babies four in all. Then I got to babysit for her no more lemon curd.
My dads sister and her husband came from America to visit,my mum and dad and some others in the family took them to the orange halls in Springburn they were made very welcome and got lots of free drinks from ordinary people who were fascinated about life outside Springburn.
My dads mum went to America to stay with her daughters for a time one was in Canada,
They wanted her to stay but my granny wanted to come home. All the family got together and got her a single end in gourlay street I remember helping to decorate it it was a real family affair. My granny was delighted with her "new house".
I watched the moon landing with my granny whilst helping her out of her "stays".
When I was sixteen I went on holiday with four other friends to torquay it cost us fourteen pounds for two weeks including the bus. We left from Springburn road and it took us seventeen hours. It was a great holiday.

When decimilisation came in the old people in Galbraiths said it was just ridiculous and it would never catch on soon we will be back to pounds shillings and pence!
I remember our lovely coal fire and hearth when we moved in to gourlay street the coalman would come and put the coal in the bunker outside our window we were low down I hated filling the coal bucket but loved the fire . then the new trend electric fires and polystyrene tiles covered the fire place it wasn’t the same.
I remember we had a "bar"in the house just a wee oval shaped thing with a wee shelf I remember we had the wee bambi figure sitting on it from the babycham adverts.
Kennedys on the corner of millarbank st and gourlay street was a great place to get a single fag on the way to school colston.the first ciggie I had was at the back of gourlay street school and kids older than me were smoking when I tried it I was dizzy then sick I would have been about eleven then how I wish I hadn’t persevered with the dizziness and sickness.