| M608 |
Okay dokey, er, I'll just take this off. |
| F645 |
Can ye,
//do ye?// |
| M608 |
//[inaudible]// |
| M644 |
A p- gie me a shot o that, John. |
| F645 |
[laugh]
//[laugh]// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
I'll speak tae masel, "Hello there, Bob! How're ye gettin on?" |
| M608 |
I don't know if I can actually hear anything on it. |
| M644 |
//Yes, ye will.// |
| F645 |
//Ye'll know.// |
| M608 |
No. |
| F645 |
No. |
| M644 |
Now listen hear that skrechin brat there, John. D'ye hear that
//noo?// |
| F645 |
//Ye've got//
paint all over it, John! |
| M608 |
It's tippex. |
| F645 |
oh it's tippex that's on it. |
| M608 |
[inaudible] |
| F645 |
Were ye usin tippex? |
| M608 |
No, I think [CENSORED: forename] was usin tippex at one point. |
| F645 |
oh, aye. |
| M608 |
Okay,
//if ye just,// |
| F645 |
//Right.// |
| M608 |
if ye just want to tell me how long ye've been here in the in the mill? |
| F645 |
How long we've been here? We've been thirty-two years here, John! |
| M644 |
[inaudible] |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
//We come// |
| F645 |
//Thirty t-// |
| M644 |
here in nineteen z- |
| F645 |
Sixty-five. |
| M644 |
sixty-five.
//June,// |
| F645 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
nineteen sixty-five. |
| F645 |
No, it was October.
//[inaudible]// |
| M644 |
//Well, roond aboot that.// |
| F645 |
Was it about Christmas time? |
| M644 |
mm |
| F645 |
And it was movin wi rats.
It wis, and the kids were
//aw wee.// |
| M644 |
//Now wait//
a minute. I came intae the mills. I came up the
Came up that road o yours, John. |
| M608 |
mm |
| M644 |
It wisnae a, a wisnae a concrete road. |
| F645 |
It was just a red
//track.// |
| M644 |
//It was an ordinary//
//ferm road,// |
| F645 |
//Forest road.// |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
that, and it belonged tae the fermer up there. |
| F645 |
The [?]Bath[/?] farm? |
| M644 |
[inaudible] ferm. No! It belonged tae Herbert the fermer! |
| F645 |
Aye, the [?]Bath[/?] farm.
//mmhm// |
| M644 |
//Aye, at that road.// |
| F645 |
His father lived up
//there.// |
| M644 |
//So I went up//
there and I got the joab, on the wood up there,
//wi the boy// |
| M608 |
//mm// |
| M644 |
//in the month o June// |
| F645 |
//Cuttin out,//
aye. |
| M644 |
Month o June. And they gied me a horse, tae haul the widd oot. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
//And, er// |
| F645 |
//Aye, [inaudible name of horse]//
that's him [indicates photo of horse] |
| M644 |
I got eh, aye, there's the horse. |
| M608 |
mm |
| M644 |
I got thirty-seven and six a ton. |
| F645 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
So we done eh I done ten ton a week.
//So, ye'll// |
| M608 |
//Good God.// |
| M644 |
ken how much I made. How much is that? |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Ten times thirty-seven and six. Ye give me thirty-seven and six
//would ye, John?// |
| F645 |
//Say//
ten times forty. |
| M608 |
Yeah, ten times forty, that's what, two quid? |
| M644 |
What's one pound, I got thirty eh one pound seventeen and six a ton. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| F645 |
No, thirty s-s-s-
//s-s-s-// |
| M644 |
//So I done//
ten ton a week! |
| F645 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
So that was eh, wait, fifteen pound a week, innit? |
| M608 |
Fifteen pound a week? |
| M644 |
//That's what I mean. That was guid// |
| F645 |
//That's what we got.// |
| M644 |
money then. I mean the miners wurnae even makin, the miners wurnae even makin ten pound a week then. |
| M608 |
God, aye. |
| M644 |
//[inaudible]// |
| F645 |
//That's right.// |
| M608 |
Where were you from before? |
| M644 |
//Well, we came fae, aye.// |
| F645 |
//We came fae Kennaway.// |
| M644 |
This is the, this is the west o Fife, innit?
//Aye, we came// |
| F645 |
//mmhm// |
| M644 |
fae the east o Fife, |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
tae here. |
| F645 |
mmhm |
| M608 |
So you've always been in Fife, have you? |
| M644 |
//Aye, well no we're fae Perth, we're fae Perth.// |
| F645 |
//mm we're fae Perth.//
//We're fae Perth, John.// |
| M608 |
//oh right.// |
| M644 |
//Aye, we've been in// |
| F645 |
//mmhm// |
| M644 |
Fife noo, we come doon fae Perth when we was twenty-five,
//eh?// |
| F645 |
//mmhm// |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
We've been in Perth for, we're the Fifers noo. |
| M608 |
Aye, but you you grew up in Perth did ye? |
| M644 |
//We grew up in Perth, aye. We're Perth. My faither's actually a an Orcadian.// |
| F645 |
//Aye, [CENSORED: forename] grew up in Perth, aye.//
//I was sayin that// |
| M644 |
//We come fae Orkney!// |
| F645 |
//tae John.// |
| M608 |
//Aye, you were sayin that.//
//[inaudible]// |
| M644 |
//So I'm aw Orkney blood in me, John.// |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
//We're aw Orkney blood. She's no. So, I was tellin the bairns// |
| F645 |
//Cause his mum and dad's both Orcadians. I'm no, I'm a Fifer.// |
| M644 |
they're half Orkney blood, and they've got tae visit Orkney. |
| F645 |
//Well,// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
[CENSORED: forename] I was sayin tae John that [CENSORED: forename]'s
//goin up tae see the racin// |
| M644 |
//mm mm// |
| F645 |
up there.
//So we// |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
hope that he would get, because I wid like him tae see the Orkneys. |
| M644 |
//Now we'll// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
go off of that, right we'll go off the joab. Right, I was on the, I was on the, he gied me a horse and he worked there.
And eh, he gied me a caravan tae live in. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
//So I come back and forrit fae Kennaway.// |
| F645 |
//Aye, and he stayed three nights a week.// |
| M644 |
Ye see? So I didna get enough money tae go back. |
| F645 |
//So, it's aboot forty// |
| M608 |
//mm// |
| M644 |
//Kennaway// |
| F645 |
//miles.// |
| M644 |
is aboot forty mile. Kennaway. We didnae hae enough money
//tae go back, so I// |
| F645 |
//Tae go back and forward.// |
| M644 |
so I slept in the caravan.
//Monday night and Tuesday night.// |
| F645 |
//Three nights a week.//
No, Monday
//Wednesd-// |
| M644 |
//And came hame on//
Wait a minute, I'm tellin the story!
//And came hame on Wednesdays.// |
| F645 |
//I thought it was Mondays and Wednesdays.// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
And came back on Thursday mornin. |
| F645 |
Then |
| M644 |
And worked till Friday night and went hame Seturday and Sunday. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
That's how the job startit up there.
Now when I was daein the job back and forrit I speired this wee hoose. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
I speired this wee hoose here. |
| F645 |
But it was boarded up. |
| M644 |
Aye, and I went, and I went tae see the railway boy. And the boy says, "oh it belongs tae the fermer. He's just bocht it six month ago." |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
//So I went up tae the fermer.// |
| F645 |
//For eighty-seven pounds!//
//Aye, eighty-seven pounds.// |
| M644 |
//Wait a minute. I'm tellin the story!// |
| M608 |
//Eighty-seven? [laugh]// |
| M644 |
No, the boy says, the fermer says, "I bocht it for a hundred and fifty pound."
//And I says, "I'll buy it aff ye."// |
| M608 |
//oh right.// |
| M644 |
He says, "Right, I'll need twa hundred pound for it." Well I says, "I've nae money."
He says, I says, "Well, I'll pay it up a fiver a week." So, I paid it up a fiver a week. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
//So, I used the brainwave, wait a// |
| F645 |
//So that left us wi ten pound tae live on, John.// |
| M644 |
minute the noo! I used the brain wave, John. I says, "I better keep a receipt o this." |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
See? So every time I gied him the fiver. Is that workin? [gestures at recorder] |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
Every time that I gied him the fiver, John, |
| F645 |
He signed and dated it. |
| M644 |
I signed and dated it.
//So it// |
| M608 |
//mmhm// |
| M644 |
was a hail year.
//Fifty-// |
| F645 |
//hm// |
| M644 |
two times fivers is what?
It taen me a hail year. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| F645 |
Twenty pound a month, ye paid. |
| M608 |
hm
//That's two hundred// |
| M644 |
//Well it taen me// |
| M608 |
and forty, aye, mhmm. |
| M644 |
//Aye, it taen me hail a year tae pay it.// |
| F645 |
//He paid it up in about a year. He'd tae pay it//
up. Aye, ye paid it up in
//a year.// |
| M644 |
//And I got him tae,//
tae
//sign it at the end.// |
| F645 |
//Sign it//
up. |
| M644 |
But it was three years fae him, before we got the
//deeds.// |
| F645 |
//He wouldnae//
//give us the deeds, John.// |
| M644 |
//He wouldnae gie us//
the deeds. |
| M608 |
Good God. |
| M644 |
//He wouldnae gie us them eh?// |
| F645 |
//And if we hadnae had//
that wee slip o paper,
//we wouldnae have got it.// |
| M644 |
//Aye, it's a good job I//
kept that. I went tae my, what do you ca it, the |
| F645 |
The lawyer? |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
And he he
//says ye, a good job I had that.// |
| F645 |
//eh//
//And the lawyer went// |
| M644 |
//And that's how// |
| F645 |
to him and couldnae, he wouldnae give us
//it and// |
| M644 |
//And we finish up, we//
kept goin tae him, every week, I says, "come on you come up wi him walk the other way."
//An he// |
| F645 |
//And//
and his wife, in the end,
//gave us his lawyer's name.// |
| M644 |
//n- naw! Efter aboot//
twa year he says, "I'm fed up o youse comin up here every week."
//"Go on there and see see the damn lawyer," he says. "And tell them tae get it ower tae you."// |
| F645 |
//mmhm "And get them!"//
//And do ye know what he was goin tae do? Do ye know what he was goin to do? He was// |
| M644 |
//oh I was gled o that oh [?]by gee[/?] eh?// |
| F645 |
chargin that money for rent. |
| M644 |
eh? |
| F645 |
He was gonnae take that money for rent, for the
//time that we'd been in, because there was another party interested in the hoose, when we// |
| M644 |
//Aye he was gonna take it for rent. Aye there, aye ye, another per-// |
| F645 |
had started doin it up. |
| M644 |
ah no, between aw they, aw they, aw that years. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
Ken, we added windaes tae it and it was
//increasin the// |
| M608 |
//mm// |
| M644 |
value. It was worth aboot, |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
worth aboot five hundred, and that was a lot of money then. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Whereas that was
//aboot three or fower years work tae me!// |
| F645 |
//So that's how we got this place, John.// |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
For two hundred pound. |
| M608 |
mmhm
So what was it like when your first moved in? |
| F645 |
oh it was
//terrible. It was an old bu-. This was the old waitin room and post-office.// |
| M644 |
//oh aye, when we first moved in. There was nae windaes in it. The windaes were blocked up eh?// |
| F645 |
//This used tae// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh// |
| F645 |
be a post-office, that's how we had a post-box. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| F645 |
And this is the, half of it's halved, and there was windows.
//And// |
| M644 |
//mmhm// |
| F645 |
that was the post-office, and this was the waitin-room bit.
//And there was a// |
| M644 |
//uh-huh// |
| M608 |
//mm// |
| F645 |
big fire in that corner, and there was a big fire there. |
| M644 |
There was five chimneys in the hoose, John. |
| F645 |
There were five fires in this
//house, it was only a but an a ben!// |
| M644 |
//Five fires.//
Aye, a but and a ben!
//There's// |
| F645 |
//A but and a ben.// |
| M644 |
//one,// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
//two, three, four, five.// |
| F645 |
//And the door//
that ye came in was actually where these eh French doors in our room comes in.
//And the// |
| M644 |
//Now that was windows.// |
| F645 |
ashes were higher than the doors; the
//woman used tae take the ashes and go// |
| M644 |
//aye, mm aye.// |
| F645 |
pshew out the door in the mornin. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| F645 |
And the ashes were that
//high. It took us// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| F645 |
dw- weeks and weeks and weeks,
//diggin.// |
| M644 |
//An ootside toilet eh?//
//An ootside toilet.// |
| F645 |
//And an ootside toilet, but a flush//
//toilet.// |
| M644 |
//Ye go oot there, John, roond//
//the back and hae tae dae it,// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//but it was a flush toilet. That was good.// |
| F645 |
//So, it was a flush.//
//And it was snowin.// |
| M644 |
//It wisnae the old daein doon the bottom of the gairden whaur ye.// |
| F645 |
It was snowin, and I says tae [CENSORED: forename] the kids came through then, ye see, cause ma mum used tae look after them, while we cleaned it, and the rats used tae eat the wallpaper off. And we got a big hose and we washed aw the walls doon an awthing
//and that.// |
| M644 |
//And an auld// |
| F645 |
And we got the rat man
//oot.// |
| M644 |
//When ye//
wash yer claes there was an auld
//shed ootside, wi a big biler where ye'd tae light the fire.// |
| F645 |
//The auld wash house, it was an auld wash house wi a boiler.// |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
//We'd tae light the fire.// |
| F645 |
//It was quite//
interestin, ye know.
//And eh// |
| M644 |
//oh aye, we aye had tae light a fire.// |
| F645 |
the weeds were heavens high in the garden,
and
//[swallow]// |
| M644 |
//And oot here, oot here, John, was the auld//
//well we're// |
| F645 |
//The old well.// |
| M644 |
//tellin ye aboot.// |
| M608 |
//oh aye.// |
| M644 |
//The big hole, wi the big pump!// |
| F645 |
//We shoulda kept it wi// |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
//Aye, the big pump eh? Wished// |
| F645 |
//We should have kept that.// |
| M644 |
that we'd have kept that pump eh?
//The big pump.// |
| F645 |
//Aye, it's away.//
//And these t-// |
| M644 |
//So, I'd taen the pump doon.//
And, I, the hole's, we dinnae ken where the hole is, but the hole's still there. I just covered it wi big slabs. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| F645 |
Aye, iron. |
| M644 |
No, big, concrete slabs.
//The hole must be oot aboot here, and I'm aye gonna look for it,// |
| F645 |
//I thought it was big iron, a big iron thing you put on it.// |
| M644 |
because it was away doon. I
//I put a big stick, John, it was// |
| F645 |
//oh it's f-f- bottomless.// |
| M644 |
twenty-four feet long, I couldnae get the end o it. |
| F645 |
It's bottomless. |
| M644 |
I couldnae get the end o it. |
| F645 |
So they pumped the water out, ye see, John, it went out in these big concrete blocks
//at the top, and that was the toilet.// |
| M644 |
//I got water, like, but I couldnae get the end o the bloody hole!//
//[laugh]// |
| F645 |
//That was your toilet then, ye see.//
But they had put a flush-toilet in for the lady that worked in the signal-box. Cause she used to use this toilet. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
But then when we bought the house, they had to add that wee toilet onto the signal box.
//Ye see?// |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
So, the wall was thick, and the kids was here, and it was snowin heavens hard.
And ye had tae run away oot roond there tae the toilet, and I said tae [CENSORED: forename], "Fetch the sledge-hammer."
//And he// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//Aye we banged a hole through the wa. A big thick wa like that, John. We banged a hole through.// |
| F645 |
//banged a hole through the wa, and then I hung a curtain up. So we just had tae go through//
oh I couldnae have you all runnin roon in the cold. |
| M644 |
//Have a listen tae that, John,// |
| M608 |
//[inaudible]// |
| M644 |
we'd tae sleep a hail month wi this big hole.
//Just a curtain doon.// |
| F645 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//Good job there's nae robberies then eh?// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//Just a curtain doon.// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M608 |
And that was in the middle o winter? |
| F645 |
And that was in the middle o winter. |
| M644 |
Well that was, naw, well it was
//summer comin in.// |
| F645 |
//It was October, November.//
//No, December. Well, the kids are, they came.// |
| M644 |
//[inaudible] We flitted in here. Ye ken now, John, we//
flitted in here fae a joab,
between Christmas and New
//Year week, eh// |
| F645 |
//That's right. mmhm.// |
| M644 |
And the
//three bairns wernae at the scuil.// |
| F645 |
//Cause//
No. |
| M644 |
[CENSORED: forename] was fo-, no, [CENSORED: forename] has jist
//she startit the scuil.// |
| F645 |
//She started the school,//
and [CENSORED: forename] was just gonna
//start.// |
| M644 |
//Aye she startit the scuil.// |
| F645 |
And my mum stayed just along
//fae us,// |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
in eh Thornton,
//and// |
| M644 |
//[inaudible]// |
| F645 |
sh- we used tae take the kids tae her and then I came through here and cleaned aw this place, so I widnae bring the kids, ye see.
So, I cleaned aw this place.
//Until the kids.// |
| M644 |
//Aye and when we arrived in the first//
night, we just put the one bed up and the hail lot o
//us just clattered in the one bed. Five o us,// |
| F645 |
//slept in the the double bed.// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]//
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//aw in one bed, eh.//
And we had a bi- we had a big roarin fire
//goin [inaudible], and I walked through there. I walked// |
| F645 |
//uh-huh ah, we had plenty fires, John.// |
| M644 |
through the back room, John,
and here, here's the rats looking through the
//hole, lookin at me! [laugh]// |
| F645 |
//Aye, out the fire,//
//Yeah.// |
| M644 |
//Lookin at me, because the light went//
//on.// |
| F645 |
//I was terrified.// |
| M644 |
See that's the best, this is the best way I bocht this hoose, John, because o the electric lighting.
//It had water.// |
| F645 |
//And it had water.// |
| M644 |
Two good essentials that would have cost a fortune. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
So we got the man tae put the light on
//eh.// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
The electric man pit the light on.
//[inaudible] was done. Aw the old cables and aw that// |
| F645 |
//And then we got the rat man out, and he got rid o the rats.// |
| M644 |
were at a risk, ye ken? They were aw
//mice and rats. [laugh]// |
| F645 |
//Dangerous.// |
| M644 |
So we had, I'd, I rewired it
//aw mysel eh?// |
| F645 |
//mm rewired//
it all.
//oh what a work we had, John!// |
| M644 |
//And they were they auld stupid wires,//
John, where ye tied a knot.
//And ye pit a wee// |
| M608 |
//oh aye.// |
| M644 |
cone, ower the top.
//That's, aye.// |
| M608 |
//oh right.// |
| M644 |
you got the wire come like that, right?
//You got two// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
wires, ye tie the knot and ye head it like that. That's how ye jined electric wires years ago. |
| M608 |
Gosh! |
| M644 |
//And ye put a wee cone, and ye screwed it oan.// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M608 |
oh right, I think
//I've seen that// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
//eh?// |
| M608 |
//mm//
I've seen that in a
//[inaudible].// |
| M644 |
//Aye, well that//
covers your bare wire. |
| F645 |
That's right.
//But then, ye see, the rats were eatin the wires as well.// |
| M644 |
//See that's how ye joined them, [inaudible].//
But mind, ye had a big box ye pit pit them in. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
Ken, tae keep |
| M608 |
Aye. mm |
| M644 |
//keep, aye, aye a junction-box, that's how they were aw joined.// |
| F645 |
//Aye a, the big junction-box, the black junction-boxes.//
But we got rid o the rats. We got the electric. We got the house in order.
//And then,// |
| M644 |
//But I rewired it all and put//
//wires in aw// |
| F645 |
//aye.//
//And we we barricaded up// |
| M644 |
//mysel, and done aw that oh// |
| F645 |
their windows and that, and this bit and that. And we knocked a door through there
//wi that bits o wood up there. And we made this a living-room.// |
| M644 |
//Aye, cawed a door through there tae here.// |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
//Aye, and this is the first thing I'd// |
| F645 |
//And we got this bit organised.// |
| M644 |
tae dae here. I ripped the flair up.
//And I// |
| F645 |
//Aye,// |
| M644 |
tak three ton o earth oot |
| F645 |
oot. |
| M644 |
o here.
//Oot that// |
| F645 |
//Cause the//
floor was level wi the earth, John, underneath,
//there was nae air.// |
| M644 |
//W-, where was the door, [CENSORED: forename]?// |
| F645 |
Out here. |
| M644 |
No, that wisnae a door, that was a windae. The door was there where John's sittin.
//Because we had tae go that side, had tae go that side// |
| F645 |
//Aye, there was two windows and a door there.// |
| M644 |
for the ticket-room,
//and this side for// |
| F645 |
//Aye.//
//That's right. Aye.// |
| M644 |
//the waitin. This was the waitin-room, John.//
//And that was the ticket-room.// |
| F645 |
//And the post-office.// |
| M644 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
And the man that lived in here before we moved in here, John, was a wood-cutter, and he couldnae afford tae buy it. |
| M644 |
mm
//He was gettin offered it for seventy-five pound.// |
| F645 |
//And he had five sons. And he got offered it//
fae the railway for seventy-five pound and he couldnae buy it. |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| M608 |
//mm// |
| M644 |
//[inaudible]// |
| F645 |
//So he had to go out,//
and you'll never believe this, but one of the fellas, that came back and seen the house
//no many months ago,// |
| M644 |
//Yeah, yeah, yeah.// |
| F645 |
and and eh, [CENSORED: forename]'s sister's laddie works beside one o the fellas that used tae
//live here.// |
| M644 |
//Aye.//
mm yeah. |
| F645 |
And he he regrets the day he left here. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
[?]So as the femily got oan, John, bigger,[/?]
I decided there was nae room, cause we just had the wan,
//a but and a// |
| F645 |
//Bedroom.// |
| M644 |
ben, one bedroom and the scullery and that. So there was five o us!
//So I bought a prefab.// |
| F645 |
//So we bought two prefabs!// |
| M644 |
Prefabs
//come up on the// |
| M608 |
//oh right.// |
| M644 |
paper, they were demolishin them aw,
//a hund- a hundred quid for each.// |
| F645 |
//At Helensfield.// |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
//Hundred pound each.// |
| F645 |
//At Helensfield.//
//You know Helensfield? As you go along the by-pass, ye see Helensfield.// |
| M644 |
//So I got a, ken what a prefab is, John?// |
| M608 |
oh right. Okay. |
| M644 |
//Ken what// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
prefabs are, John,
//eh?// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
I bought a prefab. So I stuck it on the side. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
So that gien us a toilet,
//eh.// |
| F645 |
//And a bathroom and a kitchen.// |
| M644 |
Aye, a kitchen,
//that was the main thing.// |
| F645 |
//And a the bathroom,//
and a back
//door.// |
| M644 |
//Aye.//
So we made the auld scullery intae a bedroom. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
So that gien us another wee bit, ye ken? |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
//And eh,// |
| F645 |
//Aye, that's right.// |
| M644 |
and the big livin-room, I split it through the middle,
cause we had a split faimilie, ye see; the twa lassies and a laddie. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
//Twa laddies and a lassie. So we had tae gie [CENSORED: forename] a wee room// |
| F645 |
//Aye.//
//That's right, aye.// |
| M644 |
//tae hersel eh? And//
we slept in the livin-room,
//an the laddies// |
| F645 |
//Aye.//
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
//slept in the wee bedroom.//
So that gien us this wee room.
//And it gien// |
| F645 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
us the prefab for us eatin our grub in!
//So, we made the entrance.// |
| F645 |
//We had the kitchen,//
the bathroom and the back
//door and the toilet.// |
| M644 |
//We made the entrance off//
the prefab, and we came through that hole. Well that hole noo wisnae a hole, it wis a big door. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
Aye.
//It was lovely.// |
| M644 |
//[?]Ken a back door.[/?]//
//Into the, eh?// |
| F645 |
//mmhm//
//And that bit// |
| M644 |
//eh// |
| F645 |
where my kitchen is now, used to be the car park! |
| M608 |
The car park? |
| F645 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
eh
//Aye! No, that was a prefab, right? So, as it, as the family increased, John, her mither// |
| F645 |
//That used to be a car-park. mmhm. Ye'll see it up there, John.// |
| M644 |
[CENSORED: forename]'s mither, we used to live [CENSORED: forename]'s mother got no weel. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
So, I got anither prefab! And stuck it on the back, for to gie her a room. |
| M608 |
ah right. |
| M644 |
//eh eh [CENSORED: forename]? Tae gie her a room in the back.// |
| F645 |
//mmhm, well we had that room//
for a while till mum
//took ill.// |
| M644 |
//Aye, and//
//she lived in that room for a bat- for a while.// |
| F645 |
//mmhm mmhm// |
| M644 |
So we, what happened then, we had tae get a, brek a wa, a hole through the
//back wa. Another// |
| F645 |
//That door to the room.// |
| M644 |
three fit wa, door tae go
//intae that room, [laugh], yeah.// |
| F645 |
//It was actually a cupboard. It was a cupboard.//
//That was a cupboard, and we broke the wall// |
| M644 |
//Aye it was a cupboard, aye [inaudible] through.// |
| F645 |
through to get in. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
And see how see how I made the prefab, John? Ye didnae build bricks. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
Ken, this was aw
//ye wernae [inaudible].// |
| F645 |
//It was sectional.// |
| M644 |
No! I pit sleepers doun. |
| M608 |
Right?
//Okay.// |
| M644 |
//Railway sleepers.//
Right?
I got, we got, they'd started eh demolishin the railway?
//I got sleepers// |
| F645 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
and built the prefab on the flair, on tap o aw the sleepers. |
| M608 |
uh-huh
//When ye first// |
| M644 |
//And the same wi here,//
they were aw sleepers!
//Nae brick// |
| M608 |
//oh right.// |
| M644 |
founds or anything. |
| M608 |
When ye first moved in here was the railway still workin? |
| M644 |
//The railway was still workin. The railways// |
| F645 |
//Aye, passenger//
trains was
still runnin past, but they didnae stop.
//And then// |
| M644 |
//The rai-// |
| F645 |
Longannet power station was every three and
//five or six trains.// |
| M644 |
//We came in in sixty-five//
//John, so// |
| F645 |
//At night time the//
trains went tae, John,
//aw night.// |
| M644 |
//So the double railway//
//still// |
| M608 |
//mm// |
| M644 |
kept goin till nineteen seventy. |
| F645 |
mmhm |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
And they gane, the pits startit tae gang doun. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
In nineteen seventy.
//Started tae gang, when the pits run doon. I think the miner's// |
| F645 |
//Aye, the pits would go down then, that's right.// |
| M644 |
strike was in nineteen seventy-two was it, no?
No it was in ei- a was it eighty two I'm thinkin, mind. |
| M608 |
[inaudible] |
| M644 |
However, they done away wi one
//line, when the pits shut.// |
| F645 |
//It was seventy-two, wasn't it?// |
| M608 |
I think it was. |
| M644 |
And they kept the single line open for aboot what?
//oh about another// |
| F645 |
//A wee while.//
//We'd a night watchman, and a// |
| M644 |
//Seventy-five!// |
| F645 |
and a lady through the day, and her husband worked at
//nights.// |
| M644 |
//Aye.//
In the signal-boax. |
| F645 |
In the signal-
//box.// |
| M644 |
//The woman//
hauled the levers through the day.
//Now I I couldnae haul that lever, John,// |
| F645 |
//The woman worked the signal box. Alice!// |
| M644 |
cause I tried it!
and that woman in her hut hauled that
//bloody lever. It// |
| F645 |
//Watch the cable!// |
| M644 |
was a way oot.
The lever was away oot.
The furthest signal
was away up
this side o that bridge
//at Forbes's.// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh//
mm |
| M644 |
Ken the bridge ower the field? |
| F645 |
She pulled they
//cables.// |
| M644 |
//That was the//
furthest oot, that's a guid what? |
| F645 |
They werenae electrical,
//the were t- hand.// |
| M644 |
//That's a good nine//
hundred yairds up there, John. Nine hundred ye- that was the furthest signal oot.
//she had tae haul oot// |
| F645 |
//mmhm// |
| M644 |
//eh that signal.// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
And the other one was at that water bridge. |
| M644 |
And there was, eh? There was ane there. |
| F645 |
ah but there was one away, far oot at that water bridge. |
| M644 |
And there was ane at the other side o that bridge
//there.// |
| F645 |
//There was the//
crossin there. |
| M644 |
And there was right ane away way doon afore
//ye come tae the corner.// |
| F645 |
//uh-huh//
//Aye, we lost many a cat on that// |
| M644 |
//Ower the burn where the burn went away ower the [inaudible].// |
| F645 |
railway, John. |
| M644 |
eh? |
| M608 |
mm |
| F645 |
Many a cat we lost on that railway. |
| M644 |
Ken what we used tae like on the railway. See when they. |
| F645 |
They've used tae go past.
//The puffies, the puffies used tae go past.// |
| M644 |
//Aye, the old steam-tails went past, John.//
//And they cairted the coal.// |
| F645 |
//and they flung aw the coal off//
//in the garden, John, and ye went oot and there was huge coal, oh! [laugh].// |
| M644 |
//And they [inaudible] there, [inaudible] there, the boy that [inaudible] the coal. Big lumps is rollin oot the door, rollin oot the door, rollin oot the door,//
//and eh// |
| F645 |
//And then they used tae// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//we'd tae get along wi the barrae, [CENSORED: forename] eh?// |
| F645 |
//throw it in the garden. As,//
ken the bit at the back? They used tae full it fu for
//us and they used tae hoot their horn. And then,// |
| M644 |
//And we'd tae get alang wi the barrae and get the coal and aw them.// |
| F645 |
on a Sunday we'd to hurry and get the coal,
//and then, on a Sunday there// |
| M608 |
//[inaudible]// |
| F645 |
was nae nae trains, ye see, so ye could walk the line
//on a Sunday and pick aw the coal up ye wanted.// |
| M644 |
//Aye, we used tae walk that line and that, uh-huh// |
| M608 |
Good God! |
| M644 |
//Aye a whole lot o coal and that.// |
| F645 |
//It was great in they//
days! And then the puffies came along and all the bankins used tae go on fire,
ye see?
//So// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
they had tae beat the fire oot, and the fire-engines used tae hae tae come and put aw the fires oot. |
| M644 |
mm |
| F645 |
There was nae g- overgrown bankings then. It was
//bare.// |
| M644 |
//mm//
Tell John aboot yer wee dug, eh? Crossed
//the railway.// |
| F645 |
//oh aye,//
the poodle. |
| M644 |
Aye.
//Crossed the railway. Ken there was a walkway across the railway. Ken sleepers how ye walked on them to the signal-box.// |
| F645 |
//We'd a wee poodle, and [CENSORED: forename] [CENSORED: forename]'s poodle, but she went away up the wood on//
her bike round the road. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| F645 |
And Cherie was in, and I says, "Don't let Cherie see where ye're goin." Well, Cherie sh- f- got oot and smelt [CENSORED: forename] and she crossed the train,
//and the train// |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
was comin and the driver couldnae stop. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
So, of course, she fell, and she fell in the
//middle of the track.// |
| M644 |
//It wis lucky.//
Aye. |
| F645 |
And she was alive. And I rushed her to the vet, but she had holes in her back where the big stones, and the buffer hit her.
//So we rushed her// |
| M644 |
//mm//
//It wisnae the buffer [CENSORED: forename], it was the snow-plough on the front.// |
| F645 |
//to the vet. It was the big chains.//
No, it was the big chains that hung doon.
//And the vet s- hit her, and the and the vet said tae me, "If she lives the night, she'll live."// |
| M644 |
//oh that hit the wag- that hit the wag- oh aye hit her. Lucky it never killed her!// |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| F645 |
So she lived, but she was very badly hurt. Well, no many months ago, there was a man came intae the mill and he says tae me, "I often wonder about yer wee poodle." |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
"For", he says, "I noticed that she ran on the railway and you were gonna run efter her and I'm sayin tae mysel, 'Dinnae run on that railway,' for I was drivin the train." |
| M608 |
Yeah. |
| F645 |
And, he says, "Ye were a young lassie then, and I'm sayin, 'oh dinnae run on the railway, dinnae run on the railway.' " |
| M608 |
So he was the driver! |
| F645 |
He was the driver!
//And he says, "What happened tae// |
| M644 |
//hm He was the driver.// |
| F645 |
the poodle?" I says, "the poodle lived,
//she lived."// |
| M644 |
//mmhm// |
| F645 |
And, I says, "she was badly hurt, but she lived."
//An he says// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
"oh my God, I've often thocht aboot that." And, he says, "I was just wonderin if you were gonna move or no tae grab her, because I could never stopped." |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
You know? |
| M644 |
But see they prefabs, John, over there?
//Ye put they// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
prefabs on a flat roof in a run o three inches. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
And I pit, I says, "Right, I'll put twa layers o felt on it."
//Right?// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
It done a a year. |
| F645 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
And then, and then, the next year, I put another layer. Ken wha- before I hauled the prefab roof, ken how many layers o felt was on it? Nine layers!
//[laugh]// |
| F645 |
//[laugh]// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//Nine layers o felt, and I'd done, if I'd done three tae start wi would o [inaudible] it,// |
| F645 |
//The weight o the felt was that heavy!// |
| M644 |
//but it was leakin and leakin. I put anither layer, anither layer.// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//There was thickness, eh [CENSORED: forename] aboot half an inch thick o felt!// |
| F645 |
//Nine! Nine layers on it.// |
| M644 |
oh, [?]and there[/?] that's the worst aboot three in one. Just three inches the run o the prefabs,
//eh?// |
| F645 |
//And the//
fire it was, when it was burnin.
D- oh God, the black smoke
//and that; ye wouldnae be allowed tae do that noo.// |
| M644 |
//oh, aye , now, see I was workin wi they prefabs//
and that, I didnae ken aboot that. It's asbestos. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
And I worked thae years ago and I would nu-nu-nu-
//[inaudible]// |
| F645 |
//No.// |
| M644 |
I could o been breathin
//maybe.// |
| F645 |
//But this wis//
the funny thing, John, when we
//bought they prefabs,// |
| M644 |
//That hard asbestos like.// |
| F645 |
there was this man, and I think he was jealous, cause we bought the prefabs,
//ye see?// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
And there was a m- barrow went a-missin - a shitey barrow [laugh].
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//mm, an old barrae.// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//So we bought it.// |
| F645 |
//And ye'll never guess what he done!// |
| M608 |
What? |
| F645 |
He sent the police over tae search oor hoose
//for that barrae.// |
| M644 |
//They searched the hoose for a//
barrae. Inside the hoose! |
| F645 |
For a shite |
| M644 |
And the boy was lookin ablow the bed.
//I says, "What are ye lookin for?" He says, "Well I've got tae look everywhere."// |
| F645 |
//[inhale]//
//For a barrae! It was covered in// |
| M644 |
//[laugh]// |
| F645 |
muck, horses'
//muck and everything.// |
| M644 |
//All muck, [inaudible].// |
| F645 |
And I says tae him, "Who would lift a barrae wi that on it." Ye know?
"oh, well," he says, "y- eh this man declares that you've got this barrae."
//I says, "Well, if "// |
| M644 |
//Yeah, well, aye.// |
| M608 |
//What is a barrae?// |
| F645 |
A barrae is it, the b- garden
//barrow, garden barrow.// |
| M644 |
//A barrae, a barrae, for shovellin stuff in. The barrae, we used that in the prefab doon. The barrae was aye there.// |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
//And this boy was usin it, and I says, "That's// |
| F645 |
//And it was covered in muck.// |
| M644 |
a guid barrae ye've got, Jock, that's a guid barrae ye've got."
//And he must've// |
| F645 |
//And.// |
| M644 |
thought I'd fancied his barrae.
//So the next// |
| F645 |
//And.// |
| M608 |
//oh right.// |
| M644 |
time he went ower,
//the barrae was missin.// |
| F645 |
//The barrae was missin.//
//And he blamed us.// |
| M644 |
//It wasnae us that stole it.//
So we was loadin the wa
//of the prefabs an all hing eh.// |
| F645 |
//And we were accused of stealin//
that barrae, and they came over and searched the house, John, even the attic, for that barra! |
| M644 |
I cairrit out aw the prefab repair there, and I'd just
//a car trailer, just a car trailer. Cairriet it aw in a car trailer. It was smaller than the hail prefab. See that// |
| F645 |
//Me and him. Aye, me and you lifted them. John, they were heavy. I lifted them.// |
| M644 |
prefab? That boy had his caravan inside the prefab. |
| F645 |
Aye.
//Two caravans. Two caravans.// |
| M644 |
//He'd a good idea. He bought his big, long caravan eh?//
Aye.
He bought his big long caravans. |
| F645 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
And he bought a prefab, and pit aw roond aboot his caravan
//eh, for heat and everything, it was a good idea.// |
| F645 |
//Aye, and lived in the, and lived in the actual caravans.// |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
So he advertised in the paper, an I went ower and he said, "My caravan's inside there." |
| M608 |
[laugh] |
| F645 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
And he says, "Ye'll hae tae watch when ye dismantle it. Ye no wantin tae buy a caravan?"
//Aye eh.// |
| F645 |
//Two caravans! He took off the drawbars and put them// |
| M644 |
No, they werenae. They were, |
| F645 |
back to back. |
| M644 |
They were thingied like that, John. |
| F645 |
//And he// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh// |
| F645 |
And he had a door goin through them, eh? |
| M644 |
Ye know the bolt on the pref-, they bolted his, they bolted his caravans like that, ken they were two
//square-end caravans like that,// |
| F645 |
//Two caravans.// |
| M644 |
shoved together. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
And that's how,
//they, that's how they bocht them.// |
| F645 |
//Made a braw hoose, John.// |
| M644 |
Draw-bar here,
//and a draw-bar there, John,// |
| F645 |
//Made a braw hoose.// |
| M644 |
and they backed in like that and bolted up, and made a big, long
//hoose.// |
| F645 |
//And every night//
he came home fae his work, that was oor job; the kids and I, me and him. Ower tae Helensfield wi the car and the trailer and liftin mair sections o that ca- that
//prefabs.// |
| M644 |
//It wis// |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
//See see the pittin the big// |
| F645 |
//I wis knackereed.// |
| M644 |
//sheets o a// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
caravan? See the big ca- they big sheets o
//prefab, right?// |
| F645 |
//Prefabs.// |
| M608 |
//Prefab.//
mm |
| M644 |
Me it was, the g- bairns were wee, and I'd hae a ledder against the eh once you got aw, I put aw the
//oo-oo-oo- o// |
| F645 |
//oh aye.//
//I put the roof up wi him, John!// |
| M644 |
//sheets!//
I put aw the sheets mysel, I lifted them mysel; got her oot then and guided
//them in.// |
| F645 |
//And we//
//used a rope! A rope.// |
| M644 |
//And put the ledder doon like that and sh-, and I had tae put a rope at the bottom o the ledder,// |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
and I was doon there. And she had tae get the sheets, the sheets. |
| F645 |
And push! |
| M644 |
O the roof, they were. They were four, be fower, be fower. Ye pit them on the rope, threw the rope up tae me, and I hauled the rope up, and she was at the bottom shovin them up.
And that's how we got them on the roof. |
| M608 |
[inaudible]
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//It was just the two o us eh [CENSORED: forename]?//
//That's how// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
we got aw they sheets in the roof. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
A hail room that bedroom and that hail
//big ba-// |
| F645 |
//I mean I was just//
a wee thin lassie then. I was
//only what, aboot nine stone?// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
No, but that's
//how we got them up on the roof. That's how, I think,// |
| F645 |
//In they days. mmhm// |
| M644 |
they thingied your hert, was daein aw that. |
| F645 |
//Well maybe.// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
//A that heavy work.// |
| F645 |
//Aye. No it was//
thyroid that did that. |
| M644 |
eh? |
| F645 |
Thyroid that did that.
//Anyhow.// |
| M644 |
//No but that//
how we got thae thick
//sheets up there.// |
| F645 |
//That was how we//
got our prefabs up, and then we'd to take them down again, of course. |
| M644 |
Now, I actually built twa hoose.
Ken, I built aw they, renovate aw they hooses, built aw they an- Right? We lived in that for
//aboot ten year.// |
| F645 |
//mm//
And then, these prefabs
//were new, John.// |
| M644 |
//We were always gonna get//
intae trouble wi the old prefabs. No! We,
//ken what I done?// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
I built brick roond aboot the ootside o them. |
| F645 |
Aye, we got a builder, and he built
//brick round them.// |
| M644 |
//Aye, built brick//
roond the the hail
//lot o them.// |
| F645 |
//And tied//
all the brick
//in.// |
| M644 |
//So the//
cooncil wouldnae say
//nothin aboot them. Ken we were kind of gettin intae bother, because it was gettin, eh,// |
| F645 |
//And he was no [inaudible] at all. And it looked nice.//
Looked nice. |
| M644 |
So they built brick in them,
//but I still had the flat roof eh?// |
| F645 |
//Mind, they were braw//
//prefabs. They were lovely prefabs.// |
| M644 |
//Aye.//
And then, as we were gettin, business was buildin up
//and getting mair money, and she says, "Right." I// |
| F645 |
//And gettin more money, we// |
| M644 |
says, "Right! I'm gonna caw aw they doon." |
| F645 |
And we
//got a builder in.// |
| M644 |
//Caw aw the prefabs doon.// |
| F645 |
An architect came in and drew plans, and then we got through the council and then they,
//the builder from [?]Valleyfield[/?] came and did the the buildin.// |
| M644 |
//No! But before I done that, John. I got.//
No. I got the plans passed. So I built a she-. I got the builder, he co-. No the back bit, tae build the richt wa, two fit oot fae the prefab.
//So when I start cawin that doon.// |
| F645 |
//And the prefab is still up ye see!// |
| M608 |
aw, right. |
| M644 |
When I start cawin that doon, we're still gonnae hae a bit tae live in. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
So we'd tae watch what we were daein.
//So we built// |
| M608 |
//oh, aye.// |
| M644 |
it richt oot; right oot there.
//Right oot there. Right right along, aye, built a skin right oot.// |
| F645 |
//We built the old, the new house round the old house and took the old house out the window,//
//That's what we done, John. That's what we did!// |
| M644 |
//And then we got that, the the//
skin was [?]bulgin[/?] up. I got the big tresses, |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
//Tresses eh? Aye, they were workin wi me then.// |
| F645 |
//But the laddies had grown up by this time, John, so.// |
| M608 |
They were helpin? |
| M644 |
//They were workin, aye. So we done this bit; we done this half o the hoose.// |
| F645 |
//They built, they helped and took the prefabs down, and they put the roof on wi father.// |
| M644 |
We done this half o the hoose first. |
| F645 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
And that gien us a scullery. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
And the livin room. So this was aw done, right. |
| F645 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
So we lived, whit?
We lived aboot
//another three or fower year, still wi the// |
| F645 |
//So, the rooms were still.// |
| M644 |
flat roofs
//prefab.// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
And the two bedrooms. |
| F645 |
No, we had the whole house aw
//built.// |
| M644 |
//No, I didnae dae it aw in wan.//
I done the half a roof.
And then we were four year and then I done
//the other half roof.// |
| F645 |
//oh, aye, ye did the//
half, that's
//right. Aye. Just// |
| M644 |
//Aye, just as the money went. That's how we did it.// |
| F645 |
as our money went. |
| M644 |
And then we got aw
//got aw the heating in.// |
| F645 |
//We didnae have a mortgage, ye see.// |
| M644 |
eh? |
| M608 |
mm |
| F645 |
We didnae take a mortgage anyway. We just done
//as our money was goin, John.// |
| M644 |
//We didna get a mortgage. We just done//
we just done as the money dae. And then we
we fetched the walls oot and inside and then we got the saw mill, we got the saw mill ower there. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| F645 |
Well, that was nine years ago ye bought that.
//That bit o// |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
ground came up for sale, John, and we'd been looking after it for twenty-five
//years.// |
| M644 |
//Yeah.// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
And we asked if we could buy it private off the railway, and they said "No"; we'd have tae go an [?]s- auction[/?]
//for it.// |
| M644 |
//Aye.//
Aye.
//mm// |
| F645 |
//And there were// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
six folk interested in that. Even a blind man! |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
//Now what was he gonnae dae with it?// |
| F645 |
//And what was he//
gonnae do with
//it?// |
| M644 |
//[laugh]// |
| F645 |
And, [CENSORED: forename] had took ill then.
//And he// |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
just come oot o hospital and was gettin on his feet again.
And he came, eh he went to the auction wi us and he bidded for us and eh, what was it it went, we got it
//for?// |
| M644 |
//We didn't.//
It was nineteen
eh? |
| F645 |
How much did we pay for that bit o ground? |
| M644 |
For that bit of grund, three and a half thoosand
//for that bit o grund eh? Aye, aye.// |
| F645 |
//Three and a half thousand for that bit o ground.// |
| M644 |
Just that wee bit o grund and
//that was a lot o money// |
| F645 |
//Just that wee end.// |
| M644 |
//then. That was whit?// |
| M608 |
//How long ago//
was that? |
| M644 |
//That was aboot fif-.// |
| F645 |
//That was a lot of money.//
//Nine, twelve years. Twelve, twelve years. Twelve or thirteen years ago.// |
| M644 |
//eh. When [CENSORED: forename], just afore [CENSORED: forename] went tae Japan. Aboot twelve, fourteen year ago. Aye, aye.// |
| F645 |
And, we had tae buy it. We had tae keep biddin, and we had tae buy it. |
| M644 |
oh, aye I was, we was willin tae bid richt
//up [inaudible].// |
| F645 |
//And, ye know,//
it was right up to our front windows here. |
| M608 |
mmhm, oh, aye. |
| M644 |
//Aye, we just had the wee bit grund there, John. That's the wee bit o grund. We had the use o the road.// |
| F645 |
//That. Just had that bit round the house!//
//And that, that was aw for sale.// |
| M644 |
//A the rest wis for sale. There wasnae anybody [inaudible].//
We'd o needed tae build a big brick wa. We'd m- bi-. We'd o been bloody in jile. |
| F645 |
We could a been, had a scrappie in here. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
Forbes!
//[laugh]// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//We got plans// |
| F645 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
tae renovate the hoose. Ken whit year it was? Nineteen eighty-two, and I says, "It'll tak ten years for me tae dae it."
//And I've no even finished// |
| F645 |
//It's just aboot!// |
| M644 |
it yet. This is
//ninety-two!// |
| F645 |
//Well, round//
the windows has to
//be done and the rones is to be done.// |
| M644 |
//This is ninety-two and ninety-eight. That's//
//sixteen.// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
That's aboot sixteen
//year noo.// |
| F645 |
//But ye//
hivnae done anything to
//it for ages, ye know.// |
| M644 |
//Aw I've got tae finish is what?// |
| F645 |
The windows round the back and
//the and the rones is aboot aw.// |
| M644 |
//Aye that's aboot aw. Aye that should//
be aw. I kent it would tak me
//ten year.// |
| F645 |
//But I mean,//
it was worth it. And then n- nine years, the, well the forestry was goin out, weren't they? They were
//sort of// |
| M644 |
//mmhm// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
fallin apart and that. And then [CENSORED: forename] says to me, "I think I'll," We were gonna start a cafe first. |
| M644 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
And I says, "It would be nice for a cafe here." And we asked f- the council for permission and everything and they said, "No." The road entrance was the bad thing. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| F645 |
And for parkin, it'd be too busy. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
So then we suggested a saw-mill. You says su-ses-sugge-
//say we'll start a saw-mill. So we asked for a saw-mill// |
| M644 |
//[inaudible] I'd aye been meaning tae for a long time.//
//We'd aye had the saw-mill roon the back. We always had the part-time saw-mill roon the back.// |
| F645 |
//and they said "Yes." Aye. We'd the old one round the back.//
//And they said,// |
| M644 |
//mmhm// |
| F645 |
yes, we would get a saw-mill,
//if we opened// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
the the the mouth, throat of the road, so many feet. So, [CENSORED: forename] got his big machine home. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| F645 |
And he landscaped aw that and knocked the fen- the the wall down and everything. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| F645 |
And flattened aw that, cause that was hill out there, you see? |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| F645 |
And he knocked aw that and made it aw flat,
//John.// |
| M644 |
//See your//
hoose, John. We'll go on tae that. See your hoose?
//Your hoose was eh// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
The forester's house. |
| M644 |
Aye, one o the foresters, but it was the gaffer forester.
//And next door was the under-forester.// |
| F645 |
//uh-huh//
//Helen's.// |
| M644 |
//And this boy.// |
| M608 |
//I thought//
it was the other way round? |
| M644 |
//No eh, next door tae you, was it Helen's hoose, was the under-forester.// |
| F645 |
//No, Helen's house was the undergaffer.// |
| M644 |
Your hoose was the head-forester,
and thingy's big hoose was the chief. |
| M608 |
ah all right. |
| M644 |
Ken, they were
//chiefs then. We were aw the little Indians.// |
| F645 |
//Chief forester.//
//[laugh] The chief's.// |
| M644 |
//That's how the, that's how the forestry was years ago.// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]. Aye.// |
| M644 |
//They were Indians and we were just eh.// |
| F645 |
//There's still a chief in it.// |
| M608 |
Aye.
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//We were eh//
What were we? I don-.
//We were scatter-abooterers.// |
| F645 |
//No, I don't know what we're. [laugh]//
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//Scatter-abooterers John; the glaikit// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//boys, ye ken? [laugh]// |
| F645 |
//But I mean eh,//
//That Mr Fabian,// |
| M644 |
//But that's what that was up there.// |
| F645 |
Mr Fabian was the first man in that hoose and he was in there for twenty-three years. |
| M644 |
ah but wait a minute. When we came here, there was only one business, there was the forestry and the ferm. |
| F645 |
//That's right.// |
| M608 |
//Right.// |
| M644 |
There was only one bis-, and the pit. That pit wisnae, just startin tae build when we
//came here.// |
| F645 |
//mmhm// |
| M644 |
//That wisnae// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
open that pit along there.
//They were just startin tae build it eh? It wisnae even workin.// |
| F645 |
//No, it was just started. mmhm// |
| M644 |
They were just startin tae buil-.
//That's how we heard// |
| F645 |
//That's right.// |
| M644 |
all the thingies and that. |
| M608 |
Aye, of course. |
| M644 |
//So look at it// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
the noo. Look at them the noo. Talk about a story. Look what it is. Look at the value; millions in pounds o this stuff up there that
//sand-pit. Millions// |
| M608 |
//Yeah, aye.// |
| M644 |
//of pounds o stuff every year.// |
| F645 |
//ah look at aw the wee businesses there is round//
about us
//now.// |
| M644 |
//Look at aw//
aw the places noo and
//aw the,// |
| F645 |
//They're aw businesses.// |
| M644 |
aw the ferms up
//there and that fermer there and aw.// |
| F645 |
//There's the farm; two sand-//
quarries; the saw-mill; Mr Downie's telegraph poles; the nursery. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| F645 |
ehm
//What is there? Willie Ross wi// |
| M644 |
//And there was aw that [inaudible].// |
| F645 |
his hens and his eggs, isn't there?
They're all businesses, self-employeds
//aren't they?// |
| M644 |
//oh aye,//
but look at aw the aw the works that's come aboot [inaudible]
//[inaudible]// |
| F645 |
//When ye, aye.// |
| M644 |
Because ye could
//could write a story o// |
| F645 |
//Plus aw the accidents.// |
| M644 |
thirty year a Bogside nae bother.
//[laugh]// |
| F645 |
//Plus aw the accidents, John.// |
| M608 |
//Aye. Aye.// |
| M644 |
Of course, you're gettin the thirty year o Bogside there, John.
//That'll cost ye.// |
| M608 |
//[inaudible]// |
| M644 |
//I'll need a backhander. [laugh]// |
| F645 |
//And I'll tell ye, another thing that happened here,//
was we were goin, the laddies were goin away tae the racin this mornin away down south, and we had tae be up at five o'clock in the mornin,
but, before five o'clock in the mornin the, we'd two big alsatians then, and this eh couple
came in the gate screamin and shoutin and hammerin on the door and the dogs were bitin them, but they couldn't care a damn who bit them,
because they had a baby in their arms, which had died. |
| M644 |
oh aye, that was
//the tinks.// |
| M608 |
//When was this?// |
| M644 |
//Tinks, aye?// |
| F645 |
//That was eh//
when [CENSORED: forename] ma-
//[CENSORED: forename] would be about seventeen.// |
| M644 |
//They lived up the road.// |
| M608 |
mm |
| F645 |
And it was hawkers, and [CENSORED: surname] up there. They didnae open the door to them. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| F645 |
So this, the lassie, she was
//a young lassie, she put the// |
| M644 |
//mm mm// |
| F645 |
bairn in [CENSORED: forename]'s arms wrapped in a tartan rug. |
| M608 |
ah dear. |
| F645 |
And we tried to resuscitate the bairn, but it was
//blue and it had gone. And// |
| M644 |
//No the bairn was all blue, blue.// |
| F645 |
eh, I phoned up my doctor, and he came along, and the police, and the procurator fiscal, and the murder squad, and, you name it. We had nae hoose that day, because they took over! |
| M608 |
ah right. |
| F645 |
But, here, it was a cot death. The wee one died. He was what, six months?
//It was a beautiful,// |
| M644 |
//No, they rolled on top o the bairn, I think [CENSORED: forename].// |
| F645 |
beautiful baby
//she wi- he wis,// |
| M644 |
//Aye, something like that.// |
| F645 |
beautiful black curly hair and that.
So, of course, ehm when they all went away, my doctor thanked me for lettin them in and everything and that. |
| M608 |
hm |
| F645 |
And eh she came back and told us what was wrong wi it. It was a cot de- she said it was a cot death. |
| M644 |
ah well they rolled on top
//of the baby or something.// |
| F645 |
//She was feedin the baby in bed and she//
must've slept on it, ye see. |
| M608 |
mm |
| F645 |
So, and eh, she had three other lovely children. |
| M608 |
uh-huh? |
| F645 |
But they were just young. So here, the baby got buried,
didn't it, and they took it up tae Aberdeen
//tae bury it.// |
| M644 |
//oh really?//
//uh-huh// |
| F645 |
//Aye, mind they//
took it up tae Aberdeen and we gave her ten pound tae buy flowers for the bairn; a wreath and that.
And the lassie came back and thanked us hersel, |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
later on about that. But, I mean, that was another thing that happened here. That was sad,
//wisn't it?// |
| M608 |
//Aye.//
Aye. |
| M644 |
//[inaudible]// |
| F645 |
//Tae have a baby.// |
| M644 |
I'd tell ye aboot the fo- aboot the forest again, John. We'd a horse. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
It was eh |
| F645 |
[inaudible - name of horse] |
| M644 |
twenty-one year auld. |
| F645 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Twenty-one year auld. Well that's the horse there. [indicates photograph] |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
Twenty-one year auld. I had it for, fae nineteen sixty-five tae nineteen seventy. |
| F645 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
Seventy [inaudible] eh? And every time it used tae drag roon the wuid, John, it slipped its chain and ran awa. Every day! |
| F645 |
//Come home.// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
Run away right doon tae the stable, and the stable was aboot what, three-quarters of a mile doon the wuid. It run awa every day,
//that horse.// |
| F645 |
//Came home to me.// |
| M644 |
//Nae wonder,// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
see in the summer-time it's glegs. See, ye ken what glegs
//are? Well,// |
| F645 |
//oh, they used to bite him.// |
| M644 |
//The horse's,// |
| M608 |
//Flies?// |
| M644 |
it's muscles are there on his chest. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Right, that wis, I used tae go like that. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
Clean them aff and ee the blood was oozin
//oot and they were aw flyin awa.// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
The blood was oozin oot.
//Bitten wi they glegs, in the summer-time.// |
| F645 |
//Then we got him that stuff ye call//
'Tip n' Tail' eh
//'Top n'// |
| M644 |
//eh// |
| F645 |
Tail', ye sprayed
//it on it,// |
| M644 |
//But there was nae way ye//
could stop the glegs.
//That was that was the worst aboot that.// |
| F645 |
//n' that. We got thon stuff for it,//
//but it wis.// |
| M644 |
//But see//
they horses in the wuid years ago, John.
//Ye used tae get// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
leathered wi boys and that, ye ken? |
| F645 |
It was sad.
//We'd a young, we'd a man that looked efter the horse.// |
| M644 |
//And then naebody seen them in the wuid. Ken, let them haul//
too much and everything.
//Haul them up and// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
make them haul too much. And this is years ago
//when that was goin on.// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
oh I hate that happenin in the wood. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Ken, there was nae tractors in the wood. They were all horses then. |
| F645 |
It's aw horses comin
//back now, eh?// |
| M644 |
//And eh,// |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Now that horse had a big long tail goin right doon tae the grund. |
| F645 |
mmhm
//He'd a lovely tail.// |
| M644 |
//oh, it was a good auld//
horse there, but that was his only weakness, eh? It ran
//ran awa.// |
| F645 |
//He used tae run home.// |
| M644 |
And this wan day it ran awa, and I had this van. |
| F645 |
//[exhale]// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
I I'd this van. Never telt her aboot it. |
| F645 |
No! Well, you just don't tell if it's cruelty. |
| M644 |
[?]What?[/?] |
| F645 |
Cause you're on the mike. Just be careful
//what you're te-// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//I didnae!// |
| F645 |
//tellin me.// |
| M644 |
What?
//I I got a// |
| F645 |
//And ye made it run!// |
| M644 |
I never done any cruelty. I says, "Right! You're aye runnin awa." So I got, I got the rope, John, and tied it tae the back door of the van. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
//The back door of the van.// |
| F645 |
//And you drove round that//
wood wi that
//horse.// |
| M644 |
//I didnae!//
I jumped in the van and I says, "Right." Well what I did is this, "No we- you're wantin a run I'll get ye a run." So we was twenty mile an hoor.
The horse was [inaudible] behind
//the van. [laugh]// |
| F645 |
//Ain't that cruel eh?// |
| M644 |
Here the door swung right open.
//The door swung right.// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
ah but the horse was a rope. A big long rope.
//It was aw right like, ye ken.// |
| M608 |
//Aye, aye.// |
| M644 |
The door swung and here the rope come aff, and that's,
//I had tae go awa and turn,// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
away doon the stable again. |
| F645 |
//He was away home.// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
//And here's anither// |
| F645 |
//And.// |
| M644 |
thing tae. Wait a minute, dear, I'll tell John aboot this.
See how he used tae run awa? |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
Right. It was a big, still had it's,
//never had, ye never// |
| F645 |
//Halter.// |
| M644 |
had reins on the horse, John. Ye never worked the bit or nothin.
//Just the halter.// |
| F645 |
//Ye'd the collar.// |
| M644 |
[inaudible] the halter and the big long bit. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
Rope. |
| M608 |
Rope, aye. |
| M644 |
So, when it ran awa, it held its heid tae the side like that |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
So it- its feet wouldnae catch the rope, and it run doon the wuid like
//that.// |
| F645 |
//It was//
fly eh? |
| M644 |
Right? If its feet caught in the rope it would trip up. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| F645 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
So it ran doun the wuid, oh, it ran awa aff tae home, ran doon the road like that, beltin doon the
//road like that, awa tae the stable.// |
| F645 |
//I used to, I used to say aw [inaudible - name of horse],//
here ye come again. Used tae come in doon that road and in the gate. |
| M644 |
//eh?// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
Used tae come doon the road and in the gate. |
| M644 |
So, see what I done the
//next time, I says, aw,// |
| F645 |
//The trains were goin ye see, John.// |
| M644 |
I mean I've got tae try an dae somethin tae keep him from runnin. So, I got the rope, I tied a wee bit stick like that,
//in the rope.// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
Right? |
| M608 |
uh-huh? |
| M644 |
And the rope, it wouldnae, the rope hung right straight doon, just touched the grund. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
[laugh] It didnae, it didnae tie s- it could've run, but it was gonnae hit this rope,
//[laugh]// |
| M608 |
//[laugh]// |
| M644 |
Aye, that's whit we had tae dae
//sometime.// |
| M608 |
//Did you work,//
Did you work for the forestry right up until you
//started the saw-mill?// |
| M644 |
//No.// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
No. I wa- we wouldnae, we was the forestry, bit we was self-employed. What ye caw sub-contract. |
| M608 |
oh right. |
| M644 |
//Sub-contractin.// |
| F645 |
//[CENSORED: forename] and [CENSORED: forename] worked wi him as well.// |
| M608 |
oh right. |
| M644 |
//Sub-contractin. What they dae. They gie ye a joab. And you get it oot// |
| F645 |
//And then he had two other man worked wi him as well. He had four men.// |
| M644 |
wey, as long as you get it oot for them. They
//say, "Right",// |
| M608 |
//mm// |
| F645 |
There was four or five o them, wasn't there? |
| M644 |
eh, right eh aboot eh,
//eh ten thousand trees or somethin.// |
| F645 |
//Used tae have some terrible accidents in the wood.// |
| M644 |
I'm wantin aw that bit thinned, and they're aw marked for ye. |
| M608 |
mm |
| M644 |
Right.
What price'll ye get?' And I sa- I said "What price will ye gie me?" I didnae ken. I was a a rookie at the time. He says, "Right, we're gien ye thirty-seven and six
tae cut the trees doon, haul them out wi yer horse, tak them tae the end of the road and load them on the lorry." |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
Ken how we loaded them on the
//lorry. Hail trees.// |
| F645 |
//Hand load.// |
| M608 |
Aye? |
| M644 |
Hail trees, |
| F645 |
Hand load. |
| M644 |
John, and the thickest [?]ring[/?] was aboot that. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Hail trees, aboot fae that windae tae that windae. So there was only two o us, one boy that end and I was on the thick end. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
And ye'd tae lift
//them on the lorry and the lorry was that height.// |
| F645 |
//And load them.// |
| M644 |
So ye'd tae lift aw the, so ye kept aw the thick yins. See? So once ye, ye loaded the lorry, right? Ye loaded the lorry, and once ye got so much, ye loaded the lorry like that, and would pit them at that side. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
And once ye come tae this side, ye cudnae load any mair, cause they were goin tae fa off. So ye stuck yer pins in. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
And ye pit a board in ablow them; a big board like a shelf. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Right in ablow the wuid. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
And it stuck oot. So you pit the board, the trees on this board
//that stuck oot.// |
| M608 |
//oh okay.//
Right. |
| M644 |
Right? Ye pit three on there at a time.
And ye stood on another board, ye jumped up there and stood on anither board, and lifted ower the pins. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
And dropped them inside the lorry.
//That's how we used tae load// |
| F645 |
//There's a lot o liftin.// |
| M644 |
the lorry. By the hand!
//Ken, it was fifteen ton at a time, we used tae tak.// |
| F645 |
//Did that for years. Did that for years, John.// |
| M644 |
It wisnae long on loadin. Two hoors.
Fou- took two hoors ye loaded. Two boys
//in the grund and two boys up on the lorry.// |
| F645 |
//The lorry-driver loaded wi ye.// |
| M644 |
Four hoors it taen us tae load
//[inaudible] taken us tae load fourteen ton.// |
| F645 |
//Aye, it's aw done mechanically now.// |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Fourteen
//ton actually. So we loaded,// |
| F645 |
//It was some work we had!// |
| M644 |
//we had a load, every,// |
| M608 |
//That's hard work//
//aye.// |
| M644 |
//we had a load every two weeks.// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M608 |
Keeps ye fit. |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
[inaudible] Fit [inaudible]
An then anither anither anither order came. We had tae cut the wuid to three feet nine.
//Three feet nine. That was wee bits,// |
| F645 |
//That was pallet-wood.// |
| M644 |
three feet nine. |
| M608 |
mm |
| M644 |
We'd tae cut three feet nine right o that big tree. That was three feet nine. Three feet nine, three feet. We'd left aw the wee bit. So we'd tae stack them at the side o the road. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Like that. And the lorry come doon the road and sat in the middle and there's bings on that side. And ye'd tae hand-load aw day intae the lorry. Now when you'd go up in the lorry you'd tae hand-load, pit them right ower the lorry. And the lorry was eh like that.
//A bing of three-feet nines there. A bing of// |
| F645 |
//Sometimes big artics, John.// |
| M644 |
three-feet nines there, John. And they were lyin in the middle like that. That's how ye'd load them, was the hail length o the lorry.
So, ken, say the lorry was there and the wuid was goin away up, higher and higher. So we'd tae draw forrit tae a bing that was high up. |
| M608 |
mm |
| M644 |
//And then ye loaded the top o your// |
| F645 |
//And stood on it.// |
| M644 |
lorry, which was high up. Ye know what I mean?
//Stood at the side of the road// |
| F645 |
//Stood on it.// |
| M644 |
and loaded. That's how ye loaded the wuid. We hand-loaded the wood for,
//och away back,// |
| F645 |
//Years!// |
| M644 |
right tae nineteen-eighty. |
| M608 |
[exhale] |
| M644 |
No, nineteen, aye aboot nineteen-eighty-five for ten year. |
| F645 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Till I got my loader there, it was aw hand-loadit. |
| M608 |
Dear
//God!// |
| M644 |
//oh yeah, aw done//
//wi the hand.// |
| F645 |
//And then we had//
money, so we bought a loader. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
I used tae load lorries mysel!
//Used the hail// |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
fifteen ton mysel load the lorry.
//I used tae get a big// |
| M608 |
//How [?]did you do that?[/?]// |
| M644 |
long stick, John. They were six feet long.
//We used tae cut them six// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
feet long. |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
Right? Ye pit the six feet on the lorry, go to this end and [inaudible] it up. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Right, the boy's in the lorry. He he, right, ye ken, ye pit pins in, he laid them on the pins like and he pit his end up and loaded up once it got higher and higher.
//See?// |
| M608 |
//uh-huh// |
| M644 |
So, so what i-, near the end, that was the problem! Get, at the end, once your lorry's there. So ye kept the space in the middle. Ye built, ye built the back o yer lorry, and the front o yer lorry. So the middle o the lorry, ken, it was six feet there, and six feet there. So the middle o the lorry was eighteen feet. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
So that bit, six feet, was where you're workin bit. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
So we come tae the end, that was ly- the wuid was lying that way, and that wuid was lyin that way. So this wuid had tae go this way, cause this is the way ye loaded it. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
Ye see? So once, ye were awright loadin the bottom. But once ye got a certain height, ye'd maybe be four feet, ye'd tae load fae the grun tae gie it tae the driver. He'd tae catch the end o it. You'd tae push it up, and he was up there, and you'd tae push it away up there!
//Get it right away up// |
| F645 |
//Tae g- tae get it loaded.// |
| M644 |
six feet! |
| F645 |
//mmhm// |
| M608 |
//[?]That's some height![/?]// |
| M644 |
Six feet, like, ye're loadin the wuid. |
| M608 |
That's a lot of wood. |
| M644 |
Aye. |
| F645 |
And I'll tell ye another thing
//I used to do, John.// |
| M608 |
//[inaudible]// |
| F645 |
Another thing I used to do. I was on the peelin machine. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| F645 |
We'd a peel-machine. And it,
//up at the back o you, and it had aw tae be peeled,// |
| M644 |
//Aye, we had a peel-. That wud had tae be peeled, eh [CENSORED: forename], tak the bark aff it.// |
| F645 |
and take the bark off it.
//And I was on// |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
the other end of that peeler.
//An the kids// |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
wis, the two kids were at school, but [CENSORED: forename] wisnae old
//enough tae go tae school,// |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
so he used tae come up the wood wi me, up the back, where your house is, away up.
//And he// |
| M608 |
//oh right.// |
| F645 |
played about there, and, we used tae peel the
//wood.// |
| M644 |
//Aye,//
peel the wuid. |
| F645 |
And I used tae push it in, and [CENSORED: forename] took it oot, or I took it
//oot and he pushed it in.// |
| M644 |
//Aye, ken that wuid, ken that wuid, when it was loaded? Ken where it went tae?// |
| F645 |
So, I used tae be a worker
//tae, when I was young.// |
| M644 |
//It went away//
doon tae Manchester. |
| F645 |
//Aye.// |
| M608 |
//oh right?// |
| M644 |
And ken what it was used for? |
| F645 |
[?]Bowwater[/?] |
| M644 |
No! Ken what it was used fur?
//No, this other stuff.// |
| F645 |
//Chipboard!// |
| M644 |
No no.
//It was used for.// |
| F645 |
//It went to [?]Bowwater[/?].// |
| M644 |
It went through a [inaudible], o whit ye call wood-wool.
Do ye know when ye used tae get packin-cases? |
| M608 |
oh, aye. |
| M644 |
Wi steel for the steel-works.
//The the wool was wood.// |
| F645 |
//Like straw in it.// |
| M608 |
uh-huh |
| M644 |
The wui- the wuid
//was wool. Do ye no, mind// |
| F645 |
//Like chipped-up paper, but it was made o wood.// |
| M644 |
o seein the wool?
//The big yellae stuff in boaxes. That was all made o the wuid.// |
| M608 |
//[inaudible] Aye.// |
| F645 |
That was [?]they wi[/?]
//the wood.// |
| M644 |
//eh// |
| F645 |
//mmhm// |
| M608 |
//[inaudible]// |
| M644 |
Went doon tae Manchester, went through this machine, and wee wee
//wee thin strips that came oot.// |
| F645 |
//[?]Bowwater[/?] bought it up.// |
| M644 |
It wis jist wool, ye jist lifted it like wool, and packed stuff in cases and packed
//them up so// |
| F645 |
//mm// |
| M608 |
mm |
| M644 |
There was hundred and thousands of tons went
//away doon there, eh?// |
| F645 |
//That's right, mmhm.// |
| M644 |
And we made intae wood-wool. |
| F645 |
ah, he used to come home for his tea, an then a lorry used to come in after tea-time, eh, and the driver used to come in an get
//somethin to eat.// |
| M644 |
//Aye.// |
| F645 |
And then we all went an unloaded the lorries.
//mm// |
| M644 |
//ah but that was//
all wood-wool, in thae
//boaxes, [inaudible]// |
| F645 |
//So there ye are.//
So, that was an interesting story, now, isn't it, John? |
| M608 |
It was, yeah. |
| M644 |
[inaudible]
//[inaudible]// |
| F645 |
//And that//
road up to yours was just an auld track, until they they built that
//sand-quarry and then they made// |
| M644 |
//[?]And that was the chat.[/?]// |
| F645 |
that road. |
| M644 |
And the sand-quarry came there in nineteen seventy-two.
And they yaised the auld track. |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
Right? |
| F645 |
Aye.
//That was just an// |
| M644 |
//eh// |
| F645 |
old red
//road, an auld track.// |
| M644 |
//[?]tae start wi[/?].//
So they, [?]negotiate[/?] wi the fairmer, they must hae bocht the hail road.
//[?]Herbert.[/?]// |
| M608 |
//mm// |
| M644 |
Bocht the hail road.
Your boy, you boys wis, see where there's a track?
//mm?// |
| M608 |
//mmhm// |
| M644 |
The forester had to maintain it. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
er, if you, ken if youse had bocht the hoose, youse would hae a part-share in maintaining that, if the
//quarry,// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
if the quarry wisnae up there. |
| F645 |
//mmhm// |
| M608 |
//Aye.// |
| M644 |
Aye, that eh that was in the deed,
//John, the hooses up there.// |
| F645 |
//mmhm// |
| M644 |
Bit they bocht the right and they made it concrete, a fit deep o concrete. |
| M608 |
mm |
| M644 |
//[inaudible] concrete ever since.// |
| F645 |
//So you dinnae have to maintain it.// |
| M608 |
mmhm |
| M644 |
//And eh,// |
| F645 |
//But I wish ye'd//
fill the hole at the bottom in. |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
//But that must be there for a reason.// |
| F645 |
//The lorries,//
the lorries bang that
//every time they go up there.// |
| M644 |
//I know, it must be there for a reason,// |
| M608 |
//[inaudible]//
//[inaudible] it's a drain.// |
| M644 |
//[CENSORED: forename] because the water spigots doon//
//that hole.// |
| F645 |
//It's a drain.// |
| M608 |
Aye.
//[inaudible]// |
| M644 |
//The water spigots doon that hole.// |
| F645 |
But I mean ye
//could have a cover.// |
| M644 |
//But what ye should hae//
is a cundie on it.
//A cundie.// |
| F645 |
//A cover on it.// |
| M644 |
Bit it seems that he breks, so that's how the hole's there, and they come doon there, and jist pit their hand doon in the, i-, it's safe enough, like, but [inaudible], have you ever hit it wi yer car, John? |
| M608 |
Aye. |
| M644 |
//That'll be the hole.// |
| F645 |
//Ye'll break a//
spring, John. |
| M608 |
I know, it's eh, it's, it's
//dangerous.// |
| M644 |
//Yes, I widnae//
like to hit that wi a wee wheel.
//[laugh]// |
| F645 |
//You'll break a spring.// |
| M608 |
//Aye.//
No, ye try to avoid it, but it's er sometimes you forget. |
| M644 |
Aye, that's right, your front wheel would maybe miss it, but your back end maybe [inaudible] the way you hit it and that, eh?
//Well ye need, ye need tae watch.// |
| F645 |
//And then ye'll break yer springs.// |
| M608 |
Aye, better watch out. |
| F645 |
Ye cannae claim. |
| M644 |
eh? oh well, it's their road, you you, I suppose ye wid. |
| F645 |
Could ye, could ye do anything about it? |
| M644 |
//[inaudible]// |
| M608 |
//er, don't think so.//
No, mm. |
| M644 |
//Well, they'll say that tae ye.// |
| F645 |
//Don't think so.// |
| M644 |
You're no pittin nothin tae the road, or somethin, an this is what they would
//say tae ye, eh?// |
| F645 |
//mmhm// |
| M608 |
Yeah, no, no, they're good at maintaining. [inaudible] |
| M644 |
//eh?// |
| F645 |
//Aye,//
//they are, they're good.// |
| M608 |
//I was happy with//
jobs that have been done, go- goin up an doon. |
| F645 |
Aye.
//So that's the story o Bogside.// |
| M644 |
//oh, aye, [inaudible].// |
| M608 |
Well that's, tha- that's good. I think I'll stop there,
//[inaudible]// |
| F645 |
//Wis that very//
//interestin?// |
| M644 |
//Yes, I'll//
//stop there noo, John,// |
| M608 |
//[inaudible]// |
| M644 |
an get the, get the half, a wee half oot. |
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