Old Bridgeton Memories  

A walk down Memory Lane..............   I love these !

doesn't time fly?

 
In no specific order   remember........
Looking back........how did some of us "auld yins" survive? from the 40's, 50's, 60's & 70's?
As children we would ride in cars with no seatbelts or airbags.
Our cots were covered in brightly coloured lead based paint.
We had no child-proof lids on medicine bottles.  We rode our bikes we had no helmets.
We would spend hours building go-karts out of scrap and then ride them down hills only to find out we forgot the brakes..
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on.
No-one was able to reach us there was no mobile phones.
We suffered cuts, and broken bones and teeth, but there were no suing..they were accidents. 
No-one was to blame, but us. Remember accidents??
We had fights, punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.
We ate cakes, bread and butter, and drank ginger, but we were never overweight.......because we were always outside playing.
We shared a drink with friends from one bottle and no-one died from this.
We did not have Playstations or X-boxes, 65 channels on pay TV, video films. DVD`s, mobiles computers, Internet chatrooms-we had friends. We went outside and found them.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend`s home and rung the doorbell, or just walked in and talked to them. imagine such a thing, without asking a parent!! By ourselves..out there in the cold cruel world. 
How did we do it??
We made up games with sticks and ate worms and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us for ever..
Footie and netball had trials and not everyone made the team. Those who didn`t had to learn to deal with disappointment.
Our actions were our own. No-one to hide behind 
The idea of a parent bailng us out if we broke a law was unheard of they actually sided with the law-imagine that!!
This generation produced some of the best risk takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50years has been an explosion of innovation.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility and we learned how to deal with it all. Congratulations!!
remember........
Marching into class 4-abreast, a teacher playing a marching tune on the piano at the top of the stairs.
The spray baths in the school playground and the smell o' carbolic soap
The school dentist coming tae fix wur teeth
Getting the belt at school.....both hands held out crossed over, then the teacher let fly!  Ooooya!
Learning to do joined up writing with horrible scratchy pens. Gold star on your jotter for good writing,
When being sent to the 'headies' office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited you at home.
Knowing all your neighbours and all the people in the local shops
House parties where yer aunties, uncles and everybody sang their songs 
Yer Mammy going tae the steamie in Ruby Street wi' the clothes in a pram
Getting sent tae Ruby Street for a bath, rows of cubicles with individual steamin' hot baths
            no baths in the houses!!
The smell from Cook's in the Main St. on a Saturday morning
A trip tae "the Richie" tae feed the swans in Richmond Park
A visit to the "Sonnie ponn" at Glasgow green next to the Gymnastic rings and parallel bars
Tomato links at Wilson's in the Main Street
"Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
ABC minors at the Olympia picture hall, Bridgeton Cross, luminous ABC badge!  see song
Penny bags of broken cakes out of Nicol Mairs bakery
Dressing up for Halloween and chapping all your neighbours doors.
There was only 3 types of trainers - boys, girls and Dunlop and you only wore them at school PE !
Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a 'sling' (catapult).
Yer mammy knitting. remember balaclavas & woolen mitts
Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable aspirin.
The uncle who tried to steal your nose, then showed you his thumb!
Walking everywhere or getting the tram or bus.........no cars
Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
Haircuts...were a crew cut or square back 'n sides
Bob & Millies dairy shop in Baltic Street Adam's chippie in Baltic St then Dalmarnock Rd
Hobbs shop in Fairbairn Street Rinn's dairy in Fairbairn Street
The "swings" in Dunn Street Rag & Bone man.........."Toys for rags!"
.
FOOD...sweeties etc  remember...........
Carmel cake in the dinner school A MacCallum  ice cream wi' raspberry
A poke o' sweeties Penny dainties, sherbet & ice lollies
Dookin' yer piece intae the pot o' soup when yer mammy wisnae lookin'!
Shouting for a "piece" tae be thrown oot the windae
Putting vinegar in your crisp bag and the Smiths crisps with the wee blue bag of salt
Every bag of crisps seemed to have a 'green' crisp and you never knew whether to eat it or not!
Free school milk in the morning...some older readers remember scrambling for the milk bottle with an advert, known as the 'wee man' because it had a picture on it.
Dinner school....free dinner tickets if your Da was unemployed and getting a brown bag at holiday    
   weekends containing a dry roll, a piece of margarine, a lump of cheese and an apple
GAMES  remember...........
Making a "bogie" out of old pram wheels or skates and planks of wood
Skating in Dunn St which was dead smooth, with yer laced skating shoes
Roller skates (sometimes shared one each)Finnart st. was good it was smooth!!! Dora St. was better
We had high narrow walls round our back at Dunn St, remember balancing, walking along them without falling off...
Playing fitba on the spare bit o'ground, 10 goals half time, 21 the game!
Coaxies ( piggybacks)  Yeh brilliant Coaxie races and Coaxie fights !
fitba in  the street, jumpers for goalposts Playing in the puddles.....clabber!
Tummle yer wilkies Dreeping aff dykes
Comics.......Beano, Dandy, Topper, 
                   Hotspur, Victor,		 Bunty, Judy, Jackie, 'Oor Wullie' annuals, 
The Broons
Playing Ropes & Balls in the street .................... mostly played by the girls
Ropes.. a large length of rope held at either end and swung round in a large arc whilst others would jump in and skip up and down, the rope flying between their feet and heads....all the while singing various choruses.
Balls....a game where two tennis-size balls are stoated against a wall. The balls are directed under legs, behind backs and bounced via the pavement. the balls must always be caught and all this whilst singing various choruses.
Remember the choruses?......... 
1st leggy 2nd leggy
jibby and thru
back bridgey burly
and I love you
.		 Jelly on the table
jelly on the floor
wibble wobble, wibble wobble
lets have some M O R E

ABC minors, Olympia picture hall
We are the boys & girls well known as 
minors of the ABC....
And every Saturday we line up, to sing the songs 
we love and shout aloud with glee !
.

Away down upon the Swanee river
where I fell in ( with a splash and a dash )
along came an alligator singing....
Brittania, Brittania, Maw's making jam
Chinese sausages and Belfast ham

Oor wee schools the best wee school 
the best wee school in Glesga
The only thing that wrang wi it 
is the baldy -heided maister
He goes tae the pub on a Setterday night
he goes tae church on Sunday
And prays for god tae gie him strength
tae belt the weans on Monday.
.

.Remember.....being tired from playing.......?

Superb!

 We do not stop playing because we grow old;  we grow old because we stop playing

 

If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED.

For lots more Memories click here

 

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Last update 25 January 2011 11:00