SCOTS
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Document 27

Conversation 06: Three Ayrshire sisters reminiscing

Author(s): N/A

Copyright holder(s): Prof John B Corbett, SCOTS Project

Audio transcription

F640 It was just slow and she used tae //poke him.//
F637 //oh, poke him.// Terrible in't it?
F640 //It was Miss [?]Hamell[/?].//
F638 //And mind// mind big tumshie Thomson? Miss Loudon poked him wi the poker and he wet his troosers. [laugh] //He wanted oot//
F637 //[laugh]//
F638 to the toilet and she wouldn't let him go.
F640 [laugh]
F637 //ah, but a boy, a boy in my class//
F638 //And that's what he did!//
F637 did worse than that, and it fell doon the leg and //ontae the [laugh].//
F638 //But, I mean eh.//
F637 And the janny had tae come; they, //she shunted us aw oot.//
F638 //But re-// remember the [CENSORED: surname] sisters?
F640 oh aye, uh-huh.
F638 Well I had
F640 Cause I had the one wi the great big
F638 Right! Well I had Miss [CENSORED: surname], no the gym teacher, the other one.
F640 No!
F638 She was the first punk-rocker. //[laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F637 //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F638 She came tae school on a motorbike, //John.//
F637 //Aye.//
F638 Noo, we're talkin years ago.
F637 //mmhm//
M608 //This was a teacher?//
F637 //mmhm//
F638 //A teacher.// Miss [CENSORED: surname].
M608 Aye.
F638 Well her sister was the gym teacher, but the one I had, //eh ye had her for a//
F637 //I had her as well.//
F638 year, you know //how.//
F637 //mmhm//
F638 And, ehm I mean, she'd hems on her skirts, they were about eight inches in that her skirt.
M608 mm
F637 She wore a leather coat.
F638 She came to her her eh the school on a motorbike, wi the full leathers on.
M608 [laugh]
F638 And ye know the pilots' helmets?
F637 Fae the First World //War [laugh].//
F638 //Like that wi the goggles on?// //[laugh]//
F637 //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F638 And the great big gauntlets and she came in a //motorbike. So she did!//
F637 //ah but I'll tell ye something else.// Do you know her father and her brother were headmasters at [CENSORED: placename] School? And that's where she was brought up, in [CENSORED: placename].
M608 oh right?
F637 That's right. //Her//
M608 //[inaudible]//
F637 father and her brother; her father was the headmaster first.
M608 mmhm
F637 And then her brother followed on. And he was the the headmaster at [CENSORED: placename].
M608 mm
F637 And eh, that's where she was brought up, in the school house at [CENSORED: placename].
F638 oh she came to a, the school on a //motorbike!//
F637 //I know that!// //Well it would be a long walk fae//
F638 //In full leathers.//
F637 //[CENSORED: placename] tae tae Russell//
M608 //[laugh]//
F637 //Street school!//
F638 //But, I mean, she could have got// a bus [laugh]. She came on her motorbike. I'll never forget //her, never.//
F637 //I know that, and it was a great big// motorbike, //ye know.//
M608 //And what kind of,// what kind of ages would she teach?
F637 //She taught us from seven.//
F638 //She taught us eh when we// went up th-. //No!//
F637 //When you went up// at seven, //seven tae eight//
F640 //[inaudible]// seven
F637 uh-huh
F640 cause I got
F637 Cause ye w- ye went tae the primary fae ye were five tae ye were seven. //And then ye went up. No, no no. Five tae//
F638 //Ye were longer than that, were ye no in the primary school?//
F637 ye were seven and then ye went up tae the big school.
M608 mmhm
F637 And ye were there fae ye were, fae ye were eh, between seven and eight,
M608 mmhm
F637 Till ye we- were, eh, fourteen.
M608 mmhm
F637 But at twelve, ye got a chance tae go and sit the exams tae go tae the Academy.
F640 //Eleven//
M608 //Aye.//
F640 Plus.
M608 Aye.
F637 //It was,//
F638 //mm//
F637 it was called the 'qualifying' then.
F640 mmhm
F637 And, ye got a chance tae sit that. And I went and sat it at ehm, the grammar school.
M608 mmhm
F637 And I passed. And then my mother says, "Ye cannae go, cause I huvnae got enough money //for yer//
M608 //mmhm//
F637 uniform and books and everything", so I never //got going.//
M608 //mmhm// mmhm
F637 But, ye got a chance when ye were twelve,
M608 mmhm
F637 to go to the Academy, which was eh, a lot of them it was kinda fee-payin. More, //more or less fee-payin.//
F640 //[inaudible]// preparatory school but //[inaudible]//
F637 //uh-huh//
F640 //[inaudible]//
M608 //Aye.//
F637 //Aye but yo-,//
F638 //Aye, you went.//
F637 when you went. It was different when we were there, Eleanor, cause ye had
F640 [inaudible]
F637 Aye and ye'd aw yer books //tae buy.//
F638 //Did ye?//
F637 uh-huh, an.
F640 Something probably.
F637 //mmhm//
M608 //mm//
F638 I ne-, I never ever remem-, course I never got the chance tae go! //[laugh]//
F640 //[inaudible] did too.//
F638 [laugh]
F637 We came a-, when we were doin the flittin, we came across her eh one and only prize that she ever got.
F638 I've got two prizes //now.//
F637 //Ye haven't.//
F638 I have so! I've got two Su-, I've got a book from the //Sunday school.//
F637 //oh yes.// uh-huh
F638 And I've got a pr- eh.
F637 Certificate //[laugh] [?]for daein yer work![/?]//
F638 //Of merit!// It's a certificate of merit from St Joseph's Academy, for bein the best, eh, eh, wha-wha- what did it say? eh, it's here.
M608 [?]You turned up?[/?]
F637 Aye.
M608 Worked [?]too thoroughly[/?].
F638 I've got, I've got a certificate from the school and I'm gonnae frame it. See that, John?
M608 oh right. //[inaudible]//
F638 //I've got a gold merit certificate in catering,//
M608 [laugh]
F638 from the teachers at the school. Even the headmistress, Bridget Rooney, signed it!
M608 That that that that's superb. I mean, that's even better than a Scotvec.
F638 I'm tellin ye!
F640 [laugh]
F638 I'm gonnae frame that. [laugh]
M608 [laugh]
F638 I mean it's my one and only, John!
M608 Why did they give that to you?
F638 eh?
M608 When did they give that to you?
F638 They gave me it when I left there in eh June.
M608 oh, that's nice.
F638 And a big bouquet of flowers and seventy-five pounds!
M608 Very nice.
F638 mmhm
F640 So what did ye no like aboot the school, Mary?
F638 I just hated it.
F637 When she was young?
F640 //Aye.//
M608 //Aye.//
F637 oh she gret tae get, and when she got she used //to be sick every mornin.//
F638 //Hated the school.// I hated it.
F637 She hated it, but //that teacher wisnae//
F638 //I don't know why.//
F637 good tae ye, she wisnae good tae ye, was she?
F638 Who?
F637 That f- teacher ye had in the junior school.
F638 Miss [CENSORED: surname]?
F637 Aye.
F638 She petrified me. //She used to//
F637 //I know!//
F638 poke me with, well no me, but she poked the boys with the poke- eh her big //pointer//
F637 //Aye, but they used// //tae leather me for being left-//
F638 //in the stomach.//
F637 handit, and made me sit on my hand and hut me with a ruler and, made, ye know, //to make//
M608 //mm//
F637 me write wi my right hand. And then I got intae trouble for writin below the lines.
M608 Aye.
F637 And, they didnae realise I couldnae see the lines until up, they tested your eyes then at seven,
M608 uh-huh
F637 when ye were supposed to be able tae read.
M608 Aye.
F637 Because, before that ye couldnae read the s- ye know, //ABCs//
M608 //mm//
F637 tae get your eyes tested.
M608 mmhm
F637 And then I wore glasses fae then.
M608 mm
F637 But I was always gettin leathered for writing below //the lines an.//
F638 //They wouldnae let ye write// wi your left hand at school.
F637 //No, no.//
M608 //oh aye.//
F637 //No.//
F638 //They would// not allow it.
M608 hmm
F637 //[inaudible]//
F638 //If ye were left-// han-. I mean it's so stupid, when ye think aboot //it now.//
F637 //mmhm//
M608 Aye.
F638 For i-, see when I was eh makin the teachers' tea. I mean, it's amazin the teachers that were left-handed.
M608 Aye. Aye.
F638 But, I mean, the ja- I mean, it's silly, isn't it, //when ye think//
F637 //mmhm//
F638 aboot it noo, they wouldnae allow ye tae write wi yer left ha-, if ye were left-handed.
M608 What was the difference between the the big school and the junior school? I mean what kinda?
F638 Well then it was like eh movin now. Ye had a different teacher for each subject, whereas ye had the same teacher for the the whole year.
M608 Aye, right.
F637 //Ye know, for the first//
F638 //That eh.//
F637 two years ye went tae school ye had the same teacher. I'd a Miss Arbuckle. And eh, I remember she got ma-, she, we got word she was gettin married. And I thought, "How's it, what's an old woman like her gettin married for?" But she must have been maybe oh twenty-three or twenty-four.
M608 [laugh]
F637 But to me, at between five and seven, she was an old woman, ye know. And eh, then ye went up to the big school, and ye started getting different teachers for arithmetic and eh different things like that. And I remember I was off a year, off the school a full year wi
M608 mmhm
F637 bein in hospital; I had scarlet fever and one thing and another. And eh, I was five months in the hospital wi scarlet fever.
M608 uh-huh?
F637 And then I was o-, then I sprained ma ankle, and then I took somethin else, an I was off a full year. And eh, I went up back to the school and the the headmaster said, "Och, we'll just put her in her own class, she'll no be long. She'll catch up."
M608 mmhm
F637 And I got this eh teach-, Miss [CENSORED: surname]. And the first day there, spellin was never ma strong point, and she gave me the belt,
M608 mmhm
F637 right up tae there for havin four le-, four eh spellins wrong. And ma mother went up, and gave her oh what for, ye know?
M608 Aye.
F637 I got the belt every day that I was in her class. //Every day.//
F638 //Whether ye needed it or not!// [laugh]
F637 She took took it out on me that woman.
F640 mmhm
F637 Aye, and then ye got another teacher for, ye then ye went tae cookery.
M608 uh-huh
F637 Now they had a cookery, //when ye went tae cookery,//
F638 //Ye'd tae go tae Ayr Academy// [inaudible] //cookery.//
F637 //No.// No, you went, //we had, we//
F638 //I did!//
F637 had a cookery cla-, a cookery bit under the clinic, remember?
F638 oh right, we went for laundry //to that Ayr Academy.//
F637 //We went f-, you went// to the Aca-, first time ye went for laundry, ye //went tae Catholic school.//
M608 //There was a class for laundry?//
F637 //uh-huh//
F638 //Ye had a class in// loi- laundry and ye had //to take//
F637 //mmhm//
F638 articles fae the house and //ye washed them.//
F637 //A hanky!//
F640 //[inaudible] hanky was the first//
F638 //A lady's and a gent's hanky.//
F640 thing.
F638 Yes.
F637 A lady's and a gent's hanky, and that was a whole lesson. And ye had the boiling, the //bleaching and the blueing!//
F638 //The blueing, the blueing,// and the bleaching!
F640 //mmhm//
F637 //So ye// had tae dae this //wi these two//
F638 //[laugh]//
F637 //hankies.//
M608 //You you were taught well!//
F638 [laugh] //[laugh]//
F640 //Was it a// //[inaudible]//
F637 //And then they// went up on the pulley.
F640 mmhm
F637 In the the class room, they'd //all these//
M608 //mm//
F637 pulleys, you know, for dryin the //clothes.//
F640 //[inaudible]// [inaudible]
F637 So, it lay up there for a week.
F638 Yeah, and you //ironed it! [laugh]//
F637 //And you would, the next week, ye were taught how tae iron// it and fold it.
F640 Wi a great big heavy //iron.//
F637 //Aye.//
F638 uh-huh
F637 mmhm, the big //ones that//
F638 //Aye.//
F637 heated on a hob, ye know a flat iron?
M608 How many people were there in a class ironing?
F637 oh aboot, maybe aboot twenty odds.
F640 oh aye, your whole //[inaudible] class.//
F637 //Aye, uh-huh.//
M608 [inaudible]
F637 And then ye went //for cookery,//
F638 //Ye went,// //and then ye went for sewin.//
F637 //and ye worked in pairs.// And ye went for sewin, but ye got that in your own school, but for cookery, th- we had a cookery room, and eh they had tiny wee pots. But ye worked in pairs.
M608 mmhm
F637 And my name was Hillen and the one I had tae work wi was Lizzie Hill, and ye could have stuck her tae the wall; she was clarty. And eh, I wouldnae let her touch anything
M608 Aye.
F637 that we were makin, because if she'd touched it I couldnae //eat it!//
F638 //I never// mind o cookin in twos!
F637 Aye ye'd tae cook //in//
F638 //No.//
F637 Aye ye worked //with pairs.//
F638 //Cause I made lovely// spongy scones. //I was the top in the class.//
F637 //oh aye, [laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F638 //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F638 "Mary Hillen? She makes lovely spongy //scones!"//
F640 //[laugh]//
F637 //[laugh]// //[laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F638 And I was //the only one in the class//
F637 //But eh//
F638 at the exam, when she said, asked the question, "What is the staff of life?" Bread!
M608 [laugh]
F637 That's cause we went to Sunday //school.//
F638 //That's because// my mother taught us that, "Eat that up, that's the staff of //life!" [laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F637 //[snort] [laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F638 And I made the best scones in the class.
M608 oh right?
F637 Aye, //so ye//
F638 //Yes.//
F637 made thing-, you know, ye made //soup wi margarine.//
F640 //Ye were taught tae bath a baby.//
F638 Aye.
F637 Aye, an ye got aw these //things, and.//
F638 //But when ye// coo- when ye made somethin special, like ye made soup, or ehm, apple tart or something, ye thought, "I'll take that home and show my mother it." And ye'd go, ye started //walkin the mile home, and ye had a wee bit tae taste it.//
F640 //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]// //[laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F638 And then ye took another wee bit tae taste, so when ye got home, ye'd maybe crumbs left. Ye never let them see it, remember that? Ye used tae eat it //on the [laugh] the road home.//
F637 //Aye. [laugh]//
F638 But I mean, ye got //got them//
M608 //Did you supply// the ingredients or were //they in the school?//
F638 //No, the school did.//
F637 //The school did,//
M608 //Right.//
F637 //but ye paid.//
F638 //Nowadays// they have tae supply their own //ingredients.//
F637 //Ye know, say ye,// you were makin an apple tart, well ye took an apple.
M608 uh-huh
F637 And ye paid maybe thruppence or something.
M608 Thruppence?
F637 And that was for towards the other ingredients, ye know, or a penny or what, //tuppence,whatever it was.//
F638 //But nowadays, they take// //the ingredients//
F640 //But// //the best bit was//
F638 //themselves.//
F640 //if ye were//
F637 //mmhm//
F640 sent tae clean out the the the cupboard that //kept all the//
F637 //oh aye.//
F640 currents and raisins in it.
F637 oh aye, //ye could eat em//
F638 //You see, I// I I never had that problem.
F637 //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]// //[laugh]//
F640 //And ye could eat them. [laugh]//
F637 //[laugh]//
F638 //[laugh]//
F637 But it was it was good really.
M608 uh-huh
F637 I feel that we were taught better,
M608 uh-huh
F637 ye know, like eh arithmetic,
M608 Aye.
F637 like mental arithmetic. Ye got //that//
M608 //Yeah.//
F637 every single day, ye got mental arithmetic. And she would go roon the class, ye know, //and just//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F637 pick on //somebody.//
F638 //So did I,// //Eleanor.//
F637 //And eh,// //ye got mental//
F640 //Mental block.//
F637 arithmetic, ye g- and yer spellin and everythin. And yer grammar, I think, was taught a lot better then.
M608 uh-huh
F637 And it was hammered intae ye, John, really hammered intae ye. And ye never f-, even yet, I mean, I hear men on the television, announcers and broadcastin and that, and they'll say, "sawr",
M608 uh-huh
F637 instead o //"saw".//
M608 //Aye, aye.//
F637 Ye know? And that grates on me, //because that wisnae the way//
F638 //But that's dialect isn't it?//
F637 we were taught.
F638 That's dialect. //[?]though[/?].//
F637 //No, but,// I mean, they add an an ER ontae "saw",
M608 Yeah.
F637 ye know? But then again, John used tae, he had a different way o speakin fae I had.
M608 uh-huh
F637 And, some things he used tae say, ye know, and I would say, "You have seen." You know, ye didnae "sawr".
M608 Aye.
F637 He'd say, "I sawr so-and-so." And I'd say, "No. You have seen".
F638 [cough]
F637 Ye know? And eh, these wee things aw stuck in yer mind.
M608 uh-huh?
F637 But eh, nooadays, ye go intae a shop, nooadays,
M608 Aye.
F637 ye buy two items, and they cannae add it up.
M608 mmhm, they need a calculator [?]some of them[/?].
F637 They need a calculator //or they've got tae add it up on the till!//
F638 //It's just, but it's just movin with// the times, //John,//
M608 //Aye.//
F638 that's all it is. I mean, it's no that
F640 But there'd be //[inaudible]//
F637 //But, ye see, we'd tae add up in wur head we-we-// we were taught that way.
M608 mm
F637 an an it was a lot quicker, and better, I felt anyway.
M608 So did you, did you go from school straight into work?
F637 //mmhm//
F638 //Yes.// I left the school in June, and I was wasn't fourteen till the twentieth of August, and I was working before my birthday.
F640 You didnae get a ve- any holiday before //[inaudible]//
F637 //oh no, ye never// //got a holiday.//
F638 //I was// workin before my fourteenth birthday in A L Scott's, the shoe //shop, in Ayr//
F640 //I was workin when I was fifteen.//
F638 //and I'd//
M608 //uh-huh//
F638 already done two year in eh the dairy before that.
M608 Was that working part-time?
F638 I delivered milk in the mornin, and then I served in the dairy shop at night when I came out the school.
F640 //Tell him what//
M608 //So.//
F640 ye did in the mornin.
F638 And eh I went oot with the horse and cart and delivered milk.
M608 oh, right! //[inaudible]//
F638 //And it wasnae milk// bottles. It was //the the. It wisnae cartons, or milk bottles! No!//
F637 //It wisnae cartons, it was milk bottles, oh, it was the cans, cans then.//
F638 It wasn't, it was the b-, they used tae give ye their jug //and ye'd the//
F637 //mmhm.//
F638 big ten-gallon milk-cans and ye'd a scoop, pint ha- and two pint and a half pint. And ye filled their jug in the mornin.
F640 Before she went to school.
F638 Before I went to school!
M608 What time would that be?
F638 I used tae start at six in the mornin.
M608 uh-huh?
F638 And I'd come home, and at the weekend we, I worked, either washin bo- eh they had bottles //in the//
M608 //mm//
F638 dairy, wa- washin the bottles, which was in great big big tubs, wi two eh revolvin brushes, and a brush in the centre.
M608 mmhm
F638 And ye held the two milk bottles on it,
M608 mm
F638 and they revolved. They were dipped and then put into the cases,
M608 Aye.
F638 taken through to the creamery. Ye threw ten-gallon cans of milk intae the machine and then ye filled all the bottles and stoppered them for deliverin the next day in the cooled room.
F637 //They were stoppered wi//
M608 //[inaudible] did you do this physically?//
F637 mmhm!
F638 Physically!
F637 //mmhm//
M608 //uh-huh//
F638 And then I scrubbed the the dairy floor,
M608 uh-huh?
F638 the shop part, and that was me finished, and I think I got two pound a week //for that.//
F637 //mmhm//
M608 Then, how did you find the job in the shoe shop?
F638 It wisnae a case of it. I mean, you only went to the labour-exchange, it was called then. And then, of course, there was the job there and I hated the shoe shop.
M608 mm
F638 And I went fae there tae work in a hosiery.
F640 Mother told you where ye should go.
F638 Aye, know, an yer parents said, "oh that. I think //that's." And I went//
F637 //Aye, mm.//
F638 from there, and I worked in a hosiery
M608 mmhm
F638 And eh, then I, my //health got so bad.//
F637 //Tell him what ye had for yer piece.// Aye, because of yer carried //piece.//
F638 //My// my health got so bad, that I went back to the labour-exchange, and I went tae be a spinner
M608 mmhm
F638 in the carpet factory, Grace carpet factory. And the Mr eh Logan, remember him?
F640 mmhm
F638 He interviewed me and he said I'd good appearance. He thought I should go intae the office. And I was in the office till, for over thirteen year. In the sales department.
M608 oh, right, //what kind of things did//
F638 //We sta-//
M608 you do there?
F638 Sorry?
M608 What kind of things did you do in the office?
F638 oh ye did all the orderin, and the sendin out all the carpets, and ye booked in everythin that was made in the factory intae big ledgers.
M608 Aye.
F638 And then, ye had yer ehm ye'd tae write out eh, customers' orders. And it was long-hand.
M608 mm
F638 It wasn't the, there wasn't any machines or anything, it was all done in long- //hand.//
M608 //Yeah.//
F638 And it's, ye used tae get different coloured papers up from the factory; they came up from the factory tae tell ye what had been produced, and ye entered these intae ledgers. And then ye knew what yer stock was. And that's.
M608 [inaudible]
F637 //mmhm//
F638 //uh-huh//
M608 Where did where did you work in? //[inaudible]//
F637 //Well, when I left// when I left the school, //I started in//
F638 //[cough]//
F637 Kate Fisher's. I wanted to stay on and take my lower leaving-certificate, //but that//
M608 //mm//
F637 meant I'd tae stay on to, at school till I was fifteen. So my mother needed the money; I had tae leave the school. And I left tae go and work for a pound a week.
M608 Right.
F640 //In a shop.//
F637 //And,// //in a shop, and I was supposed//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F637 to be learnin window dressin.
M608 uh-huh
F637 But the woman that was teachin me left to open another shop, after nine months. And she wanted me tae go wi her, ye know, //to work.//
M608 //Aye.//
F637 And I would've been better, John, if I had gone, but, at that time, ye were influenced by the rest of the folk, ye know. And I stayed on there, and then I went and took short-hand and typin.
F640 She was just a shop-assistant.
F637 Aye. //And I was the youngest,//
F638 //Which I wasn't allowed to go for,// because my mother couldn't afford tae send //the both of us.//
F637 //It was eight shillings a// //week,//
M608 //oh, right.//
F637 for my short-hand and typin lessons.
M608 uh-huh
F637 And then I left there and, when I was sixteen, and I went tae work in Gray's office in the s- in the wages office.
F638 //No, the stamp work!//
M608 //Cause I was thinking [inaudible].//
F640 The stamp-work?
F637 The stamp-work, sorry, //I went to work in the//
F638 //It wasn't Gray's.//
F637 stamp-work //office, sorry.//
M608 //mmhm, mmhm//
F637 eh in the wages office and learnt the comput- eh, //comptometer.//
M608 //Comptometer.//
F637 Ye worked a comptometer there. Makin oot the wages. And then I was transferred from the wages office down to the ehm plannin office.
M608 uh-huh
F637 And the plannin office, aw the steel that come in, it was just more or less the same as Mary. Everythin that came in and was made and went out, went through this plannin office and we'd huge big boards on the wall, and every hammer had a number in the stamp works had a number. And, ye got aw the steel come in,
M608 mmhm
F637 and my job was to was to work out how many forgins ye would get oot this amount of steel. And ye used a um
F638 Slide rule.
F637 slide rule //tae//
M608 //mmhm//
F637 work that oot. And ye put that aw in tae this these ledgers again,
M608 Aye.
F637 and the steel had tae go and get passed at the the lab.
M608 uh-huh
F637 And then you put it up on the board. And as the the forgins, you're gettin notes of how many forgins had been made.
M608 Yeah.
F637 And you moved along and ev-, ye knew what every hammer had tae do.
F640 Like a production //line.//
F637 //But,// I wasnae gettin short-hand and typin there. And I felt it was wasted. So I went fae there tae work in ehm Grant's office - the furniture store -
M608 oh, right.
F637 where I got short-hand and typin,
M608 mmhm
F637 and it was, I was still there when I got married, at nineteen.
M608 mmhm So when you were working, were you working five days a week, was it?
F637 //But//
F638 //No!// [inaudible] //You might have//
F637 //you worked [inaudible]//
F638 been in the factory, but ye worked eh
F637 No, in a shop ye got a half day off on a //Wednesday.//
F638 //On a Wednesday,// and ye worked right through tae Saturday night.
F637 uh-huh, and ye'd a Sunday off.
F638 Ye'd a Sunday that was aw.
F637 uh-huh
M608 oh right.
F637 But in the f- when I worked in the //stampin works//
F638 //And it was,//
F637 ye worked Monday to Friday.
F638 And it was, when I started in Gray's, John,
M608 uh-huh
F638 I started, for aw it was in an office, I started at twenty-five past seven in the morning, till twenty-five to six at night. That was my office-hours, because, remember the horn used to //blow at twenty-five past seven in the mornin?//
F640 //That's right, because the ten, the ten//
M608 //That's right.//
F640 minutes, ye didn't start at half seven, because in startin at twenty-five past and finishin at twenty-five to, made up your ten minutes break. //[inaudible]//
F638 //Break,// //durin//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F637 //mmhm//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F638 //the day.//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F637 //mmhm//
F640 //Ye had a ten-minute//
M608 //mmhm//
F640 but ye work, ye startit five minutes early and finished five //minutes late.//
F638 //But, I mean, that was// long, long hours //for an office.//
F640 //mmhm,// mmhm
F638 And when ye worked in the shop, ye were there from nine in the mornin tae six at night.
M608 mm, what did ye do in the evenings? Did you have
F637 //[inaudible]//
F638 //Well,// depending how much money ye had, ye got two and six pocket-money a week, John.
F637 You were lucky, I got a shillin.
F638 oh phhh, but you're ancient! //eh I//
F637 //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]// //[laugh]//
F637 //[laugh]//
F638 ye got two and //sixpence, a week,//
F637 //[laugh]//
F638 pocket-money, but ye'd tae buy yer own eh, well it wisnae tights, stockings off o that, toothpaste, things like that. You maybe got a night at the pictures, or the dancin,
F637 Aye if ye if ye broke intae yer brother's wee mud hut //for the [laugh]//
F638 //and, if//
M608 //[laugh]//
F637 [laugh]
F638 I used to do a bit o borrowing, //and pay back.//
F637 //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F637 But that was for, that was oot //fur the the missionaries,//
F638 //But ehm,//
F637 and she she //took the bottom off it and took the money oot.//
F638 //the thing is though// eh, I mean, that had that had tae last ye a week, John!
M608 mmhm
F637 mmhm
F638 That that had tae last ye a full week!
M608 Yeah.
F640 Well ye didnae go out, ye only went tae the pictures. //We sat in and//
F638 //Ye only went tae the pictures,//
F640 knitted and listened tae the //radio.//
F638 //an// //listened to the//
F637 //Aye, or went a walk.//
F638 the wireless.
F637 Quite often ye'd things tae dae in the hoose when ye came in. Ye know my mother //would've//
F638 //An I mean// and ye'd yer housework tae do.
F637 oh, aye.
F638 Aye, ye'd yer housework tae do.
M608 What did you do on a //Sunday?//
F637 //Maybe// ironing an that.
F638 On a Sunday ye //ye went dressed//
F637 //Ye went a walk.//
F638 up and if it was a nice day ye walked along the shore at Ayr.
F637 //mmhm//
M608 //[?]And at night?[/?]// //[inaudible]//
F638 //And at night.//
F640 With yer hat //on.//
F637 //But//
F638 Cover him up, John. [indicating budgie] And at night, ye'd yer hat on.
F637 In there, in the cupboard. [pointing]
F638 There's a cover in here. And it eh, and then at night ye went and ye walked down the High //Street.//
F637 //That's it.//
F638 Ye walked //down.//
F637 //No, that// was a no- //no.//
F640 //Aye,//
F638 //up and// //down. That's it.//
F640 //that's it, that's it.//
F637 //That was a no-no.//
F638 //Up and down// the High Street and ye went and had a coffee, and that was Sunday. Ye'd tae be home by nine o'clock.
F640 Because ye'd yer work the next day.
F637 //mmhm//
F638 //Yes.// Ye had tae be home by nine o'clock on a Sunday, and that's how ye spent a Sunday.
F637 mmhm
F638 In the winter-time,
F637 Ye might get a click, ye don't //know.//
F638 //in the winter-time,// ye maybe never went oot, if it's a miserable day, ye never went oot tae maybe night-time, //had a walk//
M608 //uh-huh//
F638 along the High Street and went tae Green's picture house up there, remember the cafe?
F640 mmhm
F638 Up there, and ye had a coffee, and that was it. Exciting!
M608 Aye.
F638 eh? Living on the edge! //[cough]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F637 You went tae Green's?
F638 I went tae Green's.
F640 Everybody was the same.
F638 Aye, we went tae //Green's.//
F637 //That's aw that// that went there.
F640 [laugh] //[laugh]//
F638 //It was nothing of the//
M608 //[laugh]//
F637 //It was//
F638 //kind!//
F637 so!
F640 //oh no, it was//
F638 //That.//
F640 //quite posh.//
F637 //When I was young.//
F638 oh it was, aye, it was posh. But eh, that was it John, that was, //and, I mean ye were workin//
F637 //oh aye ye//
F638 all these days. //things.//
F637 //But, John// see nooadays i- the kids don't go oot to play.
M608 uh-huh
F637 the way we went oot to play. And every season had a different thing.
M608 oh aye.
F637 Ye know? //Like//
M608 //Aye.//
F637 you you played skippin-ropes at the same time every year.
M608 uh-huh
F637 And ye played 'peevers':
M608 True.
F637 'hopscotch' they caw it noo, but we cawed it 'peevers'. And
M608 Was that with a pebble?
F637 //No.//
F638 //No, ye'd a// piece o marble, roon //marble, John.//
F637 //Ye used tae used// tae go to the who, the man that made the headstones for the cemetery, and he had wee off-cuts, and he used to make //peevers; a piece o wee round bit o marble.//
F638 //Peevers, wee round circles o marble.//
M608 Right.
F637 And ye threw it, ye know, ye drew what we cawed 'beds' was, //ye know, on the//
F638 //[cough]//
F637 the pavement.
F640 //Wi chalk.//
M608 //Yeah.//
F637 Wi chalk, and we used tae get a bu- a block o pipe-clay,
M608 mmhm
F637 er that the women put on their steps
M608 mmhm
F637 tae whiten them. And ye drew yer beds, and then ye played eh //wi wi yer peevers.//
F638 //And div-//
F637 And if ye didnae have enough money to go and buy that, ye got an auld shoe-polish tin and filled it full o dirt
F640 mmhm
F637 tae weigh it doon, and ye used that.
F638 But then beds werenae like they play hopscotch now. //We drew//
F637 //No.//
F638 six //like that.//
F637 //uh-huh//
M608 mmhm
F638 And it was numbered one tae six, //and that's how//
F637 //You know.//
M608 //mmhm//
F638 we played. //We don't, we didna//
F637 //And ye hopped. And ye had//
F638 play wi that //hoppin an//
M608 //Yeah.//
F638 then jumpin the, //no.//
F640 //Ye// decorated it.
M608 Aye.
F637 //Aye.//
F638 //[cough]// //And then we played marbles.//
F640 //[inaudible] We decorated// //the beds.//
F637 //mmhm//
F638 //Ye// played marbles,
F637 Bools.
F638 eh and then ye played ehm ball, against the wall. //Sometimes//
M608 //oh right.//
F638 wi two.
F640 uh-huh
F637 //Sometimes wi a a//
F638 //Sometimes wi one.//
F637 elastic through it, ye know? //An//
F640 //But//
F638 //An//
F640 what were the fast eh skippin-ropes?
F638 The fast //[inaudible]//
F640 //Tenners.//
F637 //Tenners aye.//
F638 //oh, uh-huh//
F637 uh-huh
F638 Where ye p-. //And sometimes ye played//
F637 //mmhm. Ye cawed hard.//
F638 wi double skippin- //ropes.//
F640 //uh-huh//
M608 //mmhm//
F637 //mmhm//
F638 //Ye could but// ye //played wi two.//
F640 //Ye ye jumped between// the ropes, //cause, cause.//
F637 //Aye.//
M608 //mm//
F638 And only when ye stopped the rope, you had tae start and caw the //rope.//
F640 //Can you remember any// o the rhymes ye sang //for the ropes?//
F638 //eh//
F637 Aye, //ehm//
F638 //[exhale]//
F640 A house to let?
F637 //A fire within//
F638 //A house to// //eh, -ply -ply within//
F640 //A house to let, apply within.//
F637 //within.// //A lady put out, drinking gin,//
F638 //An, lady was caught for drinking gin.// //Drinking gin is a very bad thing.//
F637 //-king gin is a very bad thing,// //So, out goes Mary and Margaret comes in!//
F638 //out goes Mary and Margaret comes in!//
M608 //[laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F637 //And then eh what was the other ehm,//
F638 //[laugh]// In and out goes //dusty bluebells.//
F637 //Dusty bluebells.// //Aye, uh-huh//
F638 //Was that another one?//
F637 "In and out goes dusty bluebells", and there was, but there was other ah they had quite a few others.
F640 Do ye remember the ball one? //When you're playing ball.//
F637 //One, two, three a'leery!//
F638 //A'leery!// //Four, five,//
F640 //I spied// //Wallace Beery sittin on his bumbaleery, eatin jelly babies!//
F637 //Wallace Beery sittin on his bumbaleery, eatin [laugh] babies!//
F638 //Wallace Beery sittin on his bumbaleery, eatin jelly babies!// //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]// //[laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F637 //Or "kissin Shirley Temple" we used tae sing.//
F638 //[laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F637 //eh//
M608 //[laugh]//
F637 //and//
F638 //No we said, "eatin// jelly babies."
F640 //oh another//
F637 //Aye.//
F640 skippin was, "There she goes, //an there she goes,//
F637 //"there she goes,//
F638 //"there she goes,// //peerie heels and pointit toes.//
F640 //peerie heels and pointit toes.//
F637 //peerie heels and pointit toes.// //Look at her feet, look she's neat; black stockins and dirty feet!"//
F640 //Look at her feet, she thinks she's neat; black stockins and dirty feet!"//
F638 //Look at her feet, she thinks she's neat; black stockins and dirty feet!"// //[laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F637 //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F637 oh it was r- it was good. //But,//
M608 //Yeah.//
F637 an then, at night, the light nights //ye know,//
M608 //Aye.//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F637 //in the summer-time, eh we used tae// play kick the can. eh
M608 [inaudible]
F637 //an aleevo//
F638 //Well I played r-.// No, I played //rounders.//
F637 //and eh// ye played rounders, kick the can, eh, aleevo, well,
M608 What's aleevo?
F637 aleevo was, there was a a crowd, ye know, ye had two teams, and one team, the other team went in, like, a den, ye know, they drew a den,
M608 uh-huh
F637 and somebody fae the other team had tae run through and shout 'aleevo', and everybody ran out, and, the other team, it's their turn tae go in, and and eh they would run, some o, some o theirs would run through. //An then.//
F638 //I've never played that.//
F637 Aye, and then we played statues, and that was, //there would be a line o people,//
M608 //[inaudible]//
F637 right?
M608 uh-huh
F637 An, one bodie would stand wi their back tae the ri- tae the line. And the the s- they would start walking towards them.
M608 uh-huh
F637 And, when they turned round quick, eh, ye'd tae stop, but if ye were caught, //movin//
F640 //Movin, uh-huh//
F637 ye were out, ye know. And eh, that was statues. And then we used tae play eh [tut]. What else did we play? Kick the can, //aleevo//
F638 //No, I never// played kick the can, never! //Och//
F637 //Och,// //aye!//
F638 //Or aleevo!// //Never even//
F637 //uh-huh?//
F638 heard of it!
F637 oh aye, we //played aw these things.//
F638 //Played rounders,// and sk- roller-skatin,
M608 uh-huh
F638 and eh on a, I learned tae ride a bicycle on Robin Hutchison's fairy-cycle.
M608 [laugh] //[laugh]//
F638 //And my knees, and I was away doon McLean Street and up Market Street like the clappers! Wi this wee fairy-cycle bicycle.// And then I got my own bicycle, which //cost//
M608 //uh-huh//
F638 me, and I saved up my pocket money, four pounds.
M608 Good grief. That's a //[?]lot of money[/?].//
F638 //It was an ex-// A-T-S bike, and it was a fantastic bike.
F637 Ye know the //kind [inaudible]//
F638 //It was like the// old-fashioned nurses' bikes, now ye know the
M608 oh aye.
F637 //mmhm//
F638 //that that went// //round like that?//
F640 //[inaudible]// mmhm
F638 And it was a great bicycle and I used it for years. And I used tae cycle f-, remember I went fae Ayr wi the swimming club and I went away doon tae the Croy shore, we cycled tae the Croy shore and back. But it was a great bi-, and it didnae have any //gears on it.//
M608 //No gears!// //[laugh]//
F637 //No.//
F638 //It didnae have// gears. [laugh] It was a, and then I I went a step up and bought myself a new green Raleigh bicycle. That was class.
M608 Aye.
F638 That was class!
F637 But I went away wi that bike of yours without the //gears,//
F638 //And broke// it!
F637 //and went, cycled tae Kilwinning!//
M608 //[laugh]//
F638 And never told me, John. I was goin down a //hill.//
F637 //Cycled tae// //Kilwinning, John.//
F638 //I went down// a hill, and she'd broken it, and the front wheel snapped, and I'd tae go tae my work on the bar, //o eh.//
M608 //[laugh]//
F638 What did ye call them that used tae live next door tae us? //Her that had the bendy//
F640 //Wilson?//
F638 bottle at New Year. The bendy
F640 Wilson?
F638 W- was it
F637 uh-huh
F638 was it Wilson or Gibson?
F640 Cairns?
F638 Cairns! An his father had, I'd tae dump it in at somebody's house, and he took me tae Gray's on the bar o his bicycle that morning, so as I'd be in time for my work.
F640 Aye, cause ye were quartered. //mmhm//
F638 //I know!//
F640 if you were late.
F638 They took fifteen minutes off yer pay.
F637 mm
F640 If ye w- if, the door shut when the horn went, ye see, //after the horn went//
F638 //mmhm//
F640 ye were quartered.
F637 //But//
F638 //And see in// that first job I had, John, at A L Scott's?
M608 uh-huh
F638 My pay was seventeen and six a week.
M608 mmhm
F638 And thruppence off that went tae yer //stamp.//
F637 //Stamp,// mmhm
F638 So ye came out wi seventeen and thruppence for workin all those hours, eh?
M608 mm
F640 Eighty-five p.
F637 Aye.
F640 //[inaudible]//
F638 //uh-huh//
F640 when you think of it.
F638 Is that how much it is now, //eighty-five//
F640 //mm//
M608 //Mm// //mm,//
F640 //Well it's seventeen//
F638 //p?// //[cough]//
M608 //mm//
F638 mmhm //[?]Right[/?].//
F637 //Aye, and ye were the// dog's-body.
F640 Aye seven- //aye, eighty-five p.//
F638 //uh-huh I used//
M608 //mm, yeah.//
F638 tae have tae k- s- go down on my hands and knees and scrub that shop //floor.//
F637 //So// did I, //in Kate Fisher's.//
F638 //And I washed that sh-,// these sh-, eh, double shop windows every morning, and cleaned all round about where it was sort o like marbly stuff, //underneath the//
M608 //Aye.//
F638 window. That had tae be washed every day, //hail, rain or//
F637 //That's right, I did the same.//
F638 snow.
F637 mmhm
F638 And then ye scrubbed inside the shop floor, or doon on your hands and //knees.//
F637 //Doon on yer hands// //and knee.//
F640 //And ye had tae wear// a black dress.
F638 Aye.
F637 Imagine.
F638 mmhm
F637 Down on yer hands and knees scrubbin //a great big shop!//
F640 //What did ye get for yer// piece?
F638 eh //oh.//
F640 //So ye never// went home for lunch?
F637 //Aye!//
F638 //I used to go// home when I worked, but when I worked in the hosiery, I had a small case,
F640 //[laugh]//
M608 //mmhm//
F638 and I took eight slice o plain bread
F640 [laugh] eight slice!
F638 with could o been cheese, or cold-meat. //And then//
F637 //Tomat-//
F638 I would have maybe a couple of biscuits, then //the baker came//
F637 //A round scone.// //[laugh]//
F638 //the baker came// //to the//
M608 //Right.//
F638 hosiery. //I would maybe buy//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F638 a pie, and maybe a round scone and a cake. And that's all I had to feed me all //day, John!//
M608 //[laugh]// //[laugh]//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F637 //[laugh]// //So she//
F638 //So she'd// But I'd this wee case that, for my sandwiches, for //my piece,//
M608 //hm//
F638 in this tiny wee case and eh that chap used tae say,"When she jumps on the bus wi that case [laugh] the front wheels go up in the air!" //[laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F637 //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F637 That's when ye said tae my mother that ye'd have tae leave that job, because the carried-pieces werenae agreein //wi ye.//
F638 //I know,// I wasnae, I wasnae well enough, that's what was wrong. But em, as I say, when
F637 But when ye think aboot it, John, it was a hard life then.
M608 mm //yeah.//
F637 //I mean,// even for my mother,
M608 mm, oh aye.
F637 because, I mean, they didnae have a lot o money and they cou-, they didnae have fridges, and they couldnae go and buy their food fae one week tae the next. They'd tae buy fresh every day
F638 But look how //many o our young life//
F637 //and cook it.//
F638 was durin the War. I mean, the War started when I was seven.
F637 mmhm, well, that's right, I //was eight, but//
F638 //And it went right// through //until.//
F637 //Till we were aboot// fifteen. I was aboot fifteen, I think.
F638 eh, how long did the War last, six years?
F637 //mmhm//
M608 //mm//
F638 Well, I would be, you'd be fourteen, I'd be //thirteen.//
F637 //mm//
F638 And I mean, you //must remember, John. We never//
F637 //But we never starved durin the War. We didna starve.//
F638 had seen a banana.
M608 mm
F638 And we could not //hardly//
F637 //I had.//
F638 remember what a banana, well, we knew what it looked like, but we we didn't know what it tasted like.
M608 mm
F638 And I remember eh my mother, she heard they were sellin red apples, you were only allowed so many each, and it was a fruit shop on the Main Street, McCulloch's, I think it's still there, to this day., [cough] and she went, and she stood for an hour and a half, and she got four red apples, Canadian red apples, and she brought them tae the school tae us, and we didn't know whether tae eat them, or just keep them. I mean we hadnae even seen a red apple.
M608 Yeah.
F638 And I always remember her bringin them tae the playgroond, when we're oot at play-time, that's, and she'd stood in a queue all that time
F637 mmhm
F638 tae get us an apple.
M608 Aye.
F638 And then, of course, yer sweets were rationed!
M608 mm
F638 Ye only got, eh,
F637 An clothin coupons.
F638 ah, but that wasnae //so bad s-, I mean necessities for//
F637 //Bread coupons! You got.//
F638 for us, we as kids, //sweets!//
F637 //Was sweeties.// //But ye got ye got coupons for bread, as well, and butcher//
M608 //[laugh] Aye.//
F637 meat. //mm//
F640 //mm//
F638 But eh,
M608 That lasted quite a long while after the War, //didn't it? mm//
F637 //mmhm, it did// it did //John.//
F638 //oh the// rationin lasted what was it, not aboot three or four year, after the //War, before.//
F637 //B-Us that's// //what they were cawed; the the the the coupons were//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F637 //cawed [?]that[/?].//
F638 //The rabbit,//
F637 B-Us, //for bread.//
F638 //oot the butchers!//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F637 //B B-Us//
M608 mmhm
F640 for a rabbit for three shillings.
F637 //mmhm. But I used//
F638 //Aye, I mean, it's//
F637 tae get up in the mornin before I went tae school, and I used tae - ye ye couldnae get on the bus, because it was workers only.
M608 mm
F637 And I used tae walk fae Mackie Street, tae the //Main Street,//
F638 //[cough]// [sniff]
F637 tae the butcher's.
M608 mm
F637 And come back up Russell Street, and go intae Barr's the eh, the baker's, and get rolls, and walk home, tae Mackie Street, have my breakfast, and then have tae walk back tae Russell Street tae the //the school.//
F638 //I think// you're makin //a mistake there, Margaret,//
F637 //for nine o'clock.// //I'm not!//
F638 //bread was never// rationed. //Bread.//
F637 //Bread was// rationed, Mary.
F638 I don't think //[inaudible] you could buy,//
F637 //Yes, and it was B-Us// you called them!
F638 eh as much //bread as you liked.//
F637 //But, no you couldnae!//
F640 Do you remember goin for the shin- //shin-//
F637 //And it wasnae b-//
F638 //oh, we// //used tae go for what//
F637 //white bread.//
F638 we called 'shinners'.
M608 What's that?
F640 //Cinders.//
F637 //oh aye.//
F638 //eh// like cinders //for the//
M608 //Uh-huh//
F637 //It was fae the gas-works.//
F638 //fire, because yer coal ran// out. //Yer coal//
M608 //mmhm//
F638 ran out, ye didnae get enough //coal durin the War.//
F637 //It was what was left after they// burned the coal at the gas-works.
F638 So you //you took an old pram,//
F637 //And my mother and I went.//
F640 //And I went too.//
F638 //or a bogie.// //Aye, so did I.//
F637 //Did you go?//
F640 mmhm, we all went.
F638 And we went, we aw had tae take wur turn, //and.//
F637 //And my dad// got this big bag at the shipyard. And it was made oot o ehm //sailcloth.//
F640 //A bag.//
F637 Well you know how heavy that was?
M608 mm, mm
F637 And I remember my mother, and it was a it was a huge big //thing it must o been//
F638 //[cough]//
F637 aboot five feet //long,//
F638 //[cough]//
F637 and maybe aboot
F638 [cough]
F637 that wide, three feet wide. And, because it was a shillin, no matter how much, what size o bag ye took.
M608 mmhm
F637 And he made us this thing wi old pram-wheels. Right? And two bits o wood along.
M608 mmhm
F637 And away we would go, early in the mornin, so as nobody would see ye, cause ye were a wee bit ashamed o goin, //ye know with, for these.//
M608 //mm// mm
F637 And ye'd tae go away doon to the the gas-works, away doon at the bottom o Russell Street, near like the main street. //That's where the//
M608 //mm//
F637 gas-works was. So ye went away in the mornin, and ye trailed this thing along, and ye went tae the gas-works, and ye g- filled it up wi the shinners and ye lifted it on tae the the wheels.
M608 mmhm
F637 And I remember my mother and I were comin up the road, and one o the wheels come off. The pin come oot the wheel.
M608 oof
F637 Well, we were sittin, on the side of the road, the two o us, in tears, and these two men come along, and they said, "Whit's wrong, missus?" tae my mother, and my mother says, "oh, the wheels off my bogie." And that what we cawed it, a bogie. And eh, "oh wait and I'll see what we can dae." he says. So, he ge- goes in his pocket and he gets a nail oot. And he puts the nail in through and puts the wheel back on and bent the nail up, and up we came, up the road.
M608 mm
F637 Ye know, but, I mean, i- that was the kind o things ye had tae dae //then.//
F638 //[inaudible]// do ye //rem-//
F637 //But my// mother could bake! And, there was an oven above the fire.
M608 mm
F637 And ye shut the doors on the fire. And, wi these shinners, they were really gave a really hot, ye know, fire. And she could bake in the oven up above. //And that's,//
M608 //mmhm//
F637 ye couldnae control the heat. //Ye just//
M608 //mmhm//
F637 she used tae make scones and things //like that in there.//
F638 //ah but do you no remember// when we worked for the tip man? //[laugh]//
F637 //[laugh]// //[laugh]//
F638 //Deliverin shoes!// //Do you not remember//
F637 //Aye, you an I!//
F638 that?
F637 oh God, aye. //I remember that!//
F638 //This man, he went round// the doors [inaudible]. Don't ask me how //I ever got involved wi him. Don't ask//
F637 //He came fae Maybole and his name.//
F638 me!
F637 He came fae //Maybole, his name was Mr Mulveen.//
F638 //but he delivered, he del-,// he di- he delivered, he, know, people bought things on tick, pay up.
M608 Aye.
F638 And he was lookin for somebody tae deliver shoes, right?
F637 So mother //volunteered us.//
F638 //So.// Mother said we would do it for him. Ye got two shillins. //Two shillings.//
F637 //A shillin each.//
F638 Two shillings each,
F637 Was it?
F638 for deliverin shoes. And, one week, I went //away doon the harbour.//
F637 //But ye had tae go,// //but ye had tae.//
F638 //Wait a minute!//
F637 Where ye'd tae go tae pick //the shoes up?//
F638 //I'd [?]go[/?] away doon// the harbour.
F637 //She'd tae go tae the//
M608 //uh-huh//
F638 Away Green Street, aw that area, th- and then, it was away oot Glebe Street, and away oot
F637 Heathfield.
F638 Heathfield.
F637 //Up the high street.//
M608 //mmhm//
F638 So we did a swap; one week I would go one place. And ye'd tae take this
F637 But we //got//
F638 //bogie// thing tae collect them. //Ye'd these piles//
F637 //They came in a big//
F638 o shoes, //imagine!//
F637 //an a, ye'd tae go// tae the Newton //Station,//
F638 //[cough]//
F637 and collect this, and it was a big eh
F640 It was like a big hold-all //thing.//
F637 //A big bag,//
F638 //Aye.//
F637 huge big bag, //full o boxes o shoes.//
F640 //[inaudible]//
M608 So you were delivering, you were delivering these //to people?//
F637 //An we had to//
F638 //We were// //delivering them tae people,//
F637 //go and deliver them.// //Well ye might go to the high street.//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F638 //for two for two shillings.// [laugh]
F637 Ye might go tae the high street maybe three or four times and climb away up the stairs and the bodie wouldnae be in. And so ye'd tae bring them back and ye'd tae go back again, and keep goin back. Sometimes it took ye a week tae get them aw delivered! //Ye know?//
F638 //But we did that// for two //shillings. [laugh]//
F637 //Aye, we did that!//
M608 How old would you be when ye were doin that?
F637 //oh, it was when we left the school.//
F638 //oh, we would be aboot f-,// oh we'd would be aboot //fourteen, thirteen//
F637 //Aye, thirteen,// maybe.
F638 [inaudible] //aye, you'd be//
F637 //Roon aboot//
F638 fourteen. I'd be thirteen, //[inaudible]. But eh.//
F637 //No, I was workin at fourteen, so it was before that.//
F638 No, we did that on a //Saturday,//
F637 //Aye, that was a// //Saturday.//
F638 //oh and then// //I thought [exhale].//
F640 //Aye, but ye never got keepin the// money. Ye handed it //over.//
F637 //oh no!//
F638 //Aye, ye// gave it to my mother. //Same//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F637 //oh no.//
F638 wi my money. //I worked in the Dairy for, I'd tae give it tae my//
F637 //And then we co- we come in one day.//
F638 mother.
F637 We came in one day, John, an an eh, up at where Dalmillan is now,
M608 Aye.
F637 was just aw fields. And, we said tae my mother, "Mum, there's tatty-howkin jobs goin on up there." This was durin the Sat-, ye know, //the summer//
M608 //Aye.//
F637 holidays, eh and the s- and some o the soldiers, fae the racecourse, were helpin tae lift them. Ye know, lift the potatoes. We're, "There's tatty-howkin jobs goin up there, mum. Can we go?" //And she says,//
F638 //[cough]//
F637 "No, yer dad would have a fit! He's drivin the tatty-howkers and and and your goin tae want tae work. How much are they payin?" she says. So we said it was //[inaudible] it was, I think we got, we had//
F638 //I think it was ten shillins, I think we got.//
F637 a day and a half oot it and I think we got ten shillin. But eh, so there we got aw dressed up; one o my mothers old aprons on, ye know. And up we went eh tae li-. And I think I was the only tatty-howker that ever wore gloves, tatty-howkin, cause I was terrified I'd touch a worm, //in among the soil.//
M608 //[laugh]//
F637 I was petrified fae worms! And I wore this old pair a gloves tae lift these tat- eh tatties. And we come back, and my mother gave us eh, sixpence each tae go, gave her the money and she gave us //sixpence tae go tae the pictures.//
F638 //We went tae see Tarzan// //at the Gaumont.//
F637 //Aye.// //That's right. And ye queued up doon the//
F640 //[laugh]//
F638 //[laugh]// //Doon the back,//
F637 //back.//
F638 for the cheap seats. //And Bill- Billy Hutchison//
F637 //The cheap seats.// //uh-huh and Alan Canlish.//
F638 //went wi us that night and remember these boys// were carryin on
F637 mmhm
F638 And he, but there was a fight, they belted them, and
F637 Aye.
F638 But we got in tae see Tarzan for a sixpence! [laugh]
F637 We did!
F640 But, of course, ye never objected tae it. Ye never thought anything about //[inaudible]//
F637 //oh no, g- hand the money in,// //no, no.//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F638 //No, that was it!//
F640 yours or //anything.//
F637 //No, no.//
F638 //That was,// that was it, //that, it never was your//
F637 //[laugh]// //And then my mother//
F638 //money.//
F637 was in the Co-operative, and, ye had //dividend,//
F638 //[cough]//
F637 //you know, and//
M608 //Aye, aye.//
F637 a, and ye got, //ye got.//
F638 //That still// happens!
F640 //It's restarted,//
F637 //Aye well, it's sta-, they// //started again.//
F640 //yeah.//
F638 //uh-huh//
F637 But you got the dividend, an it was paid oot once a quarter.
M608 mmhm
F637 So when it came, the dividend, we used to say, "oh we'd like this, and we'd like that and we'd like thi-". No, ye always went tae the Co-operative, and ye couldnae go tae any other shop. Ye'd tae go tae Co-operative for yer school shoes, ye know? And, they werenae fashionable, John.
M608 Aye.
F637 Ye know, they were just lacin shoes, or a, //a//
F640 //Apron-fronted.//
F637 apron-fronted, no, oh, ye knaw, and ye felt like an old fuddy-duddy, didn't you, Eleanor?
M608 Aye.
F637 And eh oh
F640 But you'd tae queue up,
F637 oh aye, //you queued up.//
F638 //Aye ye'd tae// //queue. Ye'd tae//
F640 //[inaudible] because// //bother [inaudible] the//
F637 //Aye.//
F638 //queue for yer shoes.//
F640 shoes up, so ye //stood//
F637 //Aye.//
F640 //[inaudible] the academy//
F638 //Mind I got them for the weddin?//
F640 //[inaudible]//
F637 //Aye, pff.//
F640 I was petrified in case some of the classmates would see me standin //in the Co-operative//
F637 //Aye.//
F638 //Aye.//
F640 queue.
F637 I know. //When ye went in.//
F638 //Aye, but I got, I// I went, I was a eh oor Margaret's bridesmaid, //right?//
F637 //My mother// made her frock.
F638 She made my hat! It was like, have ye heard of Turkish Delight? //Ye know wi the//
M608 //[laugh]//
F638 thing and the roll on it. //And it had a feather in it, I wanted tae have a feather in my hat!//
F637 //An a feather! [laugh]//
F640 Our mother was partial to feathers.
F638 Well, the hat was grey. Now, here, I'm only //eighteen, right.//
F637 //[cough]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F638 [inaudible] I went tae the Co-operative tae get shoes. John, they didnae have my size, so I'd tae take a size bigger! //[laugh]//
F637 //And stuff them with cotton wool!// //And they were flat, [laugh] flat suede things wi laces on them.//
F638 //I'd tae take a, I'd tae take a, but that that's.// Excuse me, they'd a wedge heel! //But they'd a big [laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F637 //They looked flat!//
F638 //They'd a big loop// here at the back where you could pull them on, and they were suede, but they were too big for me, but, I couldnae go anywhere else for shoes, so, was I a cutie at that wedding, I can tell you?
F637 [laugh]
F638 //An//
M608 //Do you still have the photographs?//
F637 //Aye. I've got the photographs. I've still got a school photo.//
F638 //a-, oh don't ever show them tae anybody!//
F637 I've got a school photo //they taken.//
F638 //Don't ever// show them tae anybody. //Cause I must've looked//
F637 //[laugh]//
F638 I mean, //imagine ye take a six in a shoe and ye'd//
F637 //And my mother made this frock.//
F638 tae come out wi sevens, because [laugh]
M608 [laugh]
F638 couldnae afford tae go anywhere else for a pair o shoes for a weddin!
F637 oh aye. //Yeah, but see, the, the mornin//
F638 //[cough]//
F637 I got married,
M608 Aye.
F637 //The mornin I got married -//
F638 //[cough]//
F637 get the kettle on.
F640 Well, she cannae //move.//
F637 //Ye cannae.//
F638 //I'm attached! [referring to microphone lead]//
M608 //[inaudible]//
F637 ehm //the mornin I got//
F638 //I'm attached!//
F637 married, I went and bought, I went oot for my goin-away outfit.
M608 mmhm
F637 Now I hadnae my goin-away ootfit, an my hat, an my shoes, till the mornin I got married. And I was gettin married in the afternoon.
F638 Aye, them were the days.
M608 Aye.
F637 eh, they were the good old days, Mary! //[laugh]//
F640 //[laugh]//
F638 //[laugh]//
M608 //[laugh]//
F638 They were not good old days, don't you kid yourself.
F640 [laugh]
M608 Okay, on that happy note, I think we'll [inaudible].

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Conversation 06: Three Ayrshire sisters reminiscing. 2024. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 11 October 2024, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=27.

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"Conversation 06: Three Ayrshire sisters reminiscing." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2024. Web. 11 October 2024. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=27.

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Information about Document 27

Conversation 06: Three Ayrshire sisters reminiscing

Audio

Audio audience

For gender Mixed
Audience size 1

Audio awareness & spontaneity

Speaker awareness Aware
Degree of spontaneity Spontaneous

Audio footage information

Year of recording 1998
Recording person id 608
Size (min) 42
Size (mb) 203

Audio setting

Private/personal
Recording venue In Mrs Smillie's house
Geographic location of speech Ayrshire

Audio relationship between recorder/interviewer and speakers

Family members or other close relationship
Speakers knew each other Yes

Audio speaker relationships

Family members or other close relationship

Audio transcription information

Transcriber id 608
Year of transcription 2003
Year material recorded 2003
Word count 8918

Audio type

Conversation
General description Informal interview with two/three sisters (third makes occasional contribution). All are from Ayr.

Participant

Participant details

Participant id 608
Gender Male
Decade of birth 1950
Educational attainment University
Age left school 17
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation University Professor
Place of birth Ayr
Region of birth S Ayr
Birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Bridge of Weir
Region of residence Renfrew
Residence CSD dialect area Renfr
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Insurance Broker
Father's place of birth Auchinleck
Father's region of birth S Ayr
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Dental Receptionist
Mother's place of birth Ayr
Mother's region of birth S Ayr
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes In most everyday situations
Portuguese Yes No No Yes When trying to communicate with my in-laws
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes In domestic/activist circles; reading literature

Participant

Participant details

Participant id 637
Gender Female
Decade of birth 1930
Educational attainment None
Age left school 14
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation Retired
Place of birth Ayr
Region of birth S Ayr
Birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Annbank
Region of residence S Ayr
Residence CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation garage attendant/driver
Father's place of birth Stranraer
Father's region of birth Wigtown
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Wgt
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation housewife
Mother's place of birth Halifax
Mother's region of birth Nova Scotia
Mother's country of birth Canada

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes At home

Participant

Participant details

Participant id 638
Gender Female
Decade of birth 1930
Educational attainment None
Age left school 14
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation Retired
Place of birth Ayr
Region of birth S Ayr
Birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Annbank
Region of residence S Ayr
Residence CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Garage attendant/Driver
Father's place of birth Stranraer
Father's region of birth Wigtown
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Wgt
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Housewife
Mother's place of birth Halifax
Mother's region of birth Nova Scotia
Mother's country of birth Canada

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes At home

Participant

Participant details

Participant id 640
Gender Female
Decade of birth 1930
Educational attainment GCSEs/O-Grades
Age left school 14
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation Retired
Place of birth Ayr
Region of birth S Ayr
Birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Ayr
Region of residence S Ayr
Residence CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Garage attendant/Driver
Father's place of birth Stranraer
Father's region of birth Wigtown
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Wgt
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Housewife
Mother's place of birth Halifax
Mother's region of birth Nova Scotia
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Mother's country of birth Canada

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes At home

Close