Well Being

[JamSam67]

We grew up in abject poverty too. You see, my old man was a Provvy Man who went round the houses collecting payment. But all these thieving buggers would hide behind their sofas whenever he chapped on their doors and so the shortfall was taken out of his meagre wages...

He had big feet they heard him comin

HH

 

[JamSam67]

My wee Maw done the provi for a while, Fernhill was her area... No saying it was rough but I'd to go with her on collection night as a minder.. She'd been getting followed by a couple of local loonies, when I spotted them I said look lads aye she's a provi wummin but nae #unt pays her back so your wasting your time.. They mumbled something nodded their heeds and wandered off to dream up their next get rich quick plan, never to be seen again...

Am I the only one on here who's school uniform was bought with Embassy Coupons then??

Provi checks... Bloody millionaires compared to us Embassy weans...

my Mother smoked like a Beagle furra Embassy coopons

HH

 

[JamSam67]

Aye the heady days of getting your school uniform as a hand me down from your bigger brother. Yer Xmas from burlington catalogue or the Provi.
A telly fae visionhire wae a dodgy picture. Nae central heating.

Exchanging anything you could steal from the hoose to get a treat from the the Rag man.

A pair of fitba boots and a Celtic top was the dream on your birthday but didn't always come.

Goin to the tally man wae empty ginger bottles to get a few whoppers.

A peice in jam or lemon curd during the school holidays kept ye going during the day.

Camping oot roon the back green kidding on you were on holiday.

Playing fitba in the street wae your black plimsoles we holes in them.

There's so much more ....but ye get the picture. Most of us all had the same but looking back we had everything we needed.

Exactly Mag we didn’t have much but we never were hungry we had school clothes and clothes ti muck about in
Both mum and Dad worked hard but we had all we needed
You had Your Birthday and Xmas and no idea how they’d paid for it. Ffs 10p was a fortune
Plus I grew up with love and respect for others.
And that for me was priceless
Old but for me good days

HH

 

[JamSam67]

I was just kidding - my Dad was really a Supermarket Manager for Fine Fare (and Coopers then Coopers/Fine Fare before that) when I was growing up.

Our tv was hired from Lowden's Electrical - there was no Visionhire in Forfar, just a Clydesdale electrical next to Woolies.

I hated having to wear hand-me-down school uniforms. I only had an older sister so got bullied for going to school in her old skirt!

That wiz you on the rugby pitch ya big Jessie yi.

HH

 

[Espiritosanto]

Ah the glory of hand me downs or in my case hand me ups as all my younger brothers were taller than me by the time I went to secondary school ,my dad had a rule you had to wear shorts until you started secondary school .
Remember being taken to the shops at the end of the school summer holidays for new shoes ( only if nobody else's hand me up /down shoes didn't fit you ) and got a pair with a compass in the heel and animal tracks on the sole ,well you never know when you might need to track a bear or Lion along the street in the way home from school . At the start of the school holidays my mum would take us all to Woolworths to get a pair of plastic sandals (even dad) which you wore all the time, and to the army navy store for a pair of khaki shorts (snake belt optional) it obviously never rained in the late 50s or 60s .I
We had an Aunty who lived in Canada and would send us over what my mum called a red cross parcel containing Sloppy Joes and sweeties and always a box of Bazooka Joe's bubble gum.
Glory days and great memories.

The shoes were called pathfinders..made by tuf….

 

[JamSam67]

See above all joking aside that’s the reason I love this wee madhoose.
There’s memories from strangers that relate to each and every one of us
Stories of daring, thieving and hilarious goings on that the statute of limitations would get yi liftit.
Yir aw mad bunch of loons bams the lot o us

Thanks for stirring memories some long forgotten

HH

 

[Espiritosanto]

See above all joking aside that’s the reason I love this wee madhoose.
There’s memories from strangers that relate to each and every one of us
Stories of daring, thieving and hilarious goings on that the statute of limitations would get yi liftit.
Yir aw mad bunch of loons bams the lot o us

Thanks for stirring memories some long forgotten

HH

I’m from twelve of a family and all the above and more I’ve lived,,it’s only noo me an ma brothers pish ourselves at the shit we had to contend way being piss poor,even tho ma auld man grafted and ma wee maw cleaned every shop for miles…always remember the electricity meter was behind our front door but high up which u accessed off step ladder,but the padlock on them was naff and as per the scheme everycunt had a spare one which went on just before the “ meter man” came to divvy up,well ma auld man was gasping for a pint so was up at the meter making a deposit when the door went!!ma wee sis opened it and in steps the man!!ma auld boys mitt is in rummaging around the 50p bits the guy said nowtemptied the cash on the kitchen table,piled his whack,left us the rebate…auld boy didn’t even get a Beamer….buy the way was anyone poor enough to visit “the footwear and clothing department “”noo that’s a redneck you never get over

 

[DILLIGAF]

Ah the glory of hand me downs or in my case hand me ups as all my younger brothers were taller than me by the time I went to secondary school ,my dad had a rule you had to wear shorts until you started secondary school .
Remember being taken to the shops at the end of the school summer holidays for new shoes ( only if nobody else's hand me up /down shoes didn't fit you ) and got a pair with a compass in the heel and animal tracks on the sole ,well you never know when you might need to track a bear or Lion along the street in the way home from school . At the start of the school holidays my mum would take us all to Woolworths to get a pair of plastic sandals (even dad) which you wore all the time, and to the army navy store for a pair of khaki shorts (snake belt optional) it obviously never rained in the late 50s or 60s .I
We had an Aunty who lived in Canada and would send us over what my mum called a red cross parcel containing Sloppy Joes and sweeties and always a box of Bazooka Joe's bubble gum.
Glory days and great memories.

This thread is bringing back so many memories and that's a good thing for the soul
Marky, I remember the 'Wayfinder' shoes, animal tracks as you say and a compass in the heel, fucking James Bond going to primary school, and first day of high school, there was one poor boy that wore shorts, and I remember him being laughed at as he came through the gates
Still remember his name and him standing there as he was in tears, as his family couldn't afford long pants I guess
The first week or so in high school were brutal for some if you didn't have friends and neighbours to help you integrate
Kinda reminds me of Lord of the flies, probably why some of the teachers were pricks as they had to be to survive
The worst but of school for many of us was getting called up to the front for our free dinner tickets, teacher would call your name and you'd go out in front of everybody to get your weekly ticket, I wasn't the only one but fuck did it hit hard when you knew there were the briefcase boys who got dropped off in cars and their Summer holidays were spent in exotic locations like Troon and parts of England
My Dad was crippled in an accident in the yards and couldn't work for years, waiting ten years for back surgery otherwise he would have been wheelchair bound at 32, he wire a body cast for years then had the operation
My mum was the breadwinner for the most part, and they instilled their values and integrity in me, as well as their working class mindset
I passed on that to my kids now all grown, and my two boys are in the trades and thriving and my daughter owns her own business so I'm a happy man
Bless all of you going through some shit, be aware that, you are indeed not alone
Anyone who needs a chat just drop me a note
As I tell people who are in a hurry at the checkout, go ahead, I've got nothing to do, and all day to do it
Stay safe, stay positive
YNWA

 

[tictastic]

You cnts hid shoes???!! jammy bassas!!

 

[The Shamrock]

Ah, the good auld days.

I used to think we were minted if we got money for the twopenny tray, sometimes it was only the penny tray and I've yet to see the thrupenny tray

I remember getting a lovely gold watch for my Holy Communion but it spent more time in the pawn than on my wrist!!!

If someone gave us a half crown my auld dear would tell us we were getting more money when she swapped it for pennies and halfpennies. Some things you just can't forgive

 

[50 Shades of Green]

Who's toilets were on the half landing shared with 3 or 4 other families back when most families were almost in double figures???

Took my 2 older boys to the people's palace and showed them a room and kitchen hoose... My oldest asked if this was how people lived in the olden days... I'm still not sure he believes that was my early life on Caledonian Rd .

Poor we were but didn't know it till many years later... Thought we were minted at the time... First game my maw taught was seeing how many lumps of coal could I carry up the stairs with my hands and I got a "well done" every time I broke my record .... Bloody con wummin so she wiz

 

[Bridie Bhoy]

Ah the glory of hand me downs or in my case hand me ups as all my younger brothers were taller than me by the time I went to secondary school ,my dad had a rule you had to wear shorts until you started secondary school .
Remember being taken to the shops at the end of the school summer holidays for new shoes ( only if nobody else's hand me up /down shoes didn't fit you ) and got a pair with a compass in the heel and animal tracks on the sole ,well you never know when you might need to track a bear or Lion along the street in the way home from school . At the start of the school holidays my mum would take us all to Woolworths to get a pair of plastic sandals (even dad) which you wore all the time, and to the army navy store for a pair of khaki shorts (snake belt optional) it obviously never rained in the late 50s or 60s .I
We had an Aunty who lived in Canada and would send us over what my mum called a red cross parcel containing Sloppy Joes and sweeties and always a box of Bazooka Joe's bubble gum.
Glory days and great memories.

I loved my shoes with the compass and animal footprints. And the snake belt too. Happy days.

Nowadays the high school boys voluntarily still wear shorts to school even in the winter! i find it funny but they are now the cool kids!

 

[Bridie Bhoy]

You cnts hid shoes???!! jammy bassas!!

 

[boab1916]

.I hid boots, but could not remember were i hid them.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Who's toilets were on the half landing shared with 3 or 4 other families back when most families were almost in double figures???

Took my 2 older boys to the people's palace and showed them a room and kitchen hoose... My oldest asked if this was how people lived in the olden days... I'm still not sure he believes that was my early life on Caledonian Rd .

Poor we were but didn't know it till many years later... Thought we were minted at the time... First game my maw taught was seeing how many lumps of coal could I carry up the stairs with my hands and I got a "well done" every time I broke my record .... Bloody con wummin so she wiz

We went from an ootside lavvy to a brand new house about a 30 minute bus ride from the toon, loved it, roaming the hills, minutes from our door, indoor lavvy, my own bedroom, and front and back garden, like living in the country, but it was 'too far' from work for my parents, and the buses were scarce, so they bought a one bedroom in the centre of toon, in a tenement, above a pub, with an ootside cludgie, we had a coal bunker, and I fucking hated it, I watched the Lisbon Lions win big ears in that place, on a black and white TV, only good memory tbh, but two years later, the council bought them out, as they wanted to demolish the buildings and build new houses, so we got a brand new high flat, over looking the Clyde, about ten minutes from the toon centre and up by the rolling hills, and a ten minute walk to our school, and we got our first colour telly in early 1968, a Grundig where the heat of your hand would turn it on, but no remote, lol, when you think back, and see what the kids expect today, they'd think we were neanderthals ;-)

 

[DILLIGAF]

.I hid boots, but could not remember were i hid them.

The operative word being 'hud' not hid ;-)

 

[DILLIGAF]

The shoes were called pathfinders..made by tuf….

That's it Pathfinders, I said Wayfinders, but it was 60 years ago ;-)

 

[DILLIGAF]

Ah the glory of hand me downs or in my case hand me ups as all my younger brothers were taller than me by the time I went to secondary school ,my dad had a rule you had to wear shorts until you started secondary school .
Remember being taken to the shops at the end of the school summer holidays for new shoes ( only if nobody else's hand me up /down shoes didn't fit you ) and got a pair with a compass in the heel and animal tracks on the sole ,well you never know when you might need to track a bear or Lion along the street in the way home from school . At the start of the school holidays my mum would take us all to Woolworths to get a pair of plastic sandals (even dad) which you wore all the time, and to the army navy store for a pair of khaki shorts (snake belt optional) it obviously never rained in the late 50s or 60s .I
We had an Aunty who lived in Canada and would send us over what my mum called a red cross parcel containing Sloppy Joes and sweeties and always a box of Bazooka Joe's bubble gum.
Glory days and great memories.

Snake belts were the biz
I had 3 lol

 

[Brimcbhoy]

The shoes were called pathfinders..made by tuf….

Had a pair too.

 

[JamSam67]

Snake belts were the biz
I had 3 lol

How big wir yi

HH