This photo was taken by Fiona recently when she was in Turkey.

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I REMEMBER in primary school we learned the multiplication tables by repeating them endlessly until they became fixed in our minds. Spelling too was taught that way and the whole class in unison would chant “eye enn in, eye enn in, ay tee at, ay tee at,” and so on. There used to be a lot of suppressed giggles when we came to “up.”

I REMEMBER that as an adult I paid a visit to that school, and marvelled at how small the rooms were. The toilets are still out in the playground, and a town councillor has been complaining about that for some years now.

I REMEMBER when I was about 10 years old, my mother invited one of her sisters for tea. She was accompanied by her fiance, though it’s possible they were married by that time. He blotted his copybook by spilling his tea on his lap and saying “Damn me!” A Bad Word! Now, if that word was spoken in a radio play, Mother would immediately switch off. I was really shocked, and couldn’t figure out why my father went into fits of laughter.

I REMEMBER on one of our rare visits to the cinema, the film involved aeroplanes. At one point a plane crashed and the pilot was killed. I couldn’t understand why the film star had agreed to play the part when he knew he would lose his life.

I REMEMBER that a fashion model lived across the road from my grandparents’ house. (Models were known as “mannequins” in those days, and fashion shows, which were frequently held in the town hall, were “mannequin parades.”) Her photograph appeared in many magazines - fully clothed, I must add! However, I could sense that the members of my mother’s family didn’t approve of the girl at all.

I REMEMBER that the only time my mother had domestic help was after Rita was born. An elderly woman came to work in the house and sometimes she sent her daughter. I think it was the daughter who on one occasion performed magic!!! She was in the back-court hanging out washing. She broke a piece off one of the iron clothes poles and gave it to me to eat. It tasted just like toffee, and I saw that, sure enough, half-way up the pole, part of the little cross-piece, used for tying the rope, was missing. Magic indeed!

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“His Master’s Voice” painted in 1898 by the English artist Francis Barraud 1856-1924.

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I’m always delighted when I come across a song or a piece of music that I haven’t heard for ages, and I thought I would begin a regular feature here of forgotten favourites.

Many of my favourites belong to the 1930s, when hotel orchestras and smaller groups were heard daily on BBC radio, playing what was then known as “light” music. And this is an example -

“In a Persian Market” by Albert Ketelbey



Albert William Ketelbey 1875-1959, despite his foreign-sounding name, was born in England.

A brilliant musician, composer and orchestral conductor, he was at one time musical director at London’s Vaudeville Theatre, and he had the honour of conducting a programme of his own music at a Royal Command Performance.

His many compositions include “Bells across the Meadow”, “In a Chinese Temple Garden”, “Sanctuary of the Heart” and “In a Monastery Garden.” Sometimes he published his music under the name Anton Vodorinski. (There was a belief in those days that all good music came from the continent, so perhaps he thought his compositions would sell better with that name.)

Although Ketelbey is largely forgotten nowadays, in 1929 he was said to be Britain’s greatest living composer.

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This is one of monologues that Jean used to recite, when she and I went out entertaining. Her material usually involved a number of different accents and this particular one is Cockney.

That there Mrs. ‘arris from Number 18
Is the nosiest parker as I’ve ever seen,
When first as our Lizzie went out with young Ted
You’d never believe all the things what she said
As how he was this, and that, and the other,
And as for his sister, his dad and his brother,
The lies what she told - well, I kicks up a scene
With that there Mrs. ‘arris from Number 18.

I met her out shopping and says to her face -
“What’s this you been spreading all over the place?”
She says “What about?” I says “What about what?”
She says “You’re mistaken,” I says “No, I’m not.”
She says “I can prove it,” I says “No, you can’t.”
She says “You’ll excuse me,” I says “No, I shan’t.”
I says “Just you wait till my husband I’ve seen.”
That there Mrs. ‘arris from Number 18.

The crocodile tears as that false hussie cried
Just 12 months ago when Jim ‘arris he died.
He’d hardly been buried ‘fore everyone knew
That she was out trying to catch number two.
And then, when us all was a-thinking young Ted,
Would marry our Lizzie - the blackguard instead
He puts up his banns at the church on the green
With that there Mrs. ‘arris from Number 18.

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The tune is “When you’re smiling” and I certainly smiled when I came across this! BRING ON THE DANCING GIRLS!!!



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FROM MY ALBUM


Highland Cattle in the field behind our house

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Last month I came across a book which had belonged to my mother. Published in 1899 by an Edinburgh firm, “Leah - A Tale of Ancient Palestine illustrative of the story of Naaman the Syrian” was written by Mrs A.S. Orr.

This is the opening paragraph -

“The short twilight of Eastern climes drew nigh, as Leah, the only child of Micaiah and Esther of Shechem, repaired to a spot sacred in her eyes and dear to her heart - her mother’s grave. It was now two years since Esther had been gathered to her fathers, in a tomb hollowed out in a great rock near her husband’s dwelling. To a seat near the sealed tomb, Leah loved to carry her lute and sing sacred songs.“

The above gives a rough idea of what the book is like. Now, for what age group would it be suitable?

Well, inside there’s the dedication - “To Pearl Hardie from Sunday School teacher Jane Barclay, December 1900.” But later that month my mother HAD HER 4TH BIRTHDAY.

Just another indication of how times have changed!

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“Tam O’Shanter and the Witches” by John Faed 1819-1902

This painting illustrates the scene in Robert Burns’s poem, when Tam, more than a little bit inebriated, stops to watch a wild party going on at Kirk-Alloway.

“Warlocks and witches in a dance;
Nae cotillon brent new frae France,
But hornpipes, jigs, strathspeys and reels
Put life and metal in their heels.
A winnock-bunker in the east,
There sat Auld Nick in shape o’ beast;
A towsie tyke, black, grim and large,
To gie them music was his charge;
He screwed the pipes and gart them skirl,
Till roof and rafters a’ did dirl.”

Burns goes on to describe some of the horrors that Tam saw - open coffins containing corpses, on the table the skeleton of a murderer, a thief recently cut down from the gibbet, knives stained with blood, and of course a host of witches and devils dancing furiously.

Among them was “ae winsome wench” who took Tam’s fancy. He loved her wild dancing and, without thinking, he shouted out “Weel done, Cutty-sark!”

At once the dancers stopped,rushed out and chased after Tam. He was on his horse Maggie and rode off as fast as possible. The gang were about to catch up with him, but “A running stream they dare na cross”. Tam escaped over the bridge but the horse -
“left behind her ain gray tail;
The carline caught her by the rump,
And left poor Maggie scarce a stump.”

The poem ends with -

“Now, wha this tale o’ truth shall read,
Ilk man and mother’s son, take heed;
Whene’er to drink you are inclined,
Or cutty-sarks run in your mind,
Think, ye may buy the joys owre dear -
Remember Tam O’Shanter’s mare.”

You can read the whole poem at the Alexandria Burns Club website where they also give an English translation.
http://www.robertburns.org.uk/Assets/Poems_Songs/tamoshanter.htm


This a a photograph of the Auld Kirk probably taken around 1880. The building was already in ruins when the Burns family lived in the area, but the churchyard was still being used for burials, and the poet’s father is buried there..

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A Scottish song now, but not one by Burns. The words of The Skye Boat Song were written by Sir Harold Boulton (1859-1935) and set to the melody of a traditional Gaelic rowing song.

The singer here is Barbara Dickson, and the words are shown below.



Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,
Onward! the sailors cry;
Carry the lad that's born to be King
Over the sea to Skye.

Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar,
Thunderclaps rend the air;
Baffled, our foes stand by the shore,
Follow they will not dare.

Speed, bonnie boat, etc.

Many's the lad fought on that day,
Well the Claymore could wield,
When the night came, silently lay
Dead on Culloden's field.

Speed, bonnie boat, etc.

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This week at JOHN’S QUIET CORNER the subject is Nature

http://john-quietcorner.blogspot.com

This week at HAIKU HOMESTEAD - “Caterpillars and Butterflies” plus the 5-7-5 rule - Yes or No?

http://haikuhomestead.blogspot.com

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FIFTY YEARS AGO

Today is the anniversary of one of the worst mining disasters in the UK.

I remember very clearly hearing that a serious accident had occurred at a coal mine just a few miles from Kirkintilloch, and finding out later the extent of the tragedy.

A fire at the Auchengeich colliery broke out early that morning just as miners were travelling down in bogies to begin their day’s work. 47 of them were trapped underground and couldn’t be saved. It’s likely that they died from smoke inhalation. The fire was eventually put out by flooding that section of the pit.

Most of the men who died lived in and around Kirkintilloch, and one of them lived in our street.

This week-end a number of special events to commemorate the tragedy will take place in the district. I understand there are hopes that a book will be written and also a documentary made on the subject.

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This picture shows the Gypsy Queen on the Forth and Clyde Canal at Townhead Bridge, Kirkintilloch. The bridge, which is the original wooden one, has been raised to allow the boat to pass through. The photo must have been taken some time before 1914; that was the year St Mary’s was built and the church steeple would have been clearly seen between the bridge-keeper’s cottage on the right and the Temperance Hotel across the road.

The construction of the canal began in 1768 and took 22 years to complete. In the early days traffic of all kinds used the waterway and even in my childhood there were horse-driven barges, fishing boats, coal-fired boats and pleasure boats like the Gypsy Queen.

This next picture, taken from the steeple of St. Mary’s, looks down on the bridge and the main street stretching south. The first building on the left across the canal is a public house. Following the “no licence” vote all the pubs were closed, and that property became the police station, but a few years ago it opened again as licensed premises. The steeple on the right is that of St. Andrew’s Church which was demolished many years ago.



I remember when the bridge was replaced by a steel swing bridge in 1933. Then in 1967 a proper road bridge was built on an embankment, but this closed the canal at that point with the result that rubbish of all sorts collected in the water on both sides of the bridge.

Over the years many folk campaigned to have the whole length of the canal re-opened, and this happy result came about in 2001.

Last year a Marina opened not far from Townhead Bridge and Kirkintilloch is now claiming to be “The Canal Capital of Scotland.”

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“The Nieuwezijds Canal” by the Dutch artist Gerrit Berckeyde (1638-1698)

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I was very pleased with my Haiku Homestead blog which began again last week.

The theme of today’s blog is Autumn and I give some interesting answers to the question “What exactly is a haiku?”

http://haikuhomestead.blogspot.com

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More memories of childhood -

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lulled by the moonlight have all passed a way.

Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me.

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea
Mermaids are chanting the wild lorelie;
Over the streamlet vapours are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.

Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me! (Stephen Foster 1826-1864)

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This a lovely record of “Goodnight Sweetheart” played by Ray Noble and his Orchestra with vocalist Al Bowlly. (If you don't care for Charlie, you can always close your eyes). Ray Noble was an English band leader who moved to America in the 1930s and continued his successful career there. Among the songs he wrote were “Love is the Sweetest Thing”, “The Very Thought of You”, “The Touch of Your Lips” and the big band number "Cherokee.”



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FRIDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER

Cherish all your happy moments - they make a fine cushion for old age (Booth Tarkington)

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FROM MY ALBUM



This photo was taken some years ago when Fiona and I visited Dalgety in Fife. The earliest Jaap in our family was born in that area in 1698 and we had been told that a Jaap was buried in one of the cemeteries. We discovered this broken headstone which showed the name Montgomery Japp (notice the spelling), but it doesn’t actually state that her remains are here.

Born in 1764, she was a great-great-great-aunt of mine. She married Thomas Muir and they had 11 children. The second eldest Walter became a Mormon in 1846, and with his wife, their 7 children, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and 4 grandchildren left Liverpool on the Sailor Prince along with 311 other converts bound for Utah, USA.

We know that Montgomery died in 1841.

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I like this painting “The Highland Wedding” by David Allan (1744-96).
The bridal couple are dancing quite sedately, but the other male dancer seems to have no inhibitions. A girl peeping round on the extreme right is hesitating over joining the group. The fellow standing behind the cellist looks like the minister - what’s he saying to the woman beside him? And the piper to the left is draining his glass. Well, piping IS thirsty work!



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This week’s blog has a real Scottish flavour, and the poem I’ve selected is one by Robert Burns (1759-1796).

Many of his love songs were written or inspired by the different women in his life, and this is no exception. Nancy McLehose was a married lady whose husband very conveniently was in Jamaica. They wrote a number of passionate letters to each other using the names Clarinda and Sylvander. The affair came to an end when she decided to join her husband, and Burns wrote those famous lines -

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever,
Ae fareweel, alas, for ever,
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

Who shall say that Fortune grieves him,
While the star of hope she leaves him?
Me, nae cheerful twinkle lights me,
Dark despair around benights me.

I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy,
Naething could resist my Nancy,
But to see her was to love her,
Love but her, and love for ever.

Had we never lov'd sae kindly,
Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
Never met or never parted,
We had ne'er been broken-hearted.

Fare-thee-weel, thou first and fairest!
Fare-thee-weel, thou best and dearest!
Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
Peace, enjoyment, love and pleasure!

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A lovely poem and of course a beautiful song! In the days when I performed at concerts, I played that piece many times, for it was a great favourite of tenor singers.

Now I think that I should be honest and say that I don’t like Burns Suppers. It was just after World War II, when things were slowly getting back to normal, that Burns Suppers became quite common. Since Kirkintilloch was still a “dry” town then, there were no alcoholic drinks at those functions, and many Suppers were organised by churches. Those evenings were pleasant affairs with songs and poems and of course the meal itself.

As I was often the accompanist, I saw a gradual change take place over the years with more speeches and an “Immortal Memory” address that was often too learned for ordinary folk. As the years went on, those evenings became longer and longer, and often wouldn’t finish till midnight. On one occasion the entertainers had to wait till eleven o’clock before doing their stuff, the delay being caused by the leisurely meal, long speeches, and frequent intervals to allow visits to the bar and toilets.

However,I must say that the artistes were always treated handsomely by those in charge, and there was always the excellent supper. But then, as my family will tell you, food doesn’t interest me!!! (That’s another story.)

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And that lovely picture leads to the famous “Bluebell Polka” played by Jimmy Shand accompanied by the Jimmy Shand Jr. Band. The video was made in 1994 when he was aged 86. He was given a knighthood in 1999 and died the following year.



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After a break of three months, my HAIKU HOMESTEAD blog is in operation again. I’ve made some changes to the format and to the style, and you can see it at -

http://haikuhomestead.blogspot.com

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FRIDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER

This week’s quote:-

It is not the end of joy that makes old age so sad, but the end of hope (Jean Paul Richter)

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This is a view of Lenzie Loch from a high point on the golf course, a few minutes walk from my home.


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WHEN I WAS A YOUNG BOY, going to the pictures was a rare occurrence.

The first films we saw were at church soirees (pronounced locally “swaw-rees” ) or at Sunday School parties, and featured Charlie Chaplin.
When we were a bit older, our visits to the cinema were carefully chosen by our mother, and the films we saw were those with Shirley Temple, Freddie Bartholomew and perhaps Laurel and Hardy.

One of the two local cinemas was fairly near our home, and, when I passed it, I always like to look in through the grilled window to see the mysterious machinery chugging away - PHUT (pause), PHUT (pause), PHUT (pause) and so on. Every so often, it would lose the beat, and would prodice two or thee extra PHUTS before the pause.

The films shown in that cinema were generally quite old and not well known. Often, just as an exciting part of the plot was reached, the screen would suddenly go dim, and a couple of minutes would pass before it brightened up again.

Both cinemas had two performances every evening. It’s really weird to recall that many people would come in half way through a film. At the end of the 1st House, they would sit on to see the part they had missed. I’m sure that today, considering how complicated some of the film plots are, it would be difficult to make sense of the story, having viewed the second half first!

Sometimes the programme would include two films, and there were usually a short (which could be comedy, travel, sport, etc.), a cartoon and a newsreel.

In this month’s issue of “Scottish Memories” a 1930s poster advertising the La Scala cinema in Edinburgh is shown. There are continuous performances from 2.15 p.m. every day, and prices are 4d, 6d, 9d and 1/-, half-price in the afternoons, excepting Saturdays and Bank Holidays. (Remember that 1/- = 5p)

The main news providers were Pathe, British Movietone and Gaumont British, and folks of my generation will remember this tune as the announcer intoned “This is the Gaumont-British News presenting the World - to the World.”



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FROM MY ALBUM


The Hardies and McFarlanes, the photo dates from around 1912

In the 2nd row from the top and 2nd from the left is my grandfather John Hardie. My mother Pearl Hardie is standing in the next row down to his left. My grandmother Maggie McFarlane is right in the centre of the group in front of the girl who is on my mother’s left.

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Quite a number of my pals were taught the piano, and some of the girls had dancing lessons. Other girls who went to elocution classes availed themselves of every opportunity to perform in public.

Many elderly folk will recognise the following lines. I can still see a wee girl reciting this poem in a very affected voice.

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden,
It’s not so very, very far away;
You pass the gardener’s shed, and you just keep straight ahead -
I do so hope they’ve really come to stay.
There’s a little wood with moss in it and beetles,
And a little stream that quietly runs through;
You wouldn’t think they’d dare to come merrymaking there -
Well - they do!

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden,
They often have a dance on summer nights;
The butterflies and bees make a lovely little breeze,
And the rabbits stand around and hold the lights;
Did you know that they could sit upon the moonbeams
And pick a little star to make a fan,
And dance away up there in the middle of the air?
Well - they can!

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden,
You cannot think how beautiful they are;
They all stand up and sing when the Fairy Queen and King
Come gently floating down upon their car;
The King is very proud and very handsome,
The Queen - now you can guess who that would be.
She’s a little girl all day but at night she steals away
Well - it’s me! (Rose Fyleman 1877-1957)

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This next item is my latest find - it’s the trailer for the 1937 film “Captains Courageous.” Because it featured Freddie Bartholomew, our family went to see it when it eventually came to our town. Spencer Tracy shared the lead. Look our for Mickey Rooney, Lionel Barrymore and Melvyn Douglas.



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