No.210

80 PLUS COMES TO AN END TODAY

During the last few years I’ve often used the blog to record memories of my boyhood and I always marvel at how different the lives of today’s children are from what I experienced. I’m repeating a few examples.

I REMEMBER the lamplighter with his long pole. I thought he had a great job.

I REMEMBER that every so often buskers would appear in our back-court and sing one or two songs. Housewives would open their windows, throw down coppers and the singer would move on to the next tenement. Sometimes one of them would play a tin whistle or do a dance, and I’m told that before the First World War German bands toured the country entertaining in back-courts.

I REMEMBER the horse-driven vans which visited our street, and the occasion when the horse which pulled the baker’s van fell down. Someone sat on its head as it lay on the road, while the baker undid all the belts and straps. Only when that was done was the animal able to get up, unharmed.

I REMEMBER message boys on bicycles. They were usually employed by food shops, and they had the job of delivering what housewives had ordered.

I REMEMBER that in the wintertime we went to school wrapped up in layers of clothing. Boys always wore caps and short trousers; in those days we had to wait till we were 15 or 16 before we got long trousers.

Royal Terrace where we lived till 1936

I REMEMBER seeing American comics. They were the size of broadsheet newspapers and had lots of pages. And the content was so different from our “Tiger Tim” and “The Rainbow.”

I REMEMBER that cigarette packets each contained a picture card. Many subjects were covered including sports personalities, film stars, dance band leaders, comedians, cars, locomotives, birds, animals, fish and many more.

I REMEMBER that the best room or parlour was used only on special occasions. That’s where the piano would be and the instrument was generally kept locked. (Did they keep it locked to prevent a burglar stealing the keys?)

I REMEMBER that, when drivers parked their cars on a hill (even on a slight hill), they would place a brick or a large stone at a front wheel to prevent the vehicle moving off.

I REMEMBER that, at primary school, if there was torrential rain in the morning, the school would close at lunchtime and we got a half-holiday. In such weather the boys would cram into the playground shelter at the morning interval, stand up on the long wooden bench and stamp their feet in time to their repeated cry of “We want a hauf!” (a half-day)

Lairdsland School where I got my primary education

I REMEMBER that sometimes a pupil would have an epileptic fit in the classroom. The child was usually writhing on the floor, while the rest of us sat in awed silence. I don’t recall the teacher attending to the victim - the fit passed quite quickly and the lesson was resumed.

I REMEMBER that a good number of my class-mates came from much poorer homes than ours. The boys were all dressed alike, in trousers and jackets of a coarse brown material, these having been provided by the School Board.

I REMEMBER that “the basket class” met in the church hall across the road from the school. This was for children who were considered to be uneducable and included a whole range of cases from just a bit simple to mentally defective. They passed their time doing handwork and, although part of our school, there was no contact between them and us.

I REMEMBER that there were only two men on the staff, the Headmaster and Mr Maclennan who took the Qualifying Class (Primary 7). The latter had a soft Highland accent which I liked to hear when he read poetry to us. His strap, which he used frequently, was never out of his hands, and he would be continually playing with it, rolling and unrolling it.

I REMEMBER 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.”

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Finally, Ashoken Farewell composed by Jay Ungar. This piece was No.40 (out of 300) in Classic FM’s Hall of Fame chart announced last week-end.
It’s played on this clip by Mairead Nesbitt of Celtic Woman.
http://www.celticwoman.com/



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The new blog
TAKE FIVE WITH JOHN
begins tomorrow

http://takefivewithjohn.blogspot.com

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No.209

WISE MEN SAY

May I have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
(Reinhold Niebuhr)

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

This is an 1886 photograph of some of the inhabitants of St Kilda outside their cottages.

St Kilda lies 40 miles from the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. There had been a small population there for hundreds of years, but since the middle of the 19th century there were never more than 100 people living there. The story of the evacuation of the inhabitants in 1930 is well-known, but I was too young then to know anything about it.

Today St Kilda is owned by the National Trust and became a World Heritage Site in 1986. The island attracts a good number of bird-watchers for it has become famous as a breeding ground for seabirds. Other visitors to the island are volunteers who are helping to restore some of the ruined houses. There’s also a small military base.

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JOHN’S GALLERY

And when did you last see your father?
by William Frederick Yeames (1835-1918)

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Two Kinds of People by
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)

There are two kinds of people on earth to-day;
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the sinner and saint, for it's well understood,
The good are half bad, and the bad are half good.

Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth,
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.
Not the humble and proud, for in life's little span,
Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man.

Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.
No - the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift, and the people who lean.

Wherever you go, you will find the earth's masses,
Are always divided in just these two classes.
And oddly enough, you will find too, I ween,
There's only one lifter to twenty who lean.

In which class are you? Are you easing the load,
Of overtaxed lifters, who toil down the road?
Or are you a leaner, who lets others share
Your portion of labour, and worry and care?

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Spring Song
by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
played by Ronan O'Hora
uploaded by Derwentcub



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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
(Mae West)

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80 PLUS COMES TO AN END ON FRIDAY

THE NEW BLOG BEGINS ON SATURDAY

http://takefivewithjohn.blogspot.com

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No.208

Thanks to http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart for the image

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I like a nice cup of tea in the morning
For to start the day you see,
And at half-past eleven, well, my idea of heaven
Is a nice cup of tea.

I like a nice cup of tea with my dinner
And a nice cup of tea with my tea,
And when it’s time for bed, there’s a lot to be said
For a nice cup of tea.
(popular song from the 1930s)

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“That tea-drinking has become a gigantic social evil no one will deny. In America alone one million pounds, and in England even more, are expended every year in the purchase of the drug; and the evil is growing at an alarming rate.”

That’s the opening paragraph in an article published early in the 1900s.

The writer links the horrible habit with coffee, smoking, cocaine and whisky, and goes at some length describing what happens in our bodies when we indulge in any of those. Having explained how leather is made, he (or she) continues “. . . when a man eats a piece of beefsteak and drinks a strong cup of tea, the tannic acid of the tea combines with the connective tissue of the steak, and the latter is converted into leather.”

Apparently tea contains a poisonous substance called thein, and we’re told that one eighth of a grain of thein will kill a frog, five grains will kill a rabbit, and seven and a half will kill a cat. “There is more than an ounce of poison in a pound of tea, enough to kill seventy rabbits or fifty cats.” Scary stuff!

“The cup that cheers but does not inebriate” is a well-known phrase from Thomas Cowper’s “The Task,” and of course refers to a cup of tea. So I was astonished to read the claim in the closing paragraphs of the article that tea can make you drunk!!!

It had been reported that some girls in a tea factory had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly, despite having taken no alcoholic liquor. Instead they had chewed tea leaves constantly as they carried out their work in the factory.

“In many an English cottage home you invariably find a pot of villainous tea brewing on the hob all day long . . . . the impaired digestions and decayed teeth which cause so many of our recruits to be rejected . . . . has become a question of national importance.”

Not to worry, however. I found the following in Wikipedia, and I think I’m quite safe enjoying my daily four cups.

“Tea leaves contain more than 700 chemicals, among which the compounds closely related to human health are flavanoides, amino acids, vitamins (C, E and K), caffeine and polysaccharides. Moreover, tea drinking has recently proven to be associated with cell-mediated immune function of the human body. Tea plays an important role in improving beneficial intestinal microflora, as well as providing immunity against intestinal disorders and in protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage. The role of tea is well established in normalizing blood pressure, lipid depressing activity, prevention of coronary heart diseases and diabetes by reducing the blood-glucose activity."

Finally, it was the writer Norwood Pratt who gave this advice :-

“If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are heated, it will cool you; if you're depressed, it will cheer you; if you're excited, it will calm you.”

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Of course there's only one way to finish the blog. This is an excellent video by Softly Jazz (Conchita Castillo - vocals, Marina Fainytska - piano and Andrij Malyarenko - bass guitar) with a modern version of “Tea for Two.” The accompanying pictures are great.



Thanks to “Sweetvoiceforyou” for the video

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The next post here will be on Wednesday and then the final post on Friday.
The new blog TAKE FIVE WITH JOHN begins on Saturday.
http://takefivewithjohn.blogspot.com

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No.207

WISE MEN SAY

Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony
(Mahatma Gandhi)

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Thanks to http://hazelruthes.blogspot.co.uk for the image

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The Easter Bunny is a symbol that had its origin in the pagan festival of the goddess Eastre. The Anglo-Saxons worshipped her through her earthly symbol the hare or the rabbit.

The Easter bunny was introduced to America by German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. Children believed that if they were good the Oschter Haw (Easter bunny) would lay a nest of coloured eggs. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make nests for the eggs. The use of elaborate Easter baskets came later as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread through out the country.

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Still Life with Peaches
by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

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Here are two very short poems -
very appropriate after the awful weather we've had lately

Spring is not the best of seasons.
Cold and flu are two good reasons;
wind and rain and other sorrow,
warm today and cold tomorrow.
(Anon)

First a howling blizzard woke us,
Then the rain came down to soak us,
And now before the eye can focus -
Crocus.
(Lilja Rogers)

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I've never seen anything like this before.
It's the Haute Dog Easter Parade at Long Beach, California.
Thanks to justinrudd for uploading it.



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ONE MORE WEEK TO GO!
And then this series of 80 plus comes to an end, being replaced by a new blog
TAKE FIVE WITH JOHN

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Thanks to http://vintagescrapbooking.blogspot.co.uk for the image

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No.206

WISE MEN SAY

Some days you just have to create your own sunshine.
(Sam Sundquist)

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THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

This photo probably dates from around 1900 - a time when a man with a camera always attracted a crowd



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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Fairies’ Song
Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)

We the fairies blithe and antic,
Of dimensions not gigantic,
Though the moonshine mostly keep us,
Oft in orchards frisk and peep us.

Stolen sweets are always sweeter,
Stolen kisses much completer,
Stolen looks are nice in chapels,
Stolen, stolen, be your apples.

When to bed the world is bobbing,
Then’s the time for orchard robbing,
Yet the fruit were scarce worth peeling,
Were it not for stealing, stealing.

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JOHN’S GALLERY

Landers Peak
by Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902)

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DO YOU REMEMBER

Housewives’ Choice

This was a daily record request programme on the BBC Light Programme broadcast from 1946 to 1967. The signature tune was “in Party Mood” by Jack Strachey and it’s played here by the West End Celebrity Orchestra. Uploaded by markh5682



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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

There is absolutely nothing to be said in favour of growing old. There ought to be legislation against it. (Patrick Moore)

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Tomorrow 80 plus Music Mix includes a clip from Showboat of Paul Robeson singing “Old Man River.”
http://80plusmusicmix.blogspot.com

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No.205

WISE MEN SAY

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something,
and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.
(The Dalai Lama)

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Last week this photo appeared in our local newspaper. Taken in the Council Room of Tom Johnston House, Kirkintilloch, it shows Provost Eric Gotts, with some councillors, and a group of people who had been nominated for the Freedom of Kirkintilloch award. You'll probably have difficulty recognising me in the line-up - I’m in the middle row, third from the right.

The successful nominee was Frank Dunn a retired Consultant Cardiologist at Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow. He is just the seventh person to be given this honour.

In 1931 the first person to be granted the Freedom of the town was Tom Johnston who later became Secretary of State for Scotland during the war in Churchill’s government.

This is the Certificate which was presented to me by the Provost.

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POETRY FOR PLEASURE

Annie Laurie

[It’s believed that the words of the well-known Scottish song were based on this poem which has been attributed to William Douglas (c.1672-1748)]

Maxwelton braes are bonnie, where early fa's the dew
Where me and Annie Laurie made up the promise true,
Made up the promise true, and ne'er forget will I,
And for bonnie Annie Laurie I'd lay doun my head and die.

She's backit like the peacock, she's breistit like the swan
She's jimp aboot the middle, her waist ye weel may span

Her waist ye weel may span, and she has a rolling eye
And for bonnie Annie Laurie I'd lay doun my head and die.

[She’s backit = she’s endowed with a backside:
She's breistit = she's endowed with breasts:
jimp = slender:
ye weel may span = you could encompass her waist with the span of two hands:
a rolling eye = a "come hither" look]

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JOHN’S GALLERY

The Young Shepherdess
by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)

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Fred Astaire teamed up with Eleanor Powell in The Broadway Melody of 1940 and in this clip, uploaded by silverfastse5, they dance to Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine."

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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUS

I'm very pleased with each advancing year. It stems back to when I was forty. I was a bit upset about reaching that milestone, but an older friend consoled me. "Don't complain about growing old - many people don’t have that privilege."
(Earl Warren)

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Today on Piano Playtime
Yuja Wang plays a Chopin Waltz
http://pianoplaytime.blogspot.com

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