thegorbals

Hi Gang,
Who remembers the excitement of waiting for the "Bells" to usher the new year in and the old year out, my Ma would would have been busy scrubbing the floor and making sure the hoose was neat and tidy and although Ma and Da never drank there was always Whisky, Sherry and beer for our first footers plus all sorts of cake and biscuits. My Ma would put me and my sister Jeanette to bed in the evening but would wake us up at about 11 pm and dress us and we would all be sitting watching the clock slowly edge towards mid-night, I'm talking about the early/mid 1950's here and TV was in it's early days [BBC 1 + ITV were the only channels with the programes finishing about 11 pm] so it was great to be watching the White Heather show or whatever show was on the box to usher in the New Year. Then the countdown 5,4,3,2,1= Happy New Year and all your neighbours would be coming in with a lump of coal etc and "their ain bottle" and in a short while the singing would start and being a wean I was sitting there in awe of the neighbours telling story's and singing songs while drinking my cordial and eating a bit of cake, I'm sure we all have our fond memories of the Ne'erday in the soo-side. As I grew older and worked in different countries I would still celebrate the New Year but it just wasn't the same as the soo-side where we had that great communial spirit. Any story stick in your mind about the New Year ?
Regards.
Danny

Danny, do you remember the Provident New Year drink and cake boxes, the Grants Standfast whiskey, cordial and fruit cakes etc. it was usually done before the New Year. Frank

Hi Frank,
I remember the Provident man coming each week/month as My Ma had taken out insurance policies to cover all the family, I know some of our neighbours paid a weekly/monthly sum so when the Ne'erday came they had drink and cake + cordial for the Bells Frank. As you know money was tight away back then and if you didn't take out an order for the New Year you might have nothing to toast the " Bells" with, as weans we drank the cordial [and pretended we were drinking the "hard stuff" ha ha] but the fruit cake was so dry with the big red currants in it, although as I said earlier Frank it was a magic time of the year. Christmas was good for your presents but it was the New Year that was so special in Glasgow, I know time marches on but those far off times in the soo-side when we were young has stayed with me from all those years ago.
Regards.
Danny

Hi All I remember one year when I stayed in Moffat St I had scrubbed clean all the house , put up these lace curtains I had bought out of one of the shops in Cumberland St and it was about 11pm I heard a sissing coming from round about the window and then next thing the water came out from the boards at the side of the window I had a burst pipe I was screaming like a maniac my hubby was trying to stop the water it was bedlam. The street was frozen over with snow so we couldn't get the water turned off. The next thing Bill Kelly who was a plumber stayed up top flat came down got a hammer and walloped the pipe and the water stopped but then we had no water. Everybody all came into the house with mops cleaning all the floors and bringing electric heaters to dry up the place the weans thought it was great all the excitement, my auntie took the weans up to her house but it didn't stop us from having a guid new year with all the neighbours. If you had one bottle of spirits you thought you were lucky
Those days will never come back but we have our memories.
Amelia x