Margaret says..
One cold, cold frosty morning in January, many moons ago, I was woken with a loud bang on the door and a commotion in the lobby at 22.
Traipsing down the stairs on the cold linoeleum, I saw dad talking to Dr Ramsay our GP.
The great news was Lil had delivered her 6th child in Aberdeen Maternity and low and behold it was the first son John!!!!
I remember standing shivering in the lobby, no central heating ,solid cold lino floors with the odd rug here and there.One coal fire for the whole house which was in the sitting room ,and this had gone out overnight, dad didnt have time to re light it,to get it warm for us bairns to come down to. I had been farmed out that week to Uncle Willies and Auntie Beths in Buckpool as mum was taken into Aberdeen Maternity early,Auntie Jess stayed at 22 to look after the rest of us.For no rhyme or reason I was sent back to 22 ( well there may have been a reason but i can't remember it) I just remember walking back up Yuill Aenue on the Saturday.
Dad then said to me get dressed and take the bike over to Buckpool and tell Uncle Ernie and Auntie Vi the good news.That was the first I knew about you John !!!!!!!
Mid 50's we were leading a comfortable lifestyle,we got a TV eventually,it was installed on a Thursday and when I came home from school the first programme i saw at tea time was the WhirlyBirds!
ReplyDeleteMany a time in the school holiday I would go to the Keith Market with dad in the smelly butchers van,but as usual be pig sick before we even left Buckie,once at the mart dad would go and talk to his pals and leave me to do what I wanted for a couple of hours,I remember going to the paper shop to buy sweeties which i would through up on the return journey home.
dad would buy his own cattle and then get them shipped back to the slaughter house in Buckpool, where dad slaughtered the cattle himself ,he did have the licence !I only went to the slaughter house once and stood outside and heard all the beasts bellowing,never again.
Dad used to do all the country rounds in his butchers van and again i would accompany dad on these rounds, the customers tended to be farmers whose farms were quite remote, so we took in Cullen,Portknockie, Keith,Fochabers and any other outlying post.dad was always smiling and cheery and always had a wise crack for who ever he met.I remember long lovely summer nights where we would play out till whatever time, I also remember mum and dad playing rounders with us in the back garden at 22 the sky just going purple as we were told its time for bed which meant it was probably 10pm or later .Friday night was dads night for the Masons ,they used to meet in the Fishermans Hall.They were truly carefree times,for us kids and for Mum and Dad.Yes the Taylors were doing Ok for themselves at this time.
another dark windy night story,Dad was still unemployed and I guess he and mum must have been scratching around to get food for us all,i was summoned to get my coat on and go for a walk with dad.we ended up in Buckpool quite near to beach and to the garage where the butchers vans were parked overnight.Not far away from the old butchers shop " doon the brae".Now bear in mind it was very windy and we were in an exposed position, and that there was nowhere to hide.
ReplyDeletedad said to me ,right I am going in to the garage you stay outside and make sure you keep the garage doors closed, so that nobody could see any lights and no alarm would be raised.Well the wind just ripped the doors from my grasp and all hell let lose,dad shouted at me and came back out and told me to stand against the gargae door this time, but the wind got the better of me again,but dad I guess had got what he wanted by this time, so he came out locked up the garage door and of we went home.So that night we had tinned soup, tatties and I can,t remember what else ,but at least we had dinner.Much later on I found out that dad was in fact stealing from the administrator that was dealing with the bankruptcy.Everything in the van included the van belonged to them now ,not us.The reason for trying to keep dark was because the garage could be seen from Nanny's house on Sea view Terrace.
a h well he did have a big family to feed and I guess rightly so he was extremely pissed of that his own two brothers bankrupted the family business.