Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Glesca Tour ( East End Definitive Version )

The Beloved's long lost "pal" from Oz paid us a visit today .,., They last met while still at school .,., so only a mere 49 years between meets !! But hey ! What's time between feiends ?
The Oz chick and her new Bidie-in, old John ( and from the looks of him, the long suffering John,) were a hoot.
She was originally a wee Glesca lassie but after nearly 50-years in the land of the Sheila she's now yer classic rubber-neck Ozzie burd !
Calls a spade a F***ing shovel ? ( and the rest ?! ).,., with the obligatory question mark at the end of every sentence ?
She wanted to go see her old home, school etc ,, so we gave her the definitive East end Glesca tour .,., Wheeeeeee up, up & away we go ...
Starting at her Cousin's house in rural Giffnock in the salubrious South side we headed over to Rutherglen ( the Royal Borough .,., Ha, have you been to Ru'glen recently ? ) then on up into Parkheid, out Westmuir St., into Shettleston and beyond, towards the notorious Bar-L .,., and without any armed out-riders !! Brave or what ? ( Aye ok that'll be what ! )
We showed her her old Parkheid haunts .,., her school ,, sorry, The Academy ( Eastbank as was ) in Shettleston ,, or did Eastbank come under Sandyhills mibbie ??
Well it WAS an Academy after all !! Alas now a tired looking "Offices To Let" block :-( stuck in the middle of a bloody roundabout no less !
Onward and upward along Gartocher Rd, up Hallhill Rd, and into the ghetto that was, and still is, the dreaded Bar-L.
It has changed in the past 40-odd years of course, but for the better ?? Mmmmm ....
Wellll ,,, the houses look a little less prison-like these days but it still seems like a place better passed thro', & rather quickly .,.,., We located the site of the old Gang Fights ,, the square of field where the Bar-L and the Easterhouse brain dead held pre-arranged pitch battles with Chains, knives, belts and hammers .,., yeah Hammers ! How the crazy bastards didn't kill one another I'll never know )
Eyes followed us thro' the streets of our youth ..,, We felt, rather than actually heard the Jungle Drums beating out our presence .,., The Italian Stallion that is my Alfa Romeo seemed just a tad out of place at my old front door ! But we survived and made it back to freedom .,.,
We headed home via Barrachnie, Tollcross, Gallowgate, and the Barras before finally taking shelter & comfort in my South side Golf Club for some early afternoon food & drinkies ,,,
Boy do these Ozzie's like their BEER !!!

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