What a lovely piece on the Carbeth campers (“The forgotten Carbeth campers who escaped Glasgow for the summer”, The Herald, October 17).
It took me back to when my family were ‘hutters’ at Sundrum in Coylton, near Ayr. We enjoyed four to six weeks in the summer, plus long weekends at Easter and September, in what were really large sheds, with a partition for a bedroom.
A wee kitchen in the porch held a cooker and some storage space, while water was collected from the tap at the end of the rows of huts. There were male and female toilet blocks, and a wee shop run by Mr and Mrs White.
As kids we ran wild, exploring the woods and swimming the pond near Sundrum Castle; playing fitba’ and rounders too, of course.
The adults had parties in neighbours’ huts and made lifelong friends. My folks made friends with my Aunty Cathy and Uncle James Black, the Higgins, the Camerons, the Woods etc.
Most were Eastenders, Sou'siders, and some from north of the city. Uncle James was a brilliant accordionist, who only played for fun. Aunty Cathy was a beautiful singer. My old man was also a good singer, as were my uncles.
Even if you couldn’t sing you had to have a party piece. Everybody had to do a turn.
Parties were MC’d by the immortal Big Wuggie Higgins - Connolly before Billy arrived.
As we started to go up the dancin’ in Glasgow - at the Locarno, Maryland and Joanna’s - I came across loads of guys I’d known from the huts. Very helpful on a number of occasions… Ah, memories, memories.
John Gilligan, Ayr.
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Trash talk
Grant Frazer gave a concise history lesson (Letters, October 16).
However, the national pride he mentions seems lacking if one takes a look at the preceding page, with the photograph of the rubbish dump once known as Sauchiehall Street. National pride? National shame, more like.
What must visitors think? More pertinent, what do locals think? Or care? The irony of the sign on the upturned bin is priceless: 'People Make Glasgow'. You can say that again.
Steve Paterson, Findhorn.
Tat attack
An excellent article about the never-ending, so called, ‘improvements’ to Glasgow (“I love Glasgow but I’m sick of waiting for it to get better and I’m getting sick of that cone”, The Herald October 16).
On a connected theme, I'm afraid Stuart Neville (Letters, October 16) may be indulging in wishful thinking. My suspicion is Glasgow Council, having had a bit of time to brag about the upgrade to George Square, will then despoil it with an assortment of Christmas tat.
Hope I'm wrong.
Dave Henderson, Glasgow.
The eternal cone
May I be allowed to assure Robin McNaught (Letters, October 17) that I am (still) acquainted with the concept (conecept) of fun.
It's why I occasionally write to the Herald, and I'm still having plenty, even in my advancing years.
However, whether or not the original motivation for the Duke of Wellington's cone was a boozy jape, the ‘left wing protest’ against the Iron Duke and his attitude to the lower classes is evidenced by the fact that the cone is still there, after all these years.
John Jamieson, Ayr.
No laughing matter?
It may be embarrassing enough to fake laughter at rubbish jokes.
Equally disconcerting is the opposite - attempting to stifle laughter at an inappropriate time and place. Many a Sunday, my friend and I would sit together on a back pew in the local church and wait for the young earnest minister to read the Prayer of Intercession.
We would be almost ill trying to disguise our laughter in anticipation of his weekly exhortation: “Now let us pray for those lying in beds of sickness.”
Just thinking of that scenario, some eighty years later, still brings tears to my eyes.
Isobel McEwan, Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire.
Just not cricket
Upon seeing the picture of cricket being played on the beach at Elie (“Picture of the day”, The Herald, October 16), I was reminded of the comment of Mary Russell Mitford in ‘Our Village’: “Who would think that a little bit of leather and two pieces of wood had such a delightful and delighting power.”
There are current concerns about the future of cricket with the division between Test cricket and the shorter one day versions.
The shorter game is designed to attract larger numbers to watch, and to augment income from TV. I would hope that the place of Test cricket will continue to have a secure place In the set up of cricket.
Let me close with a reference to October by Denis Norden: “It’s a funny kind of month, October. For the really keen cricket fan it’s when you realise that your wife left you in May.”
Ian W Thomson, Lenzie.
Talk, talk
I enjoyed the cricketing photo in The Herald.
Although more associated with England than Scotland, my elderly father always listened to the game on the radio.
Not because he was interested in who won.
It was the rambling, often comical commentary that captured his attention.
Doug Mitchell, Troon.
Mona misquoted
I was delighted to see Alan Fitzpatrick citing one of my heroines, Mona Lott (Letters, October 17).
He quotes her as saying: “It’s being so cheerful THAT keeps me going.”
And that is indeed what she is meant to have said, supported by many sources.
But what she actually said was: “It’s being so cheerful AS keeps me going”. The phrase “…that keeps me going” is insufficiently demotic for a people’s heroine.
Peter Martin, Perth.
Flight of fancy
Elon Musk must have had Scotland in mind, for he has invented a flying car. There may well be a queue of (‘well heeled’) Scots for this new product. Why?
Because of the state of Scotland's roads, especially due to potholes. Also the proliferation of cycle lanes, the narrowness of most side streets, due to no on-kerb parking, and the frequent roadworks / temporary lights that spring up overnight.
Now Mr Musk has opened a new doorway for car owners to simply sail over all these impediments. Will the SNP introduce a flying Scot tax?
Dr Gerald Edwards, Glasgow.
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