Carradale

[Right Pongal]

Anyone been to the "Gory Ghost Hole" recently ? It must be half a century since I was there. Some questions... Does it still exist? Who slid down it? Where was it? Clue- weans today are coddled.

Is this one of Bruce's caves?

[spangles]

Not a lot to say apart from Great stuff. Keep it coming!!

S

[morenish]

terrific poem! thanyou very much for posting it humph!
i reminds me o an annoyin man that used to lecture me in my young days about "getting settled," "it's time ye had a wife" he would say, so wan day for spite i went an had his!

keep the poems coming humphlock

[witchnettle]

there was a tear in my eye as i read that poem,

wouldn't it be nice to have a wee ceilidh at Bochans caboodle when it is done,
we could make it a proper old fashioned one with a wee bit of dancing and a bit of singing and Humph reading some of Wal's poetry
and of course a wee dram or two.

We would of course need Dr Snoddy on hand for any problems that may arise as the evening wears on and incase some of the Bochans and Morenish's old maladies flare up.
x

[spangles]

wouldn't it be nice to have a wee ceilidh at Bochans caboodle when it is done,

C'mon Bochan, It's all over Kintyre about this new caboodle in the gerdaan and that lassie in the last post is desperate for a dance, a drink and a cuddle. When's the work starting on this caboodle? I hear the grass beautician's got the job of landscaping. Jeest look at the jobs you're creating.

Will you be looking for a bouncer??

S

[SARID]

Wal's poems greatly amused a relative, who after his annual visit to Carradale, took the poems home to London. There he had them duplicated, and the booklet was distributed to family and other interested parties

[Bitter End]

Spangles --with or withoot his motor bike ?

[cuach]

You were right first time, Chuckiebay, The Gory Ghost Hole was (or is ) down the School wood. In the days when weans could be free they played down the wood at dinner time. There was a steep slide from the wood to the Carra which of course was a magnet for kids. Jenifer slid to the bottom and had to be rescued. If wood not too overgrown must check it out sometime.

[chuckiebay]

Ah remember well when Jennifer fell doon the cliff! Ah wonder whit made her fall? Whit great times we had in the wid once we got to P3. We couldn't get Tattie Jean's dinners doon us fast enough and then we were off. You just had to keep an ear for either the bell or somebody shouting that the bell was ringing and if you were late you had to thole a lecture from Mr Jackson. Sadly a few years after us parents were scandalised to find more(for those days) adult games were being played and that was the end of the wood forever.

It was from the river below the GGH that Wal got wan o' Jock's boys who was in the forestry to bring him clay for his models. That was another thing he turned his hand to but ah don't think any are still around

[Humphlock]

Aw, I wiz clean wrong then. The place I wiz on aboot is what we used to call the Dungeon, roon by the Castle. Frightening b.....r of a place. I know of only wan person who's been doon it and that was to rescue a lamb. Went back a couple o years ago to have a look - it's no easy to find and ye've got to watch ye don't fall doon it. Anybody else familiar with the Dungeon?

[chuckiebay]

Ah hope yon goat doesna go looking for the GGH and falls doon it. D'ye think he wid sue us? Can yi imagine whit they were thinkin aboot lettin' wee ones doon that wid. They cood fall oot o' trees fall in the burn and droon or get run o'er by the odd car passin on the road. If ah mind right nobody was iver hurt except Jennifer maybe had the odd scratch. Ah doant think her muther came near to complain.

[SARID]

If Wal wisna deed, he'd be celebrating his 110 birthday this Summer. How's that for a good age? He wis an engineer to trade, and served his time in Greenock (no I dont mean the jail ). Efter that he joined "The Blue Funnel Line ", and went on to become wan o' the first men in Britain tae be awarded a combined steam and diesel ticket. He sailed wae B F until he was aboot 40, for reasons best known to himself, gave up the sea, and stayed at home in Carradale for the rest of his days.
I think he went to the fishing for a while, but by thelate forties he was growing potatoes, tending his hens and playing the stockmarket . He loved talking aboot his shares------- mainly in oil.
He enjoyed nothing better than an audience, and had a group of cronies who gathered at Bayview. They sat well into the night putting the world to rights,------ or more likely they listened to Wal putting the world to rights!
He took up sculpture at one point, and the " Jock Boys " brought him the clay from the banks of the Carra. He specialised innude figures aboot 12ins tall, and his firing kiln wis the range oven.
His mode of transport was an old bike kept on the road with bits, when the need arose , with bits from even older bikes.
He was indeed a character, and every bit as "crabbit " as Chuckiebay suggests!!

[general jack o'niell]

pretty average for a local then?, the crabbit bit i mean

[Bochan Mor]

Sarid, the village has had its fair share of characters over the years, but sadly they are much depleted now. I thought for a minute the General was inferring that we are all 'Clean Gite' up here. He should know right enough!

[morenish]

oh ghia bochan, and you the biggest, baldest, i meant boldest character the village has had in years!!
if some o them poor old fellas were still here they widna get a word in edgeways.
i keep accusin you of lookin backwards and then realised the black shadow is the most technically advanced vehicle in the dale, plus it's 3 freeview, sorry rear view morrors, but here bedamned, even with the 3 of them you've still reversed intae something!
some say more water helps but my advice is more concentration.

now humph are we going to get more from wals, wee book, it's the best of entertainment on a dark february night, or even a good wan like we're gettin the now.