Jim Reid Canada

42 Cowlairs Road, Springburn,Glasgow, Scotland was the place of my birth. I joined my Mam and Dad, and an older brother and sister in the wee single-end which they called home. Not content with three children, my parents saw fit to 'produce' another two and further cramp the wee space. As you came in the door from the landing (shared by two other doors and two other families) you were in a small entrance/hallway which held multiple coat hooks and "the coal bunker"
This 'bunker' held the coal which was burned in the 'fire' to give us heat, cook our meals boil our water and 'dry' our clothes. I remember the feelings of terror when this 'fire' set the chimney ablaze, the 'roaring' of the chimney fire and the panic in the hoose' caused me to 'vacate the premises' toot'sweet!! The fireplace took up most of 'the front wall' which included 'the windae' with the proverbial 'auld sink' This sink had 'a zillion' uses, washing dishes, clothes soakin' fish, bleeding meat (poached) and of course " pee'in in" Another wall was taken up by a sideboard which held most of our clothes sweaters, shirts, underwear, etc. and "the press" this cupboard stood 'tall' in oor hoose. It held 'The Family Cutlery' probably stolen from James Craig's Tearooms, Gordon St. and our dishes, pots and pans. This cabinet was 'maybe' three feet wide, now, what would today's housewife do with this 'wee box'??? Our kitchen cabinets in our home today total 24 feet and 'the wife' still doesn't have enough room, go figure???

We hudd a "Galvie Bath" in oor single-end oan Cowlairs Rd. an' ye remember 'bath night' Well! ma Mam did it fae the youngest furst, then ma brother David, then me. Ma aulder sister an brother??? ah cannae remember thaim bathing, durty buggers! Anyhoo' wan Sunday night, Edward's finished an David gets in, noo jist as he's feenishin'?? he stauns up an 'pees' in the wattur!!!! Well ah wisnae gettin in there??? right??? right yer arse!! ma Mam skelps ma ear an makes me greet mair 'cause ah'm blubberin aboot 'Fatty' pee'in in the bath. That wummin showed nae cumpashunn, naw! she dooks ma heid right unner the wattur an' ah'm splutterin' so's noa tae 'swallae' oanie o 'fatty's' pee ... nae such luck! she hit me oan ma big lugs wi hurr weddin haun an hurr ring 'stung' ma ear, ah' went tae let oot a big "Waaaaaaaaaaaa" bit aw' ah did wis let 'the wattur' in, ah musta' swallied aboot a pint a' piss an ma two wee brithers huvv ony wet thumsells mair fae laffin it me.... I have hated baths ever since that episode, ah' kin see it the'day as clear, as if it wis yesterday, ah'm boakin' here jist minding o' it!

I have two other memories that have stayed with me over the years.
The first, I shared a bed with my older sister which was a 'bed chair' This was a chair which 'converted into 'a single bed' (a very clever piece of furniture) When the lights went out and the room was lit by a cozy red glow from the old fire we would lie and watch the mice scuttering around the bare floor looking for a wee bite to eat. I had an old 'Milk Chocolate' box which consisted of two halves. I had cut a wee opening in the bottom half and 'sat' the top half over the bottom half opened. When a wee moose would creep into my 'trap' for a bite of whatever I'd provided, I'd drop a book on the top and it would drop over the bottom, trapping the wee beastie. In the morning we would release it into the the sink or a pail of water and watch it 'doin' the breaststroke. I guess there were other sources of entertainment (I discovered those later) but, 'Moose catching' was the big thing in oor hoose!

Ah' decided ah' couldnae tell ye the second tale as it's toooo durty!!!!! ......

Originally from Cowlairs Rd. Springburn/Balornock/Barmulloch and very proud of my Glesga' roots and there's not a day went by in the last 34 years, that I haven't wished I was walking along Sauchiehall St. wae ma new lumbar fae the Locarno' , LoL! I still have a brother in Glasgow and two sons living on the outskirts of our "Auld Toon" I'm way overdue for a 'trip hame' and if I won a wee lottery prize?? it'd be "Hello' izzat Zoom Airlines?? ah' need two tickets tae Glesga' toot sweet! China!"

Prior to April 1979 there are no previous photos of me as I ended up on Skid Row in Toronto with nothing but the clothes on my back. I have one photo taken in "The Addiction Research Foundation" on April, 1979 but, shows a very angry, detoxing individual.

The first photo of importance, is the one with the red guitar, taken at a little Church basement, Alcoholics Anonymous dance. I volunteered to sing a song with the band and was invited to become a member although I had no 'axe' to play. I was loaned a Gibson replica, which I eventually bought and this signalled my upward climb from abuse and insanity.

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The photo of me in my MacGregor kilt, see above, was taken at The Gaelic College, St.Anne's, Cape Breton Island in the summer of 1993 and the last one, of me 'eating the breid' see below was taken in 1998, at the home I built, with my wife Donna on Cape Breton Island.