Nae Streets in Drumchapel - Glasgow Life

from an old Drumchapel boy
Rounders was a better game for children. We only needed a
tennis ball and a tennis racket. Our jerseys too. We took them off and
laid them down on the grass to make the bases. Boys and girls played
rounders together and all ages could play. The best player was a girl
called Maggie. She was my pal’s big sister. She was better than any
of the boys. Whoever was captain and won first choice always chose
Maggie for their team.
Sometimes the ball was smacked so far by the big boys and girls
that it landed in the burn. We had to walk on stepping stones and
balance down to lift it. Some stones were wobbly and our feet
slipped in. One time it happened to a boy. He went back the way and
sat down in the water. We were laughing at him. It was not funny for
him. When he got up his trousers were soaking wet. He had to go
home to get changed. But his mother kept him in, and it was not his
fault.
*
If it was raining the burn was fast-flowing. Sometimes the water
overflowed the banks. On the One Scheme side of the burn there
were not many trees. The other side was Southdeen Avenue. That
made it Three Scheme. There were plenty of trees and bushes on the
Three Scheme side.
These trees were great for climbing. Big boys climbed the trees
and found a good strong branch. They had a long rope. They
wrapped the rope round their waist or shoulders and climbed the
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