" A Saunter roon Stinstin"

[chriso]

Hi Len, there were 3 ponds there, we knew as the white wife, the yellow man and the black baby.. Gypsies often camped nearby. Just by the old St. John's school / church. We were warned within an inch of our lives not to go near the quarry..made it all the more alluring!

Morag, I haven't heard of the ponds called the yellow man or the black baby, I have heard of The White Wife.
We knew the one nearest Saltcoats as The Wilsons.

[morag]

The white wife was the big one, the yellow man next in size and the black baby wee. Don't have a clue how they got their names. I imagine the result of quarrying? Often up and by there past the old gasworks back to civilisation..well as far as 3 toons went..

[5eulbdog7]

Oh my, the memories Ms. Spencer..

She judged young folk often by the books they read. Yes she was strict but there was a great passion longing to be fulfilled. She had great affection for my brother with his raven locks and his beautiful dark blue eyes who she saw as an equal.

[morag]

She was a nice woman who knew how to keep discipline with just a look. Gahh wish I'd met your brother! lol!

[5eulbdog7]

Actually when we were kids people took us as twins. Same hair and eye colour, very Keltic . I may be wrong but I think her name was Spence.

[morag]

Think you are right.

[5eulbdog7]

The white wife was the big one, the yellow man next in size and the black baby wee. Don't have a clue how they got their names. I imagine the result of quarrying? Often up and by there past the old gasworks back to civilisation..well as far as 3 toons went..

I've asked older Stinston folk and they insist the white wife is the pond nearest the old chapel. Legend has it that there are ghosts who frequent that area and maybe a figure in white has been seen there. Now folk who scoff at the idea of ghosts are welcome to do so. However some of us know better.

[morag]

The white wife was the big one, the yellow man next in size and the black baby wee. Don't have a clue how they got their names. I imagine the result of quarrying? Often up and by there past the old gasworks back to civilisation..well as far as 3 toons went..

I've asked older Stinston folk and they insist the white wife is the pond nearest the old chapel. Legend has it that there are ghosts who frequent that area and maybe a figure in white has been seen there. Now folk who scoff at the idea of ghosts are welcome to do so. However some of us know better.

Yes it was Bill. You'd leave school and got to the right..to the sandyhills for heading home as opposed to the walk along the street to the other street and either up the rec or up another street enjoyed both..believe there were a few drownings and never scoff at folk who say so, had a few incidents myself ..and I believe I'm quite feet on earth, even though I'm in LaLa Land..

[5eulbdog7]

Morag, when I was a kid I was scared of the chapel and would hurry past glancing up at the statues on the top floor. My gran use to tell us that if you don't behave the nuns will come and take you away. I remember one day at my grans we were carrying on and suddenly looked out the window and there were two nuns at the door. We all hid under the beds and waited to be abducted. After a time my gran opened the bedroom door and we said,"nuns grannie nuns! "and she said,"well I warned you." She stood with a wee smile on her face then eventually told us that they had only come to ask directions. Still makes me laugh.

[morag]

She'd be hauled away for child abuse these days! My mum's line was 'wait till your father gets home' That's all it took and we'd be petrified! Thing is, he never laid a hand on us or raised his voice, mum was the disciplinarian. Down by the school / church area was interesting. There used to be a train car or an old bus, can't remember, across the road we'd go play in.

[5eulbdog7]

Don't think so Morag, my gran was a gentle person and we all laughed when she explained. We will leave the child abuse allegations to some members of the Roman Catholic Church. My mum would also say wait till your father comes home and we would laugh and my dad would come home and say ,"you lot bloody well behave yourselves." and we would say we were sorry and that was it. We loved our dad and weren't scared of him as he was a gentle person. Morag you were petrified of your dad,that's terrible.

[morag]

I wasn't, Bill, just of my mum's warning! He was a gentleman, brought up in England, as yours. But that's all she needed to say to get us to behave! He adapted to life in Stevenston, worked ICI boats. he worked on boats since 14, school leaving age then, his uncle owned a trawler, RN then merchant navy. He was born in Scotland but in a house full of, Scots wife and 3 daughters, us all blethering away and at the usual rate, he'd just go sit away from 'the action'..'I can't understand it when you all start speaking together..' Lol ...actually, my Scottish bil had the same reaction to me, my sister and pals, finish each other's sentences or didn't have to and burst out laughing..maybe it's just us.. Lol