I Grew Up in Glasgow: Castlemilk's Looking Glass was 'a child's shop of dreams'

Where did you live? My mum was from Edinburgh, my dad was from Maryhill and they and my two older sisters and brother lived in the Gorbals before moving to a five-apartment in Castlemilk where me and my other two brothers were born.

Describe your house: Those were the days of no central heating and only one fire in the living room to heat the whole three levels – you knew it was winter all right. I’d sit at the windows and pick the ice from the inside of the glass. That one fire was also used as clothes dryer when it rained. My Mum had an old dark brown wooden clothes rack. I remember lying on the couch on Sunday afternoons while the clothes were drying around the fire causing all the living room windows to steam up with condensation.

Where did you go to school? St Dominic’s Primary, only a wee short walk from our house. In my wee brown school satchel I had my ‘play piece’, a slice of toast wrapped in Mother’s Pride bread paper. That was my dad’s favourite bread and God help anyone who took the ‘ootsider’. It was like committing the crime of the century.

Favourite local shop? The shop of every child’s dreams in Castlemilk, The Looking Glass. It was an all year round Santa’s grotto. They had glass cabinets with buttons you could press so they would turn and you could see everything inside.

READ MORE: 'I met Jean at the Majestic but was too shy to ask her out'

Where did you go dancing? My first night out at the age of 17 was with a girl I met at work who helped me do my makeup and took me to Victoria’s on Sauchiehall Street. It was ‘the place to be’, it had just opened and was all fancy.

Best thing about growing up in Glasgow? Castlemilk and Glasgow gave me and my kids a good school education, a brilliant community and a city of happy, down to earth, hardworking, honest people.