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BIOGRAPHY
I was born in 1951 in the east end of Glasgow. The first of five sons. Mum contracted TB when I was a year old, so Dad had to cope with me as a toddler while Mum spent over a year in hospital. Finally emerging a lung lighter, but able to live a pretty full life. We lived in a new housing scheme; Ruchazie, on the edge of the city.
Dad worked hard. Selling toys and balloons around Gala days and markets all over Scotland. Eventually saving enough to take over the local newsagent's shop, where he managed to carve out a reasonable living for the next thirty years. Enough to support a wife, and eventually five boys.
After a few years we moved to a bigger house in Riddrie, a mile closer to the city, where, once I'd passed my 11 plus exam I was enrolled in St Mungo's Academy. A 'senior secondary' school which sprawled over four campuses near the city centre. It was an all boys school, with fairly Victorian attitudes regarding learning and discipline. The teachers usually wore gowns and were not averse to throwing a wooden blackboard 'duster' across the class at talkative pupils. They would also punish pupils regularly by means of a leather 'strap' on outstretched palms. It was really sore! In spite of this harsh environment, I quite enjoyed my time at St Mungo's and made lifelong friends with some really good people.
Having succeeded in rising to the heights of mediocrity, with one Higher and three 'O'levels, I left school and entered the real world of work. Starting out as a not very good sales rep for a confectionery firm, then moving on to becoming a major newsagents chain's youngest ever branch manager, before opening my first shop at nineteen. None of that was plain sailing but it was a good grounding.
Over the years Mary and I have started a number of businesses (the early ones are in the book.) Mainly shops, such as Spar stores and catering businesses, although I did own a chocolate factory for a while...
We sold our final retail business a few years ago and I took up writing. I sent my first submission to the prestigious Scots Magazine (The oldest magazine in the world.).
It was a dramatic/humorous article describing my adventures in a camping trip as a teenager. To my delight, two days later I received an email saying they wanted to publish it! The Scots Magazine accepted a number of my stories and the then editor, Phil Smith, made the suggestion that I should write a book around our exploits. But to make sure that it featured Buster, our madcap Labrador. So I did and 'Hopes and Dreams... and Buster Too!' is the result. I'm currently working on the sequel.
I've since had a number of articles published in various magazines including a few quirky travel pieces in the Herald Scotland Saturday Magazine.
I enjoy the outdoors and have managed a few big hikes over the years. Starting with the West Highland Way and later trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, before doing a couple of hikes in the Himalayas, culminating in a three week trek to Everest Base Camp. All fantastic trips.
We have a son; Stephen, and his wife, Gillian, who have provided us with two cool grandsons. Our daughter, Kathleen follows my more adventurous habits, as I have followed my Mum's writing habits.(She had many short stories published in national magazines and on the BBC). I'm very fortunate to have a large extended family, with quite a few of them living nearby. We have friends who go back to my first day in St Mungo's, as well as others who we see regularly. Bizarrely, they're nearly all called John! Hence the need to make some name changes in the book.
Overall I must say I've had a pretty full life, and still happy to be with Mary, the love of my life, going on fifty years.
