The Old Home Town, Looks just the same..

But not really, 

On the site of this new funky school, used to stand "The Wee School".  The school which stood from 1886, til it was replaced in 1997.  The wee school was home to all the Children in the town, until the Big School was build, and then it became home to the junior school, and the Big School housed the high school children.  

As the town grew, this wee School became St Patrick, a Catholic School, and the Big School became Troon Primary, a Non-denominational school, and Marr College was built in the 1930's for secondary children. 

It was a pretty from the outside school.  I have no idea what it was like inside, I was never, ever inside, not even for a visit.  I did however,pay visits to the Janitor's house.   At least I think it was the janitor's house.  

Nanny and Willie stayed in there.  It was a lovely wee house.  Stairs up from a wee stone front door, and straight into the kitchen.  Nanny fed the "doos" so there was always cooing and brring from the kitchen window, and the house was always busy.   

Nanny was from Islay, the Southern Most island of the Innder hebrides and she spoke with a lovely sing song lilt.   So did her budgies.  "nanny's wee boy".

Their son John is an artist.  He worked as an art teacher in a nearby secondary school, but my greatest source of wonder was the papier mache models of the worlds statesmen and actors of the day which he made and who stood guard on the stairs going up from the vestibule to the upstairs.  Edward Heath, Harold Wilson, Nixon, John Wayne.  All completely perfect in miniature, cartoon style. 

What I didn't love, was the portraits he took of us.  I was ten, and taken stood in the garden, amidst trees and bushes.  With my Very, very stupid hairdo of the year, and my grandad shirt, and my dungarees, and my stupid face. 

My mum stuck them, (my sister and I both), on the wall beside the fire place.  They were always there. Bloody awful. Bloody bloody awful.  Not a reflection of John's skill as a photographer, just a reflection of my stupid hair of the day and my stupid face.  

:-)