Gain Access To Shoes Were For Sunday Expressed By Molly Weir Disseminated As Pamphlet

much as I enjoyed reading about the past and what It was like to grow up in that time, The plot seemed very pointless.
Nothing really happened and I was left very disappointed at the end feeling like I had wasted my time, An enjoyable memoir of life in the Glasgow tenements between the wars, Shes very good at taking you inside her childs view of the world, 'Poverty is a very exacting teacher and I had been taught well, '

Molly Weir, well known Scottish actress and comedian, writes this charming, authentic autobiography of her life as a child growing up in the poor tenements of Glascow during WWand the following economic depressionin a family where her widowed mother was the sole breadwinner for her household of three children, and her Grandmother was the main caregiver.
Living in two small rooms what luxury, the family of four worked hard, each member contributing their mite and learning how to hold household from a young age.
Despite the deprivation, this was a family who knew how to count their blessings, There are many heartwarming tales of family life, of community and caring for those less fortunate than others through awareness, concern and small acts of kindness, each shown with a delicacy of respect that could teach a generation now living in less connected communities.
Molly speaks of how lucky she was to grow up in such a close knit, loving family, where providence and care of the growing children's needs, took precedence in the adult minds.
Her mother worked hard on the railways from before dawn until after dusk, her Grandmother gave up everything to come and live with them to care for them all when her mother had to go out to work, after the death of her father early in Molly's life.


'Filling every corner of my world was Grannie, From the minute I opened my eyes in the hurley bed in the morning, she tormented me, disciplined me, taught me, laughed at me, loved me, and tied me to her for ever, although I didnt know it at the time.
'

The story is told from the point of view of the child and adolescent Molly, agedto, with no attempt to review its stories from adult eyes.
Molly's world revolved around the security of her Grandmother, provider of care, understanding, disciple and tough love warm nourishing food and always a welcoming presence in her home from the moment she opened her eyes to the moment they shut at night, even sharing her small trundle bed during sleep.


'One minute I was drowsily gazing at the gas mantle, blinking my lashes against its soft radiance and making rainbows with my flickering eyelids and its glowing globe, and the next moment it was dark and Grannie was pulling the blankets round her, and easing herself into the hollow in front of me.
As I cooried in closer, to keep my share of the bedclothes, she would reach out a hand to push my knees down.
Your banes are like sticks, she would complain, Streetch them doon noo. Theyre that sherp, theyre cuttin intae auld Grannies back, Sleepily, obediently, I would straighten out my legs, and I would drift off with a drowsy smile as I prodded with a small hand my offending knees.
How could Grannie think they were sharp enough to hurt her I wondered, They felt soft and ordinary enough to me, '

Told with sparkling humour and simplicity, the childhood experiences of Molly, her brothers and the tight knit community of children living in the tenements is a joy to read.
Although they went without many privileges, the family managed to provide for the necessities and even the occasional holiday or party for an extra special occasion.
It was however the stories of the everyday that especially charmed me and made me see again that money cannot buy the kind of happiness that love can provide.


'Grannie meanwhile had been making the porridge, and infusing the tea, and soon we three children were kneeling on the rug with our porridge bowls on top of the long stool which ran the length of the fireplace, the heat from the fire warming our faces and fingers as we supped the good meal.
How cosy these winter breakfasts were, for we had all been out of doors to whet our appetites, the boys delivering their milk round, and of course me getting the messages in.
I had thought this routine would go on for ever, for I knew no other, "

Grannie, the centre of her world, fearsome but loving Grannie, whose tough, independent spirit taught Molly to rise above her pitiful surroundings, work hard and finally achieve her dreams.
Molly says her childhood ended on the day her Grannie died, Molly achieved scholarships to attend a university, and then went on to a successful career as an actress, most notably for her role as the longrunningcharacter Hazel the McWitch in the BBC TV series 'Rentaghost'.
That was a favourite TV show of mine growing up, full of fun and zany comedy, 'Shoes Were For Sunday', first published in, became a bestseller, Molly went on to publish a number of other autobiographical books, following her rise from the slums to the footlights: 'Best Foot Forward', 'A Toe On The Ladder', 'Stepping into the Spotlight', 'Walking into the Lyon's Den' and 'One Small Footprint'.
Molly died in, leaving the proceeds of her estate to the poor and elderly of her beloved Springburn in Glasgow, Molly Weir must have been such a happy little elfinlike lady, Her very words "betray" her, I wish I had known her, in some ways I feel I have, Having read her more complete book, this one equates with an excerpt but is very much appreciated, Such an unusual woman with a very fruitful life in both Glasgow and London, Molly Weir grew up happily enough in poverty, "Poverty is a very exacting teacher and I had been taught well, " She moved up the ranks to become an accomplished actress but did not succumb to its lure toward shoddy morals, Molly Weir was married to the same man all her life and had a solid Christian foundation, I was mesmerized by her story, 'Poverty is a very

exacting teacher and I had been taught well'

The postwar urban jungle of the Glasgow tenements was the setting for Molly Weir's childhood.
From sharing a pullout bed in her mother's tiny kitchen to running in terror from the fever van, it was an upbringing that was cemented in hardship.
Hunger, cold and sickness was an everyday reality and complaining was not an option,

Despite the crippling poverty, there was a vivacity to the tenements that kept spirits high, Whether Molly was brushing the hair of her wizened neighbour Mrs MacKay, running to Jimmy's chip shop for a ha'penny of crimps or dancing at the annual fair, there wasn't a moment to spare for selfpity.
Molly never let it get her down as she and the other urchins knew how to make do with nothing,

And at the centre of her world was her fearsome but loving Grannie, whose tough, independent spirit taught Molly to rise above her pitiful surroundings and achieve her dreams.
If you want to know what it was like living in thes up a close in a Glaswegian tenement this book is for you.
This had an extra appeal to me, as it was set at a time when my father would have been a child in that dusty dirty big city, but where common folk had hearts of gold.
I absolutely loved it! Love her stories of historical value amp values rarely found today, There is no plot. It's history lovingly put to print, A very sweet autobiography about growing up poor in Glasgow right after WWI, I picked it up in Glasgow right after I toured one of the tenement houses from that period, These families are to be admired for their struggle to lead a decent, good life in very harsh situations and with so much less that we seem to require these days.
I read Molly Weir's story of living and working through WWand getting her start on the BBC Radio, in a book called sitelinkWhat Did You Do in the War, Mummy: Women in World War II, so I was interested in her biography.
Picked it up on a sleepless night and devoured it entire in a few hours, She just talks to the reader, telling her story without selfpity or sentimentality, There's no "Young people today don't know how good they have it!" or "Poor me, my ambition saved me", It's just, "Yes we were poor, dirtpoor in fact, and we knew it, but we didn't let it own us, "

The text is a bit scrappy in parts, and there are no references to outside events to help place it in time, but that's normal when telling a child's story I don't know too many children especially in that time who think much about political/social events unless for some reason they affect them directly.
I couldn't figure out how old she was by the end of the book, though she might have been, the normal age for workingclass kids to leave school at the time.
I found her narrative voice entertaining and her descriptions of life as she lived it engaging, I love the description of night in the washhouse,

The book was written in, reprinted after Ms Weir's death in, Her estate was left to the poor and widowed in the area where she grew up, I would like very much to find the rest of the trilogy, Loved the voice in this book as well as the author's insight into life in this time and place, Really interesting look at growing up poor in Glasgow before the war, Rough and tough but with funny moments and life being lived very raw and alive! Molly Weir writes about growing up in a Glasgow tenement.
Raised by her widowed mother and Grandmother, she tells of the poverty of the neighbors and the hardships of their lives with compassion and warmth.
I enjoyed her portrayal of the shopkeepers, teachers, and family members, and all the fun the kids had together in spite of their poverty.
Molly Weir is a funloving, spunky woman, and writes as such, An easy, enjoyable read. I absolutely enjoyed this book, It brought back memories when I lived in Scotland, I remember mum when she used to tell me about the washing boards and mangles wringers and how you had to keep your good clothes all spic and span for Sunday school.
Molly Weir I remember as a comedian but she certainly showed another side of herself in her writing, Excellent read, For the most part, reading this is like hearing an older lady telling some stories, The chapters are basically little snapshots of her early childhood, It's a bit "noble poor" tropey at times, but the details of the clothing, daily tasks, and general environment ofs Glasgow in the Springburn area were interesting to read.
That said, there's one chapter at the end that uses a racial slur describing an object, in such a casual, unnecessary way, that I am surprised that theedition of the book kept it in! Especially when it's not wholly obvious that the book is from.
Not that it was ok then either, of course, A nice heart warming read over the weekend, Molly Weir was a gifted child who grew up in the Glasgow tenements with not very much but a loving family,

Molly Weir writes well and her memory for fine detail is excellent, Different times

Looking through the eyes of a child very well written and recalled, Author has a very good memory of their hopes and fears Really enjoyed Shoes Were For Sunday, took me right back to my special relationship with my Grannie.
Also Grannie spelt the way my family have always done and not 'Granny', I am a Grannie myself and reminded me of how special your relationship and bond with your grandchildren is, If I could rate higher I would, "The asphalt jungle of the Glasgow tenements was the setting for Molly Weir's childhood,

"Despite crippling poverty and overcrowding, there was endless fun from impromptu recitations to the delights of the annual fair,

"And dominating her life was Grannie, whose tough, independent spirit gave Molly so rich a life in so pitiful surroundings, "
back cover

A very factual account, but somehow I didn't find it interesting enough to read it through to the finish.
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