ianek70
07.07.06, 20:40
The horriblest osiedle in East Renfrewshire is Johnstone Castle. Even by
local standards, it's a violent, drunken, ugly slum which smells of heroin.
On the plus side, off-sales have a home delivery service (even drunks don't
go out after dark) and like everywhere in the West of Scotland there's some
good pubs and excellent Indian food.
There's no castle there any more (locals claim it was stolen), but when this
fine edifice still stood, it was visited by famous foreign composer Fred
Chopin. He had hot sex there in September 1848 and died soon afterwards.
During World War 2, the largest contingent of foreign troops in the country
were the Poles. There were even more of them than there were Yanks, and one
died in Johnstone. He was buried in a nearby forest, for reasons which are
not adequately explained.
According to local legend, Chopin's music can be heard near the grave of the
dead żołnierz on moonlit September evenings.
www.johnstonetown.org.uk/history/johnstone_castle_001.htm
When the war ended 70,000 Poles stayed in Scotland, declaring that they'd
only return to their ojczyzna when it became free and democratic, hopefully
next Tuesday. This never happened, and they made a new life in Scotland, many
had been miners, shipbuilders and textile workers before the war and had no
problems adapting to life in their new homeland. Almost.
My Dad was in a pub in Johnstone in the 1960s, when two middle-aged men came
in and ordered a couple of beers. The barman started pouring their beer, but
when one took out a wallet he suddenly stopped and said, "Youse, oot."
(Wynoście się stąd).
Dad inquired of the barman:
"How d'ye fling thae auld yins oot?" (Dlaczego wyrzuciłeś tych starców?)
"See yon wee leather wallets, at means they wis Poles." (Widziałeś tamte
skórzane portmonetki? To byli Polacy.)
"Sae kin they no haud their drink?" (I co, pić nie potrafią?)
"Aye, they kin haud it lik onyb'dy. They staurt fuckin singin efter it, but."
(Potrafią jak wszyscy, ale potem zaczynają śpiewać).
Apparently there's now a Polish deli somewhere in Johnstone.
I haven't seen it, but I've seen a large vicious dog there called Maciek
Żurawski.