I realised that it was late evening on December 22nd and there was still no sign of this Festive regular on here which gives Sneckie folk all over the world a seasonal opportunity to get moist eyed about the place in their younger days.... so here we are.

Traditionally the mods have been tolerant and left what should really be a "Memories" thread on the main site at this time. And unless they are in "bah humbug" mode, I would hope that this Christmas tradition can continue.

So to set the ball rolling....

Santa in Benzie and Miller's/ Arnotts.

Nights out at Dillingers.

"Scratchy" nights out in the La Scala.

Dancing in the Caley Ballroom.

Haircut in Diggar's then an ice cream from Salvadori's.

Playhouse Cafe Disneyworld at Christmas (you have to be at least 40-something for this one.)

Granville, Toich and Willie Bell.

Ok then folks.... over to you......

The variety theatre at the lower end of Academy Street.The joke from the labouring comedian on the stage that tickled me pink and made me laugh out loud when everybody else was still thinking about it...and.. the approving and grateful look from the comedian who saw a kindred spirit and a ray of hope emerging.

The Three Stooges and Clancy of the Mounted at the matinees on a Satudrday morning at the La Scala. Little did I know that I would meet Clancy one day and he would smile at my sweetly--and give me a speeding ticket and a $340 fine. Streuth.

Getting on the bus for a penny and into the Caley Park at Telford Street for 6 pence.

Spartacus at the Playhouse before it burned down. Ah wuz goggle-eyed !

Examining King Duncan's well closely one afternoon beside Spring Cottage in Culcabock when I was probably 3 or four then running up the back garden in my Grandmothers house to jump on the wire fence and stand there looking at Raigmnore hospital wondering what the big building was and what it was all about. Did a lot of wandering and wondering in these days

The four or five beautiful Clydesdale horses in the photograph that I have of my Grandfather and one of my uncles and the other "hands" at The Dell of Inshes farm East of Culcabock where he was the farm manager. Roderick MacBean , grandfather, died before I was born.

Rolling Easter eggs down a sloping farmer's field up the Leachkin with my sister (3 years older than me) and my mother, again at a very young age, and gazing at the cows in the field below wondering what strange creatures they were. And enjoying the sunny day!

The cycle rides up to the Boar Stone.

Corny? Maybe. But, as you grow older, such memories become fonder.It's not always action that inspires you but the things that become imprinted deeply in your memory. Remember that scene at the end of the film "The Gladiator" where the dying Russell Crowe is thinking about his dead wife and child running through the cornfield--that's what I am talking about.....

Cheers friends. Have a great Christmas.

Being belted at school

A mock chop and chips at Renzos behind the college.

Gunsmiths selling guns

Your feet getting stuck to the carpet whilst dancing in the Hebridean

The Columba having a great bar

Having a good night out in Berties

Driving down the high street

One thing I don't miss

(Stinging eyes from smoke, fag burns on clothes, Waking up the morning after with hair and clothes that absolutely stink of fags, any smoker would disagree with this of course, just like a fish factory worker would say they cant smell fish.)

Seeing as its Christmas the words between the brackets don't exist and is just a figment of your imagination as I don't want to offend smokers at this time of year.

Love this thread. Bringing it all back to me.

The Columba was a regular haunt then The Tryst.

anyone remember the name of the barber shop at the bottom of academy street? next to dorandos i think it was?

everyone used to go there for their Bowie cut!!!!

Would that be Jimmy Wilson's?

the 3-1 cup game Jags v Killie

3-0. February 1985 I think. 0-6 at Celtic Park in the next round. Les Fridge in goals (I think) and Jimmy Calder substitute striker.

Was at both of them games and remember getting totally lost in Glasgow and driving round for what seemed like hours - no sat nav back then. (Ford Capri sport)

Also seem to remember an incident during the Tic game where danny Mcgrain fouled one of our players and the physio came running on and gave Mcgrain a right good shove which he didn't like.

Ronnies Chippie

Washington Soda Fountain

The Mayfair cafe

Renzos

The Douglas

The Tryst

All gone now - Memories!!!!!!

Edited December 23, 201015 yr by jagster

the 3-1 cup game Jags v Killie

3-0. February 1985 I think. 0-6 at Celtic Park in the next round. Les Fridge in goals (I think) and Jimmy Calder substitute striker.

Also seem to remember an incident during the Tic game where danny Mcgrain fouled one of our players and the physio came running on and gave Mcgrain a right good shove which he didn't like.

I wasn't there but it was Murd Urquhart and the version I heard was that it was a wee bit more than "a right good shove"!

Can anyone remember a building in the ness islands I think it may have had a stage or something

Yes used to go rollerskating there in the mid 60's, also bands played on a Saturday night - The Flock and Lal Macleod used to play there. Anyone remember The Scene disco down the Haugh?

There is also a ski ramp made out of wood opposite the thistle hotel between budget and where the esso garage used to be, some of the slope remains and there are still the lights there, Ive driven past it a 1000 times and never noticed till Titch on Mfr mentioned it a few years ago.

Islands hotel for an under age drink (Well under age, allegedly) and home later on my vespa, i think tom was the barman, he looked about 80 then in 1967,foxs penny box, Scotch Cola, queens cup,flagons of scotsmac,rosies in eastgate and onion johnnies bike outside

Anyone remember The Scene disco down the Haugh?

A short life but a glorious one, The Scene! I think it only survived for about a year around 1968. It was in what used to be the old laundry on Haugh Road (just out the road from the Haugh Bar)and in these days I was just in 3rd year in school. As a result we never went there in the evening but they had special "after school" discos for kids and we would troop down the Godsman's to get there from up the hill. It was a bit strange because the blackout wasn't very good and you would get bright shafts of summer sunshine all over the place. It also felt very strange when the disco was over and you came out into a lovely summer day.

However I only have a recollection of it during that summer of 68 and I don't think The Scene lasted that long. Maybe ia "discotheque" was regarded as a bit too revolutionary for Inverness in that era!

foxs penny box

Yes, quite a few shops did "penny boxes" and in fact the Post Office in Laurel Avenue had ha'penny, penny and twopenny boxes. Jocky Lawson also had a penny box when he ran the van and then opened the shop on St. Margarets Road opposite Christison's. Lawson's was never so busy because that bellicose old bag Mrs Lawson used to antagonise so many customers.

Amazing what you could get for a penny in the early 60s (that's approx 0.4 New Pence we're talking about here.) You could get whole variety of stuff ranging from a HUGE McCowan's Penny Dainty (which wasn't in the least dainty) to the Penny Banger at Guy Fawkes time, which packed a fair punch if thrown on to somebody's front step, to explode just as you escaped round the corner.

Aye, there's been a whole lot of inflation in the last 45 years or so.

Back in the early - mid 60s you could get into the front stalls in the Playhouse, the Palace or the La Scala for a shilling, into the Caley Park as a kid for 9d (although we usually climbed over the back gate), a Mars Bar for 6d and a hardbacked Enid Blyton "Secret Seven" book for 6 bob.

Rosie's cafe at the bottom of Stephens Brae. I used to work there after school and get paid 10p an hour!

Going over The Black Isle on the ferry for the day in the summer hols with your mates and the only warning you got was not to miss the last ferry home.

The Green Hut and cider.

Under 18 disco at the Caley Ballroom with the massive glitter ball.

Forging ID to get into The Tryst.

Dillingers and the Speakeasy bar. It was a sad day when Mr G's opened.

Coke floats in The Rendezvous restaurant.

Getting a takeaway from Abduls Indo-pak or Dennis's chinese was a treat

Myrtle's Bakery

McLeay's

Mitchell & Craig

Bruce Millars in the Market

Boot's Library

Cooper's Fine Fare

The Household Bazaar

The Royal Hotel

The Washington Soda Fountain

Medlock & Craik

Edited December 24, 201015 yr by Glen Mhor

anyone remember the name of the barber shop at the bottom of academy street? next to dorandos i think it was?

everyone used to go there for their Bowie cut!!!!

Would that be Jimmy Wilson's?

that's the one.... well remembered.

Going to the OLD Fox"s and getting single cigs....usually Park Drive...blew your head off !!

Climbing over the wall , to get to watch the Caley matches (not me off course) Even the barbed wire could not stop us....i mean "them"

Collecting the empty lemonade bottles at half time , and getting a penny for each empty

The 12th Company Dalneigh Boys Brigade. Best football team in the battalion................Yes , we were Titch.....not your 7th Company

Getting your Mams best coat out of the wardrobe, and swapping it for a goldfish , when the rags van came round.

Ecky , the milkman taking all day to deliver , cos of us kids making a fuss over his faithful horse "Jean" or was it "Jeannie" ?

My beloved Courtyard Bar. Packed out every night ! I should know...spent my late teens there !!

After Saturday night at the Caley Dancehall , going to the back door of bakery in Greig Street , and getting lovely , freshly baked mince pie.....was it Edgars Bakery ?

".....was it Edgars Bakery ?" Think it was Ross the bakers, shop later turned into video shop run by the late legend Mike Mackenzie.

I worked with my Dad at ? Burnetts bakery down the Longman, delivering pies etc. to the local pubs and football grounds. I was only 15 or 16 but that was some feckin job. Also recall an all night bakery near the Academy playing fields which we dropped in to on the way home to Raigmore Hospital.

What about the disco parties in the Nurses home and lock ins at the Fluke - c/o the Frasers. Or the discos at Fraser Park.

Pomagne and Scotsmac and Four Crown cocktails.

Playing darts in the Plough at the bottom of Stephens Brae and travelling to play in style at the Lochgorm - and what was the pub at the Black Bridge ?

Craig Dunain Rugby Club - won the league with the oddest non rugby playing team that was ever put together - by Dougie Cruickshanks - Tarzan, the Andrew sisters, Caley 100, Johnny Burnside - who else was there.

An of course the all conquering Columba FC - the greatest Welfare / Amateur football team to ver grace the playing fields of Sneck.

On the subject of record shops, I have distinct memories of travelling through from Nethybridge by bus and train to purchase singles on the day of release from a shop called Chris's (?). Loved the place. Life on Mars was probably the first disc i bought there. In those days the release of a single by a major artist was a much hyped event and always eagerly anticipated. have I got the name of the store right?

The Argyle, Locheil, Lochalsh.

Saw colour TV for the first time in Inverness.

It was in the Hotel round about where the Eastgate Centre starts.

If it was the Albert Hotel ya were feckin hallucinating.

I worked with my Dad at ? Burnetts bakery down the Longman, delivering pies etc. to the local pubs and football grounds.

I did once hear it alleged that Jimmy Chisholm also used to work there (hence probably about the same time) and used to play football with the pies and put bolts in some of the others for a laugh. Pure pantomime mun! Were you also involved in such practices IHE?

And dermas... Edgar's bakery was in Church Street. I well remember collecting the empty Mackintosh's lemonade bottles after "joopeen in" over the back gate at Telford Street to save the 9d that it cost through the turnstiles!

Edited December 25, 201015 yr by Charles Bannerman

Aye, that's the one, The Albert Hotel.

Grantown never had colour tv then, ours was a sort of brown colour. I remember being amazed at the colour pictures coming through on the pub telly. It was around dinner time and they were showing steel being manufactured, blast furnace and all the bright orange/red colours, awestruck. Must have been circa 1968/69

Osprey ballroom in Aviemore was our haunt, with a visit to the go-karts and the skittle bar before hand.

This side of the Black Bridge was the Waterloo, other side was The Argyle.

Grantown never had colour tv then,

What about the wireless or the horseless carriage?