Recent Comments Ruth Kaye And Peter Hoffmann

Hello Peter-have really enjoyed the blog it has been a little window in to the past. Shame that not more people contributed but I have enjoyed it. It is interesting that we all remember things differently often wish I had kept a diary I assume I will remember things and then I forget. It has made me realise how fleeting life can be and you need to make the most of every day. Ruth Kaye on Figures On The Edge No 3-James Duffy and Esther Blades; Colin and Alan Hanlon; The Sibbalds; The Douglases; Rab Moir; The Ramages; The Robertsons; Kenny Given; Reverend Orr; and Mr Russell

Thanks once again for your comments Ruth-you've been the most regular contributor throughout! It's been great whenever I've received feedback from you and it's been an encouraging wee spur each time a message has come through the ether. I feel some of the photographs of you from back then which convey certain qualities-chirpiness, positiveness, fun and a great appetite for life are still with you and have served you well.

Amongst the blogs that I had in mind, but won't get round to now one would have been on the subject of accidents. I can't recall the detail, but I remember you had an awful accident with glass which cut you quite badly. Another incident which has been on my conscience for decades and which I no longer know whether it was my imagination or not, was as a wee boy I was across Oxgangs Avenue at the top of Oxgangs Place about to go down to The Store-Boo-Boo spotted me and said Wait for me and ran straight out in front of the bucketmens' lorry-I absolutely panicked and ran away down to the The Store-when I walked back up with a very heavy heart not knowing whether he was alive or dead I couldn't believe my eyes-he was running about fine! I've never ever raised the incident until now-was it my imagination or was the vehicle slow moving and he fell in between the wheels?

Your comment gives me the opportunity to reflect on what may have gone in to the final blog. I agree that the biggest failure has been the lack of engagement with others-it's therefore meant that it's been far too much about me and my story and my interpretation of life at The Stair which I had hoped to avoid-honest guv!.

When I started the journey I decided to take more of an instinctive approach rather than an intellectual one-a nice change from spending fifteen years writing committee reports and 100 page plus strategies and plans! Whilst I didn't therefore have any specific objectives in mind I had hoped to stimulate an on-line dialogue-a conversation if you like, which engaged many others, particularly to get much more rounded perspectives, views and insights-and of course hers+his(tories). 

That's been the single frustration for me. On a number of the blogs some people have spoken to me and conveyed interesting wee tales and I've said Why not put that up as a comment-others will find that really interesting and illuminating! But that very rarely happened-even after I've shown them how to comment! I think this is what made me decide to stop writing it-again instinctive rather than intellectual, but finishing on Hogmanay has a certain synchronism to it.

Out-with your comments Iain has occasionally put some welcome comments up too. However, the moments where I feel the blog showed its real potential-where it flew if you like, were the occasions that Liz and I sparked off one another-that was enjoyable and offered some fascinating insights and perspectives on topics as well as a window on the world within worlds that I was unaware of. We all had a shared world-a shared culture-a shared history, but also lived in worlds of our own too. It would have been interesting to have heard more about and shared the world of the forty other residents. Also,whether naively or not Liz and I both went out on a limb airing some delicate topics-in the long run I believe we'll be glad we did that-but who knows! Because, for the sake of balance, it wasn't all sweetness and light!

I've had a wee stab at painting a picture of a world that we grew up in forty plus years ago before it disappears for ever-in future one or two people may stumble across it and may enjoy its contents-no doubt it will continue to exist on the airwaves.

What's been wonderful and an absolute joy is getting back in touch with the likes of yourself, Liz and meeting up with Douglas-real highlights! Looking back there was perhaps an element of serendipity or luck in that generally The Stair was originally populated by eight families who lived together cheek by jowl and overall got on pretty well-The Blades in particular were great!

Overall whilst there is a slight feeling of failure, I put that firmly and squarely down to myself-whether the writing, the choice of subject or not trying hard enough to engage more with previous residents at The Stair e,g Iain is just flagging the blog's existence up to Les Ramage today! However, if occasional, informal coffee get-togethers come about in future I'll take that as a positive outcome!