POLLOKSHAWS HALL

Sunday 19th September at 2:45pm - Donald Mackenzie

Sunday 17th October at 2:45pm - Gordon Cree & Cheryl Forbes

July is a traditionally quiet month for us as it coincides with the Glasgow Fair holiday when half the city shuts-up shop for the annual getaway. I can remember when it was literally a 'Ghost Town' and one year, thinking I'd get so much done, only to find that all the places scheduled for my visits were closed. Time was brewing for a trip to England as I hadn't been for quite a while. So planning a route via Whitchurch, Ashbourne, Boston and Cambridgeshire was called for. Naturally it would be shame to go empty handed so the old trailer was piled high with an assortment of organ goodies. All went reasonably well, except for this new Tom Tom thing which had a mind of its own and kept sending me through strange housing schemes - even at one point telling me to turn round when I was driving up to my intended address, which was right in front of me! Oh well the miracles of modern technology, thank goodness for the old analogue maps.

So it was bit a surprise to some, when I turned-up at the COS barbecue with my friend les Allitt. Having read about these capers I'd always wanted to attend and join in the fun. Well they're everything they say about them, good food, good company plus some nice sounds on the Compton. The new illuminated surround is smashing, maybe not the right term, but never the less, I never thought the console looked right without its sides. So congratulations to Liz Palmer aka Lady Palmer to us, following our visit to Manderson House in the Scottish Borders when the 'real' Lord and Lady Palmer personally showed us round their stately pile, including the Aeolian organ of course. They were of the Huntley & Palmer dynasty.

At Pollokshaws our team of volunteers continue to chalk-off the jobs, mostly on the hall itself, but things are on the move with the Wurlitzer as we need to add another regulator and tremulant to cover the Quintedena and Solo String plus finish off rebuilding the marimbas. Our workshops at Bridgeton are a hive of activity with buildings being demolished in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. I hold my breath every time I go down there, half expecting to see the garage a flattened site. Somehow our unit's windows got ribbed glass fitted to them. This had me puzzled and I'd never have guessed why. Apparently, while we were away, a film crew was on site making a feature on Carry-on Cabbie and used our yard as the taxi garage. They thought the ribbed stuff would look more authentic. Pity they never made 'Carry on Organ' - the mind boggles!

Ian Macnaught