I don't mean to be bold but may I hold you're hand...



Marc Bolan & T. Rex Listening Room

'Hot love' by T-Rex. God! does that bring back memories from the summer of '71.
I was ten. I remember singing this with the Redbraes crew as we swung on the
swings in the park and tried to shake off childhood all too soon in the idyllic
summer sunshine. I think I fell in love about a hundred times that summer. That
was the great thing about Redbraes in the summer holidays. It had a distinctly
itinerant population of grandchildren so there were always new 'lassies' turning
up. I loved staying with Ada - my Grandmother - in the holidays, some of the
best memories from my childhood are at Redbraes. Days of eternal happiness.

Long summer nights and always a gang of us in the park or down the river.
I think me must have went somewhere on holiday the next year as 1971 is the
last childhood summer I remember in Redbraes. It was like a little country estate
at the bottom of broughton Road with the park and all the tree's down by the 'Dam.'
Heaven. I walked down Redbraes when I was back for my Dad's funeral. It has
deteriorated and all the treasured places of my youth seem jaded with poverty
and neglect. Nothing remains the same as in our memories - even though
we hope they might.

Anyway, back to 'Hot Love'. I think it was No.1 that summer. Janet - my sister -
bought the single and we used to play it on her portable record player. I remember
the label had a fly on it. Great stuff from Mr Feld. I think Zoe Johnstone was my
'Woman of Gold' that summer - or one of them - Behave...

la-la-la-lalalala, la-la-la-lalalala, la-la-la-lalalala...