Irish Rebel Songs
WEDNESDAY CLUB
WHEN THE WORK IS DONE
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| He was eighteen |
I'VE BEEN WORKING - Part 2
The next job I got was working in a Butchers not too far from the Grocers. It was shorter hours and I got meat to take home on a Saturday. I gave up the Grocer job but still retained my job at the Bakers. It was Jockey The Butcher, that was the sign over the door. It was a back street place and Jockey was old school and made his own sausages on the premises. To be honest I don't think I have ever tasted a better sausage even although I saw what went in to them. He would pick scraps, often from the floor where he always spat onto the sawdust, sometimes great big 'greenucks' as we called them in these days. He mixed this up with stale bread (from you guessed where the Bakers I still worked for) and added some salt and pepper. He then got some gut and placed it over a nozzle and turned a handle and made little twists, very professional and that was how he made his sausages. Gold Star Medal. Sausages of merit.
The highlight on a Saturday was a long cycle trip up Castle Hill in Inverness where I had to deliver some meat to people who used to live in his area are but moved on to better things but still liked 'Old Jockey's meat. I would always stop for a refreshment at my brothers place and stay there at least half an hour with my sister- in- law Mary. I liked Jockey and always had good banter with him. Do you know this? I still can get the smell of that Butchers shop today.
I stayed there for about a year then I got a job in a Chemists which was in the same street as the Grocer and the Butcher. There were no big Supermarkets in these days. Once again I still retained the Butchers job. This job was pretty easy just delivering the odd prescription and going to other Chemist to get some pill or other which they currently did not have in stock.
I always had a good supply of condoms. I don't know why as I never used them but at least I could try them on just in case that big day arrived and it would look as if I was experienced.
I had these two jobs until I was seventeen when I got a job as shop assistant in a shop Restaurant. That was sheer hell as it was not yet decimal and adding up was almost impossible. A typical customer would ask for some sweets, seven pence and a halfpenny, 10 Capstan full strength, 1 shilling and eleven pence halfpenny. That came to a total of 2 shillings and seven pence, I think. That was only two items. I did not last long there and ended up being a waiter.
That was great and I soon learned to work the tables. You always got a gut feeling who were the good tippers and you would give them special attention. Always be helpful and always smile. There was an older guy I got on well with and we always had a laugh when we were working together. I went round to his place one night and it was there I first heard Irish Rebel music. He was into the hard core stuff. I have to say I quite like some of it and I especially liked Kevin Barry, Come out you Black and Tans and The Men Behind the Wire.
My next job was in the British Legion which I have dealt with previously.
Comments
...although my wife and I have recently spoken about getting some pigs to live in our Field.