Harkness – MacGillivray Stories

In Rhoda’s 1962 Diary, we talk about different interests int he family such as impressive cars and television shows.

February 16, Friday

This must refer to the Humber Hawk, the ‘new’ family car; perhaps Uncle Gavin had found a good bargain! The Humber Hawk was an impressive car! It was a full six-seater (front bench seat) with a cruising speed of around 65–70 mph. It was no sports saloon, but it provided for the needs of a large family. 

Uncle Gavin had started his car repair business in Glasgow by borrowing a sum of money from my parents. I remember reading a letter on this topic written by my mother. But the letter seems to have disappeared from the archives. My mother was great friends with her sister Violet, but she was often more sceptical of Violet’s husband, Gavin. 

On one occasion I asked her why, and she explained:

“You wid ne’er guess it. Stuart’s bike wis broken. And Violet ‘n’ Gavin wur visiting us. We wur haein a cuppa, ‘n’ ah tellt Violet that Stuart’s bike wis a’ all broken. Gavin heard whit we wur talking aboot ‘n’ he butted in, ‘No trauble! Ah wull fix it in mah garage in Glasgow!’”

“Well weeks efter ‘n’ aye no repaired bicycle! Ah asked him one day whit happened tae Stuart’s bicycle? He answered, ‘You wid ne’er guess it. Ah repaired th’ bike, sae that ’twas lik’ new! Then one day, whin ah arrived at th’ garage th’ mornin’, thare hud bin a break-in! Thay hud nicked some o’ mah tools. And then ah asked one o’ th’ ither mechanics. Hae ye seen mah nephew, Stuart’s, bike. Guess whit, thay hud nicked that too!’” 

“Your Uncle Gavin is a fine story teller! Guess whit! Some months when Alex ‘n’ me wur in his garage in Glescae, fur Gavin wis repairing yer father’s car. And guess whit – whit dae think we saw in a dusty nook o’ th’ garage – Stuart’s auld broken bike covered with dust!”

February 17, Saturday

This account is comical on several counts. I have not seen the film. Firstly, one of the stars is the ‘enemy’ – the ‘tantalising blonde’, Marlene Dietrich.

Secondly, it is about an alien Arabic and Muslim culture. On reading the unnecessarily intricate plot on Wikipedia, I can sympathise with my mother.

Thirdly, why is ‘cheapskate’ British television (perhaps BBC) sending almost 30-year-old American films in prime viewing time? I won’t discuss this here—I’m sure many others talked about this topic: how British media prostitutes itself to cheap American culture.