Buttony Hill

In the long lost Caldercruix paper mill there was a place of wonder. Try to imagine a mythical, magical land and picture a pile, no! a hill, in fact a mountain, a gigantic mountain of buttons. To some it was nothing more than a rubbish heap, a pile of discarded haberdashery, but to others it was a fairytale playground, a haunted castle, an evil lair, a medieval battlefield or even a futuristic kingdom in a far-off galaxy! Even on a dreich, grey Scottish summer’s day from the rag sorting warehouse of the Finest Blotting Paper Manufacturer in the Empire the laughter, glee and fun of children could be heard. All that was needed for the transformation from rubbish heap to fantasy wonderland was a touch of imagination. 

As the sun rises over the northern plains, wee Guy, our Sam, Mary and wee Isabelle were about to have the best day of their young lives, they just didn’t know it yet! 

A wee message list was scribbled by the knitting Grannies (Grannies love to knit, as they do) on a scrap of the finest, high quality blotting paper in the land (everything in Croox was written on the finest, highest quality blotting paper of course…) – The list went as follows: 

5 mother of pearl buttons for wee Jessie Mcgavoch’s matinee jacket 

6 medium, beige bone toggles for big Jim’s birthday cardigan 

4 big silver military buttons for Mrs Mcewan’s twins’ sailor outfits. 

Buttons in hand and mission accomplished there was just enough time left for a little mischief. What do the little kiddies of today know about good fun. Nothing I say. You try a gigantic mountain of buttons… you’ll never look back. As Guy rallied wee Isabelle and Mary round the Buttony hill, they had the brilliant idea to bury wee Sam up to his neck in buttons.  

Tea time was fast approaching and as the sun set over Blotting Paper Paradise for another day, knitting grannies mission completed, the Buttony Hill almost seemed like just a pile of discarded buttons again. 

Written by Rosie Andrew & James Andrew