In the 1950s and 1960s, we used to travel up from Birmingham to Edinburgh once or twice a year to see my gran, Isabella Selkirk.

She lived in a three/four storey tenement not far from what is now the Meadowbank Commonwealth Stadium. In fairly financially poor circumstances.

We returned there in 2006 with my Mum for her 80th birthday.

On showing my then 20 year old daughter where Grandma was brought up, she enquired "all that"? No, I said, just the little windows at the top!

The rooms were small and quite dark I recollect. Probably not now they've been gentrified?

There was a big black range to keep going. Bin day was taking all refuse to go down all those dark and steep stairs.

There was a rota to clean your landing weekly and to do from the front step across all the pavement.

You never missed your turn. I think swapping turns was frowned upon.

I've been trying to do a spot more walking recently and this gets me around and about on the pavements. You see a different world walking.

Some people in cars without their seat belts on, others emptying ashtrays out of car windows.

Some houses looking like they've not seen a lick of paint in decades with 2 or 3 cars parked outside and other signs of having a few bob at least.

Rubbish strewn all over the gardens. Hedges untrimmed & encroaching so I was forced to walk off the 2 yard wide pavement Are people content for that to be like that?

I know people have busy, fragmented lives these days. I know there are many demands on people's time.

But my Gran kept her tenement spotless although living alone for the last 20 of her 70+ years.

She walked to and from her shop assistant's five-a-half-days a week job.

There was no money for luxuries like cars, holidays, new clothes.

Bet you she'd keep her tenement and its frontage spick and span today.

Have we lost something?