Born during the Second World War in Glasgow, Christine Fraser was her mother's eighth child. Growing up with her siblings in a tiny flat, learning to avoid her hardworking, hard-drinking, one-eyed father's black moods, making a menace of herself in the streets along with the other urchins, Christine lived in poverty - but never once cared.

Until she was struck down by a terrible illness.

Suddenly, her wild days of childhood were over. A long spell in hospital completely changed her life. Now she found herself dependent on others for so many of her needs. And on top of that her mother and father died.

Yet Christine was always resourceful and never once looked down. She knew that there was always, if you looked hard enough, some blue up abpve the chimneys.