MAGGIE Bryson was 74 last week.

She says the best birthday present she’s ever had is her new three apartment house in North Toryglen.

She says that sometimes she has to pinch herself to make sure she is actually there.

Maggie says: “I love it when I get a taxi home and I can say to the driver - it’s the house at the end of the road son.”

I went to see Maggie last week.

She’s stayed in Toryglen since she was 28 - moving first to the eighth floor of the high flats at Prospecthill Circus and then to a ‘low rise’ flat, in the same area, 30 years ago.

She got the keys for the new house at Prospecthill Gate in mid October.

The flitting was down for a Saturday but she put the blockers on that - “Saturday flit short sit” she says.

Prospecthill Gate is in North Toryglen.

It’s one of Glasgow’s eight TRA’s - Transformational Regeneration Areas.

That’s a plan for building new houses that is - true to form - transforming housing all over Glasgow.

The TRA’s are a partnership of the City Council, Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) and the Scottish Government.

By 2020 it will have delivered just over 7000 new homes over the eight neighbourhoods - Gallowgate, Maryhill, Laurieston, Sighthill, Red Road in Springburn, Ibrox in Govan, and of course, North Toryglen.

It’s one of the biggest with 400 new houses planned.

Now all these statistics prove that Glasgow is growing and that Labour’s pledge to build 25,000 new houses, of all types, by 2025 is going to be met.

But it’s putting real people, and real lives, into the statistics that makes the figures come alive.

So back to Maggie Bryson.

She has two daughters and a son in her family and the grandchildren make up another six.

Every Saturday morning Maggie provides breakfast in her house for the lot of them.

She says there can be 10 sitting down to “Eggs, tattle scones, bacon, tomatoes and black pudding”.

The big kitchen and one of the bedrooms that she’s converted to a dining room in the new house have made such family get-togethers possible.

“Couldn’t have had Maggie B’s cafe in the old house,” she says.

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NOW on to something completely different.

Don Corleone Swinney.

The Finance Minister John Swinney offered up the final version of his Tory Budget for local councils last week.

But before the Godfather issued his final settlement to the elected leaders of Scotland’s 32 councils he had a secret conference call with their unelected Chief Executives.

Well 20 of the 32 - Wee Clackmannan was on the call list, Glasgow never made it.

In the call the Don warned the chief executives about the punitive sanctions, in tens of millions of pounds, they would face if they did not get their councils to sign up for his budget.

This is Mafia-style tactics coming to local government in Scotland.

Don Swinney telling the chief executives if you don’t make sure your leaders toe the line on my budget I’ll be sending the boys round.

This is an offer you can’t refuse.

Don Swinney’s former promises of a partnership with local government are now in smithereens.

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THE Lord Provost’s Burns supper was held two days before the Bard’s official birthday of January 25.

With more than 700 in the Banqueting Hall of the Hilton Hotel it lays claim to be the biggest Burns Supper in the world.

Step into the spotlight Jonathan Watson.

His rendition of Tam O’Shanter was utterly spell-binding.

You might say ‘O’er aw the ills of life’ Johnnie ‘was victorious!’

But there were two other shining stars on the evening.

Imogen Walker’s ‘Address to the Haggis’ was among the best of the 100s I’ve heard in my time and Kathryn Rooney’s songs and poems were a joy to behold.

If my memory serves me rightly Imogen is 16 and Kathryn 17 - both students of the Dance School of Scotland, based at Knightswood Secondary School.

I salute them and the School.

It's had more than 30 years of stunning achievements.

The new £4.5m residence halls attached to the school will be opened officially on 1st March.

‘Bravo’ as they say in ballet and opera circles.