Summer remembered

As we approach the shortest day, John Cook has sent in a little poem called A Day in the Life of Scotland, to remind us of our Scottish summers:

It’s the 21st o’ June, midsummer, midday, noon

An’ the ren’s juist batterin’ doon, so what, it’s Scotland

And there’s dark clouds hingin’ roond, dour faces, doom an’ gloom

And that’s lightnin’ an’ a thunder boom, I ken, it’s Scotland

Thermometers drappin’ doon, it’s zero in oor toon

On a summer’s afternoon, right here in Scotland

An’ leaves a’ bla’in’ roond, nae birds, no a single soond

Cos their roostin’ tree’s bla’n doon, ach well it’s Scotland

Whit’s that noo, fa’in’ doon, is that hail stanes on the groond

Whit, hailstanes here in June, how no’, it’s Scotland

An‘ that mist’s like a sheer nicht goon wi’ that thick haar hingin’ roond, even coos are lyin’ doon, aye Scotland

Now it’s thick mist in the toon, aye a thick fog a’ aroond

An’ now it’s sleet that’s fa’in’ doon, how no’ it’s Scotland

The sleet’s now turned to sna’, eh’ the sleet an’ fog’s awa’

Is that the sun, if it is, that’s bra’, but it’s rare in Scotland

But na’, eh’ spoke too soon, mibbee no’ there’s midges roond

Above the mud that’s on the groond, whit’s new, it’s Scotland

It’s windy noo a’ roond, it’s makin’ thon whistlin’ soond

Least it’s dry, we nearly got drooned, juist now in scotland

Is that sun beams shinin’ doon, na’, eh’ll bet ye half a croon

There’ll be dark clouds here, and soon, it’s noon in Scotland

But when the sun diz come aroond, an’ a’ the faces start turnin’ broon

And the sweat fae your broo’ draps doon, it’s hot in Scotland

But it’ll be gone, and gone quite soon, on this sunny afternoon

There could be icicles hingin’ doon, too true in Scotland

The weather you fowk get, in a year, we get in a day right here

But there’s one thing’s always clear, yer here in Scotland