The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
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