DORIC COLUMN ROBBIE SHEPHERD

To contact Robbie, email yourlife@ajl.co.uk and mark your message FAO Robbie Shepherd

Warm nichts wi’ nae a braith o win. Kickin blankets aff the bed.

Nae steen pigs tae keep ye warm,

Windas open wide instead.

SUMMERS REMEMBERED – JOYCE EVERILL

Fa wid believe it? Mair nor 25 degrees o heat in Aiberdeen, the silver city wi the golden sands – weel gin ye haud awa fae the cwidna-care-less fowkies that blight the landscape wi their wild picnics an rubbish aawye, disposable barbecues includit addin tae the fire risk.

Na, it’s been ower haet for me es wee fylie back as I hide in the shade lookin oot at the wee floories proodly showin their different colours bit the reets cryin oot for rain. Phoning a freen the tither day fa hid been tyauvin ower layin slabs, he admittit he wis clean deen and ere wis ‘nae swyte left in me’. As for me masel, I’m like Joyce Everill ere, I’ve been kickin the duvet oot o the bed tryin tae bide cweel.

Bit I’ve been haet and bother’t in anither wye es last wikk, ma tribbles aa yokin wi a phone call fae ma freen an neeper Colin speirin fit the favour wis and fan did I wint it deen.

“Fit favour?”

It wisna lang afore the phone calls startit up an aa winnerin aboot the email at hid teen wings an hid me priggin for a ‘favour’. Gin ye gaed farrer intil’t it hid me supposedly spikkin aboot a mutual freen in dire straits or ance a niece’s birthday and wintin tae sen £100 in Amazon gift cards so that I cwid pass it on tae es anonymous freen in need. It wis only later that I saw a strip richt across the tap o ma emails tellin me that BT wintit me tae change ower ma email address tae gmail – pu the ither leg – syne, lookin at ma inbox, the damnt coorse breets hid deletit aa ma emails for the hinmaist month. Pittin aathing thegither there wis nae wye that money wis comin my wye, my computer hid been weel an truly hackit.

The phone calls and emails that I wis gettin fae freens an correspondents cam fae as far afield as North Carolina – es fae a cheil I only got in towe wi eence, an at wis five eer syne. Ay, it wis that bad as I’m left tae winner aboot the eens that hinna respondit tae the faase request. Foo mony o them his teen it a bit farrer?

On the ither hand it wis fine tae catch up wi the news o some o the fowk that got in touch sae lat at be a warnin tae’s aa. Ma emails are in operation again apairt fae the last month I got deletit. Please try again noo tae mak sure I get yer email, bit iv coorse be it relatit tae es column jist ging tae the heid o’t and get the P&J address ere.

Ach, es column is nae aboot my moans, sae tae lichten the load, let’s ging back tae Joyce Everill, a prood Torry quine an a lovely lady nae langer we’s. Es again fae “Summers Remembered”. ‘Is’t aul body’s memories that cast a rosy glow ower simmer days that we hid then?’

I some doubt ye’re richt ere, Joyce.

Tak care an beware o ony scam emails.

See ye neist wikkeyn.