DORIC COLUMN ROBBIE SHEPHERD

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

A misty Mey an a sunny June Keeps the fairmers aa in tune.

AUL SAYIN

I mak nae apologies for bringin up again the aul fowks spikk on nature’s calendar for, as I menchin’t the tither wikk, some o ye aye look for the reminder, speecially those awa noo fae yer native heath.

It micht jist strike a chord in the memory box like an email fae Bob Brough noo bidin in Edinb’ra tho’ it wisna the wither bit the name o a bird at hid him raakkin’s brain on speirin fit a peesie, peewit or lapwing wis caa’d up in Aiberdeenshire.

He wis kickin emsel as seen’s I unswer’t “teuchat”, bit addin bi suggestin an interestin topic for the column wid hae’s lookin at bird names in Doric.

Weel, in catchin up on aa yer emails, I runkit oot the verra dab fae ma gweed Lonach freen, Gordon Casely:

“I’m nae eident ornithologist – I cin jist aboot tell an albatross fae a speug bit the ither day I met a bird watcher (he telt me he wis a twitcher – michty, is at a condition the doctor can cure?) The bird mannie’s interest wis in coastal birds an he spaak aboot ‘cooter nebs’. Fit’s a cooter neb, I speirt?”

I’ll leave ye aa tae mull owre at een as I haud back tae the day’s aul sayin.

Weel sunny June is maist welcome sae far, tho I wid hardly ca Mey as bein misty wi aa the doon-poors o rain bit, takkin anither say-awa: “Castin a cloot or Mey be oot,” took on a new meanin for me a wikk by Friday efter we were teen oot for lunch an inspite o the fine day telt tae tak ma jaicket in the car wi’s onywye.

Forgot aa aboot it an here I am wi the caasin cloot hung up in a peg in a hoose in Strichen.

Ach weel on the conter-side wis the news at oor ’lectric bills wid come ricklin doon. Eyn o story? Na faith ye. I pey my bill bi direct debit ilka month an notic’t ma account wis birlin up tae aboot five hunner poun due tae me.

I winner foo mony o ye are in the same stushie for, efter a twa oor on the phone in the queue I got in towe wi Daniel, nae doobt operatin fae hame wi’s feet up. Losh he agreed richt awa bit dibber dabbert fin I suggestit reducing ma monthly chairge or gies some sillar back, tellin’s tae phone back.

Explainin at it widna be him neist time he said he wid phone ME back efter the wikkeyn. O’ Danny Boy the pipes are callin for I hinna seen hide nor hair o ye. far are ye...?

Tae feenish I maun tell ye how sad I was on hearin o the passin o Lady Mary, the widow of Sir Hamish Forbes of Newe who was Patron of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society for over 20 years till his death in 2007.

Both were highly thocht o up in the glen an ayont with Lady Mary a staunch supporter o the Gaitherin.

I’ll ne’er forget that sincere warm welcome an hug as we met early mornin before ilka Mairch.

A remarkable, lovin lady who will be so sadly missed.

See ye neist wikkeyn.