Transcript:

“Two people came here – to the house – when Mum and Dad were here. One from Canada and one

from somewhere in Scotland and said that they had lived here when they were children. And they

had gone to Lumsden School. And you were saying that’s who they must have been.

“They were parish bairns, you see. And travellers bairns. And both their grannies and

grandfathers lived just the other side of Alford ???. Aye – parish bairns, they’d be.”

“Was it common for people to take in parish bairns? “

“Oh yes quite a few were taken in. There were a few kids. Down the village, there was a few good

bairns. There was a boy, and Jimmy. And a girl – Rebecca. That was the tink. When Issac left the

school he took all the rest away. And I saw Issac when I was about 24 and I saw him. And he said

that Davie was about Aberdeen somewhere. But he didn’t know where.

She wore ??? to school?”

“????????? up Smiddie Lane.

“When I started school I left from ??? I come from ??? The place over the back of the hill – Willie

Yates has it now. A ruin now. I came over the hill from there. “

“I’ve never walked up there but Mum … I would like to walk up there but Mum was saying there

were a few people that lived up there. Grannie and Granded …. Woodend was the right name of it.

Two parks down …. Up past Boghead. “

Where the Bonnie Socks were.

????? Something about Hugh?

“They were all up there. I left the school at 12 1/2.

You were a working man by the time you were 12.

Came here in 44. ???????? Came to Deskie in 44.

Worked at the pub at that time. Not Lumsden – Kildrummy.”

Hardy lad at that time – drove the car, worked in the bar, worked the petrol pumps.

I’d have been about 16 or 17.

Transcript:

Affectionately remembered different people. Some swore a lot, but not in certain company!

???? [can’t make out intro]

“When I was in the army I met a guy and his relations where there. He was a major in the army –

he said to me the next time I went on leave he wanted a ??? of that house but I lost touch with him

but they were related to Kirkcaldy – to that folk of Jimmy Middleton – him at Auchindoir.”

“I ken where you are – the old manse.”

“There’s a road that goes over that way where Pat Dunn used to stay and there’s a road that goes

over the back way to Craig, over that back way. I remember when there was work being done on

that route folk going over the back way. A kind of rough road.”

“I remember when Pat Dunn lived up there with Peter Dunn. I remember him. He used to come to

the shop and used to come with the front-loader on the tractor. And he never liked having anything

like sausages – meat that he knew what it as. He didn’t want a pie ‘cos he didn’t know what was in

it. He didn’t want sausages because he didn’t know what was in them. He just wanted meat – a

piece of meat and he would buy a piece of plat k or whatever he was wanting and chuck it in the

front-loader, regardless of what had been in it. And we would say “Do you want a bag?” “No.”

And he’d just throw it in. “

“Do you mind his nice language?” “Oh yes – it was quite colourful at times. I liked him though.”

“Aye – he was alright.”

“But regardless of what he’d had in it – sometimes it was muddy and everything and he would just

hurl in the shopping and away.”

“Him and me walked up to top of the hill – up past Auchinleith way up there and there was a funeral

on the Cabrach and he said to me, “Oh, I didn’t think they would die up the Cabrach”.”

“Mrs Rose met him on the Auchinleith road and Mrs Rose was down looking at cows and there

was a cow with a stiff hind leg and I can’t tell you what Peter said was wrong with it! Oh, what a

guy he was. What a man.”

“And that wifey – she bides over there a bitty. She met Peter the first time she came up here up

from England. She was looking about for that place over there. And she met Peter. Oh, your on the

so-and- so road, he said. Worse than than! But ???? to Glenbogie House to let his wife hear him

swearing and he never swore once. ????”

“Charlie Jamieson was in North Deskie before we got it. And he never swore in front of Charlie

Jamieson.

“Mr Rose was going all the way to Lairg and his mother was in the car. Never swore all the way to

Lairg. ????

“Oh he was an awful lad.”

Transcript:

Men’s night – on water

When they broke trees and stole vegetables, the children used to get chased by Lizzie Ferguson (Syrupy Liz?) who lived

‘at the Heid o’ the Green’ further down from the church. They were chased by ?? when drinking from the water pump.

Lots of water pumps in the street at the roadside as people didn’t have water in their houses. On the farms the water was

all outside and pumps needed primed every time water was needed. They froze in winter. Sometimes Jimmy was all

winter without water. Had to fetch it out of the burn.

??????

“Heid of the Green – she stayed further down and up – Lizzie Ferguson. We used to go in and steal

greens and broke all the trees. She bided away in that place up there.”

“Did she chase you?”

“Oh, she came down and chased us alright, when we broke all the trees.”

???????

“The water pump up there – we used to play taking a drink. There were a lot pumps in the street at

that time. A lot of pumps.”

“And was that because people didn’t have water in their houses?”

“You had to go and collect your water. The pumps were on the green, down from the church. All

outside at that time.”

“When we come here we just had a pump out there and the pump needed primed every time we

needed water. Aye – we were the same. They froze in the winter. Sometimes we (Jimmy) was all

winter without water. We had to fetch it out of the burn.”

“Because that’s what I always thought – if ever I have a problem with water then there’s always

some down there. I’d just get a bucket and get some out of there.”

???????

Transcript:

Men’s night – on working on farms

A lot of people worked on farms. Many walked home every night. Some single men stayed in bothies. You got fed in the

house and slept in the bothy. McHardy and Robertson had cars at that time but farmers didn’t have cars.

“That was my first place, Auchindoir. I left the school. Ken was there at that time. And old Sandy.

Old Sandy didn’t work though? No – neither of them worked.”

“Were there quite a lot of people working on the farms?”

“Oy aye. Sandy [SAM?] was nae working though – he was away to school with his sister. She

learned me to smoke. But I dinnae smoke now.”

“Did you stay on the farm or did you walk home?”

“No I still come home.”

“Did most folk do that?”

“Well – it depended on the distance. A lot was bed and bothies, you see. Single men – bed and

bothies.”

“Was that quite good fun?”

“Oh aye. It depended, it depended what like a ????. [Something about Clova]”

“Was it hard?”

“[Something about Clova] You got fed in the house and slept in the bothy. “

“Was it cold?”

“Fire was on. ????? Dougie ???

McHardy had a car and Sandy Robertson had a car but farmers didn’t have cars at that time.

Murray at Battlehillock bought one – he was first. And he was first to do away with the horse –

Murray. He put away the horse. Just a tractor but he managed alright.”

“????? stray? He could do anything. “