Document 543

Craiters: 19 - Liptovska Teplicka

Author(s): Alexander Fenton

Copyright holder(s): Alexander Fenton

We'd gaithered in Bratislava, an ere wis a gweed load in e bus fin we set aff, full o students fae e University ere, eir teachers an half a dizzen fowk like masel fae e west at hid been invitet. Een o e quines in e bus, in e seat jist in front o's, hid teen a sair heid wi e heat an e motion, aifter an oor or twa's traivel. I fished oot a Disprin, and passed it up till er. Janko noticet is an pat oot eez haan for e fite tablet. E held it up for aa e bus tae see -

'Ah! Anti-baby!'.

We cried wo aifter a lang day's drive, lichent wi sic fun an e odd waterin stop, ootside e hotel in Liptovska Teplicka, faar e students wis tae be bidin. A mannie wis howkin a hole in e road, sortin some watter works, an wir first view o e fowk in e village wis e croodie roon im, lookin, newsin or offerin advice, tae neen o fit e birkie peyed ony attention. E size o e crood didna cheenge aafa much, bit ere wis fowk comin an gaan aa e time, young bairns an eir grannies, mithers cairryin bairns on eir backs in sheets o fite linen, weemin passin throwe e throng wi enormous burdens o hey on eir backs, lookin fae ahin for a e world like beetles walkin upricht weerin ledder beets. We drappit e students at e fit o e hotel steps, an e lave o's, guests fae e west, were cairted e hale 30 kilometres till e fancy Interhotel Grand Praha in Lomnica Tetranska faar we wis supposed tae sleep an dine and drink wir wine an sip wir becherovka like e gentlemen we wis officially supposed tae be.

I min e bedroom wis aafa hait wi a thick downie on e bed, an we'd a lang wait tae get saired wi wir brakfist, bit aa things come tae them at waits an in due coorse we wis aboord e bus again, on e road tae jine e main troop in e village. It wis jist tremendous scenery we wis passin throwe, is laich Tatry slopes. Aa e same fit wis maist strickin wis a quantities o fowk oot wirkin in e parks. Ere wis craps o maize, feed for man an beast, raas o vines rankit een abeen e ither as ey ran up e hillsides, wee patches o tatties, an corn an barley. Bit e feck o e wark wis in e hey parks, scythin wi lang sneddit tools, sledgin e dried hey on poles, an biggin coles roon widden hairtin frames. Hey wis a main crap. Ilky speck wis saved, an if ye'd mentioned e wird 'hairst' tae een o e fairmers ere, he’d a thocht aboot hey first an foremost, bit nae aboot corn.

Weel, we got tae wir meetin places, an ere e students were gaithered, an e offeecials, an wirsels, an we hid tae thole awa throwe e wirdy speeches o welcome, e promises o iverlaistin freenship, an syne a lecture ir twa, made twice as lang as ey nott tae be due till e translations intae German. A gweed job naebody bothered aa at much wi translations eence we wis clear o offeecials, an we wis left tae wirsels tae get on wi a bit o decent investigatin, fit ey caad field research.

For masel an ma Danish freen Ras, ere wis an important development. Baith o's hid heen enyeuch o e Grand Praha, wi wintit tae be in e thick o things wi e students. Sae we hid a wird wi Janko, e first quairt chance we cd get. E upshot wis at though we wis supposed tae bide in e high class hotel as distinguished guests, an wir room wis tae be peyed for as if we hid been bidin ere, still we managed tae fin a freenly fairmer an e twa o’s got set up in e spare room. E fowk wis aafa kindly, an fin e fairmer saa at likit tae tak photos, he wid bring in aboot freen fae roonaboot tae get their picters teen, some bonny lasses amon em. I did sen em copies aifter, bit it hid tae be deen throwe e university in Bratislava, sae I’m still hopin ey got em.

We wis ere tae wirk an wirk we did. E job wis tae look at ivery side o life in e village, at e fairmin an e crafts, e hooses an e mait fowk ate, an jist tae see tee foo fowk vrocht in e wye o neeperin. Aifter a kinna orientation day, we hid wir supper in e wee hotel, an seein ere wis aye plinty o licht twa ir three o’s at hid an interest in ploos geed tae veesit a lad at wis supposed tae be an expert at makin em.

E took's intill eez kitchen. It wis gey plain, nae frills, jist e twa bits o decoration - twa cloths tackit ontill e widden waa an streekit oot in sic a wye at ey were lirkit till e middle fae e tapmist neuks. At e sides ere wis sprays o flooers an leaves, an ere wis blue letterin wi wirds o comfort in Slovakian at Patience Strong wid a been prood tae mither:

‘Him at his nae freens at hame winna fin em in anither Ian'.

‘E sin likes tae shine intill e hoose faar ere's likin'.

We sat on hard cheers roon e table, an spak till e man o e hoose aboot eez wye o livin in es smaa village. Magdy wi er wide spaced teeth an braid smile, licht hair an blue een, wis wir interpreter. E lad bade im leen; eez mither hid passed on. It wis her at pinned e cloots till e waa, an noo ere wis naebody tae dee e things at weemin dee aboot a hoose, or mak mait for im. He didna look as if e took much time tae mak or tak mait. His cheek beens wis kinna heich an eez face wis gaant. Eez hair wis thinnin, showin pale patches o skin at niver saa e sin, an I doot e only took aff eez bonnet for e veesitors, for it wis aye held on eez knee as e spak, e same's it wis a biggit-in pairt o e man imsel.

Eez main job wis on e railways, sae he wis awa fae hame a lot. E jist hid tae wirk eez parks fin e cwid, at holidays an atween shifts. Es bein a kinna run-rig village, e twelve patches o grun at e vrocht wis scattered amon e patches held be eez neebers. At busy times an him on e iron road, e hid tae get a lot o help fae neebers tae get e seed saan an tae shear an mow e ripe craps, an seein es wis fit ye micht describe as an exchange economy, it wis up tae him syne tae help em fin he wis able till. Sae fit e did at free times wis jinerin, makin wheelies for e wagons at e oxen pulled, as weel as widden ploos. Wir pens bizzed alang e pages o wir notebyeuks an we thocht we wis deein fine.

Fit struck me wis at eez hail life wis wark. I've kent lads e same at hame, an ey got great reeze for bein 'gran wirkers', bit it wisna jist sic a maitter o force as it wis here. As a modren man, e helpit tae keep e railways goin; ey were freedom's road for mony countries, bit here e wis catchet in a system an ere wis nae gettin oot. E wis catchet in anither wye tee. Bein pairt o a community system at hid been ere for unkent centuries, an nae haein got clear o't in spite o e industrial age, e wis duty bun tae wirk wi neebers an reciprocate wi wark for em. Fither e likit or no, ere wis nae divallin, an nae road oot. E wis a richt maitter-o-fact chiel, spikkin o eez wye o life as gin it wis e road e’d been born tae tak, nae self peety .Bit e wis like an aal man. I speered foo aal e wis - 39. I jist noddit ma heid. At e time, e wis 10 months younger'n I wis masel.

Twilicht cam, an e darkness, an we left, stannin at e kitchen door till wir een got eesed till't. We geed ben e lang, nairra close, me minin on e dark o northeast fairms at I’d at likit, throwe e widden gate at opent ontill e dark street, nae tarmacadamed bit jist made o hard yird. Be day, is wis a widden world. E hooses, e heich, wide gates at wis big enyeuch tae let in a loadit wagon, e reef overhangs at geed shelter tae piles o winter logs an till aa e tools o e fairm - wagon-beams, ox-yokes, ploos, scythes, heaps o widden reefin shingles - aa e trock ye nott for e daily darg, an a e sotter o bits an pieces at fowk kept (like fairmers an crafters awye), in case ey mith come in handy. Aathing pintit back till e wark o fellin trees on e mountain slopes abeen e village, trimmin an draggin e timmer wi horses, saain an adzin an shapin logs intae wallin timmers. E fowk lived amon wid, it wis eir servant an eir maister, it helpit tae shape eir lives. Ye cd niver get awa fae e smell o wid smoke an rosit, an God ere wis nae hairm in at. It wis richt pleasant, an I min on’t yet.

E village wis quairt. E fowk beddit early an raise early. We passed a man peein against e gale o eez hoos, as e wis ay in e wye o deein afore e geed till eez bed. We won back tae wir fairm, an got wir wye in e dark back tae wir room, an got e licht goin. Ere wis an enormous bed wi an enormous, thick lookin downie, bit it turnet oot nae tae be ower hait, for ye cd shuffle e fedders aboot an mak it as thin as ye wintit abeen ye. E room wis a richt mixter o aal an new. Abeen e bed on e waa wis releegious picters, some ahin glaiss, some in relief, some in plastic. Ere wis a table wi a tray haadin symbolic hospitality jist, for ere wis siveral glaisses o imitation plastic liquid in different colours - a richt chate. Alangside wis a great, upricht stove, nae nott on is warm July nichts, an opposite, a big, new television set at wir hosts, Jan an Sofia, were jist richt prood o. On tap o't, hallowin e programmes maybe, wis a figure o a saint. Is wis e first ear o Husak's reforms – nae tae laist - an e signs an symbols o e modren world – fither gweed eens or no wis anither maitter - were startin tae mak an appearance.

E village lay in a halla in e mountains, wi a dark forests aawye aroon. It wis a richt fairm-toun, o e kin we eest tae ken at hame, jist a collection o fairms wi a kirk mair or less in e middle, an e barns at held e craps o corn an barley aa set at ae side. E grun lay on e lower slopes o e valley, neen o e patches wi palins, craalin in lang strips an hill terraces awa up till e fit o e trees, wi grazin stretches jist abeen e parks. Heicher up, oot o sicht amon e trees, wis e mountain pastures, faar e beas geed for e simmer grazin. Bit e milk kye were nearer till e hooses, or some o em, an ey got milkin em richt early, an ey hid tae be gin ey werena tae be shamed be e horn o e herd laddies at were aboot shortly aifter five, blastin awa e same's it wis e last trump, an gaitherin e kye fae ilky fairm tae drive em aaegidder till e grazins for e day. E soon o e horns, e clankin o e bells roon e necks o e kye, an noo an aan quairt voices, wis e meesic o e village mornin.

It michna be like meesic if ye're sleepin soon as we wis, bit e excitement o seein fit wis happenin got's ontae wir feet an intae wir clyes an we wis seen oot wi wir cameras watchin e kye makin eir slow wye throwe e trailin edges o e nicht's mist up till e pastures. We made wir brakfist in e open air, a bit o breid saved fae e nicht afore, an soor geens pooed fae a tree hingin full o em, an a howp o water oot o a wallie. We thocht wirsels richt adventurers.

As we cam back tae wir fairm, it wis still early. E road we followed throwe e village wis wide, wi heapies o coo sharn here an ere, an a gweed gaan burn rinnin alang ae side. Here, be day, e weemin wid wash eir clyes, beatin em wi a widden beater eir men made for em. Bit at is time in e mornin, ere wis a different eese for e rinnin water. As we cam in aboot, stoot ladies in eir wide, skyrie skirts wid come oot o e hooses at lay across e road fae e burn, ilky een cairryin a pottie wi a cloot ower’t. Fitiver euphemism ye use, chantie, dirler or fitiver, its job is ay e same. Ey teemed em intill e burn, syne gied em a gweed sweel, an shoutit oot eir greetins till's as we geed by, nae shy aboot it as wir ain fowk wid a been. Ere wis nae

‘Oh michty, fit'll fowk say?'

Ere wis a mornin ootin in e bus tae some museum or idder, an we got a look at een or twa ither villages, bit oors wis hard tae beat. As we drave back in e evenin, we cd see it wis jist bizzin wi fowk wirkin aroon't in e parks. Ma crafter's fingers wis yokin tae get in amon em, an maybe try oot e scythe, even though wi its lang stracht sned it wis different fae fit I’d been eest till.

Ere wis an aafa skwyle o brakes as e bus wis forced tae draa up faist ahin a car at stopped in front o't. We were half a kilometre fae e village, near e first hooses faar e dark-skinned gypsies bade. Fae ere, a motor-bike hid come, revvin up an gaan at a gey lick. Ere wis a brig jist in front o's, an as e bike come on till't, it wis slidin an sprayin graivel aff e lowse tap, an es wis fit hid garrt's stop, tae gie room. Bit e laddie didna mak it. E hannlebar touched an iron stanchion, an e bike jist took aff, an ower e parapet an intill e water anaith, throwin e rider. E landit in e middle o e brig, flat on eez back, simmery in an open-neckit sark, bit ere wis reed aboot e collar. E front wheel o e byke ay span in e water. E machine didna look muckle touchet. In e closer parks, fowk hid put doon eir tools an were startin tae meeve. Farrer aff, wirk wis stoppin bit fowk ay hid eir tools in eir hans. E ripples hid harly yet gotten till e ooter edges. A man startit tae rin till a hoose for a blanket. Anither got some branches tae mark e line o e skid.

E bus coudna get bye till aathing hid been sortit oot, sae we took wir gear an walkit by e quairt young lad lyin ere, haadin on till e village. As we got nearer till't, fowk wis startin tae come oot fae't, in twas an threes, young an aal, anxious, een ir twa greetin. Gweed kens foo e news hid flown. We keepit quairt an intill e side o e road, nae tae disturb em at sic a time, bit even sae, they pit's at wir ease, greetin's wi a ‘Dobry den’ as ey walkit by.

Ere hid been a weddin in e village at same day. It wis aye goin on. We passed e fairm faar e gypsy fiddlers wis makin meesic furl an spin an e fowk wi't, a soon at wis heich an wild, excitin an nae tae be forgotten, existin for itsel for itsel, carin naething for past an present, death an life, nor for e theoretical discussions o veesitin scholars.

Information about Document 543

Craiters: 19 - Liptovska Teplicka