SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 545 Title : Craiters: 21 - 'I cannot get enough of it' Author(s): Alexander Fenton Copyright holder(s): Alexander Fenton Text Faar I wis brocht up, e only seabirds we'd see wis e seamaas. In my time we caad em seagulls, bit aaler fowk wid say seamaas, makin't soon like 'simaaze'. Ere's ay change goin on in e dialect, an ye get a mixter o aal an new, bit it's e life o language tae be aye adaptin tae different generations an different times. It's naething tae greet aboot. Naething staans still, bit gin a wye o spikkin's richt hannlet, fa's tae say bit fit it michna leave its mark tee on fit ey caa e standard language? - for ere's nae doot at e standard language sair needs a bit o revitalisation noo an aan. Bit I'm on aboot seagulls, nae hobbyhorses. Gulls is bonny flee-ers, bit e weemin fowk wid rin aboot flappin eir aaprons if een cam in aboot - an e gulls wis richt sizers fin ye saa em close - wi terror in eir hairts on behalf o e little chuckenies. Fither ey sometimes cam aifter e chuckens or no, ey were great followers o e ploo. Faar fresh grun wis bein turnt be horse or tractor, ye'd get a fite comet tail o gulls stretchin oot ahin, as ey tumt fae eir fish tae hae a go at e delichts o rural produce. A sicht like at fairly wints tae mak ye tak yer camera oot, wi a gweed telephoto lens on't, an syne ye'd maybe show't at a meetin o e SWRI or a local history society an aabody'd say 'Whotten bonny', an ye cd feel rale pleaset wi yersel. E thocht o bonny picters minet me on a sea trip I eence made wi e Scottish Ornithologists. It took's tae different pairts o e West as weel as tae Shetland, an it wis a richt gweed wik. Nae et I'm an expert on birds; tae tell ye e truth, my job wis tae be an antidote till e birds, for I wis supposed tae gie lectures on 'Scottish Country Life'. It wis a maist interestin collection o fowk, ey cam fae aa ower e world, an I ken I spent as much time lookin at em as I did lookin at e birds. Ere wis ae day on Rum, a lang tail o fowk wis passin a raa o trees aifter landin, fin somebody spottit some rarity o a bird. In a meenit ey'd aa stoppit an swung up eir binoculars or their lang-nebbit telephoto cameras, an comin at e back I got a fine view, nae o e bird bit o e bird-watchers, ilky een wi e heid at an angle o forty five degrees, an ilky een wi baith haans up haadin eir glaiss or camera, aa regimentet in stance e same's ey were prayin tae some kinna tree-god. Be e time we sailed oot tae St Kilda, maist o's hid fun wir sea legs an e motion o e boat wis richt enjoyable. Here we wis amon e gannets. At's richt bonnie birds. An fin ey start divin, at's a divine sicht! Mair sae fin ye've e tremendous craigs an cliffs o St Kilda aside ye, an e air full o e cries o birds an e swoosh o e waves, an a feelin inside ye at maybe it wisna jist aathegither richt tae be ere. E cruise ship wisna smaa, bit she bobbit aboot like a toy boatie in a mill-race as she aimed throwe e gaps atween some o e islands. Eir wis ae almighty lurch fin e sea felt as if it hid draan itsel aathegither oot fae anaith e keel, syne aa cam richt, bit maybe a denner ir twa wis tint in e by-gyaan. Ye'd think at haein seen e gannets divin, an scenery an seas e like o es, ere'd niver be onything eir mak, an maybe e rest o e tour wid jist be an anticlimax. Deil a bit! We held on tae Shetland, faar e laicher islands made a lot less wild silhouettes against e horizon, an we hid quairter watters an skies. Bit e seas wis aye ere, broodin, an ye cd niver let yersel feel ower confident or relax ower muckle, mair sae gin ye wis in a wee boatie. Ere's times I've been on an island faar I couldna get aff an hid tae bide a day ir twa mair - nae at at wis ony hardship - like eence on Papa Stour. At's a rare place, an aafa fine fowk tae be wi. Ey couldna dee enyeuch tae mak ye feel at hame amon em. I've heen e same hospitality on e mainland o Shetland tee. I happent eence tae be in Scalloway on e day o e Land Sports (ere wis yacht racin goin on at sea), an bein a feel for rinnin an jumpin, an haein ma sanners wi's, I jist aboot tried aathing, fit races short an lang, high jump an lang jump, an fit I geed in for for fun turnet intill earnest for I feenisht up as sports' champion an got a bra silver madallie. I'm aye prood o't. It's e kinna thing ye micht think o showin yer graansin, bit fin I did, e wisna impressed. Bit e pint o ma tale's nae tae boast aboot bein swack. Fin e day wis deen, an I wis rale tiret an sweaty, sittin at e edge o e park takkin aff ma sansheen an pittin on ma ornary sheen, a lady cam up till’s an startit tae spik, in er fine Shetland voice. She thocht I’d be gey hait an sticky, an wid I nae like tae hae a sweel doon? I couldna bit agree, sae she convoyet me till er hoose up e hill at e back o e toon, an wi a gweed wash an twa ir three cups o hait tae wi sugar I wis shortly back tae some appearance o normal. I got a fine tae, wi fish, an iv coorse e lady an er faimily bade freens foriver aifter. Shetland's like at. I doot I'm awa fae ma cruise again. Een o shore excursions wis till e island o Noss. We landit in smaa boaties, usin an arrangement o pontoons tae mak a landin stage at e laich side o e island, nae far fae a craft hoose wi low set biggins an a roonaboot corn kiln at ae eyn o e barn. We got ashore wi nae disasters We walkit up e slope, aabody ain speed, ower patches o bog an heather, by e carcase o a deid sheep wi its oo in a scatter roon aboot it, up till e tap o e great cliffs faar ere's an enormous bird colony. E air wis full o fulmars an ither sea birds, driftin like snaa flakes aboot e face o e cliff, an hyne below e rollers wis crashin against e rocks an e fit o e cliffs an addin till e nivereynin soon o win an cries o birds, some comin gey close as ey hung on e updracht, eir heids turnin fae side tae side an a sharp caal stare fae eir een, ay on e look oot for mait or for enemies. Bit it didna look as if ey'd ony speecial concern for hiz lads; we'd likely jist been nuisance value, ir mair like, passin curiosities. I've been roon Noss in a smaa boat tee, an it’s jist as spectacular lookin up as doon, wi e extra excitement o e sea jist inches fae yer bottom. Bit on es day, I wis ashore on Noss for e first time, an fine pleaset tae be ere. Sae wis e Dutch lad I at I traivelt up e slopes wi. Iv coorse, eez country's flat, an different aathegither fae fit we wis seein noo. E wis at intent on aathing as we geed alang at we werena sayin very much, jist lookin, lettin things sype in. At e tap, e steed an steed, an I steed wi im. E spak at e hinner eyn, an fit e said wis fit I thocht - 'I cannot get enough of it'. This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Text Text audience Adults (18+): General public: Informed lay people: Specialists: Males: Females: Audience size: 1000+ Text details Method of composition: Wordprocessed Year of composition: 1994 Word count: 1405 Text medium Book: Periodical/journal: Text publication details Published: Publisher: Tuckwell Press Publication year: 1995 Place of publication: East Linton ISBN/ISSN: 1898410739 Edition: First Part of larger text: Contained in: Craiters. Or Twenty Buchan Tales Text setting Education: Other: Putting the dialect on record, Aberdeenshire Text type Prose: fiction: Prose: nonfiction: Short story: Author Author details Author id: 27 Forenames: Alexander Surname: Fenton Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1920 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Academic/Writer/Editor Place of birth: Shotts Region of birth: Lanark Birthplace CSD dialect area: Lnk Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Edinburgh Region of residence: Edinburgh Residence CSD dialect area: Edb Father's occupation: Shoemaker Father's place of birth: Aberdeen Father's region of birth: Aberdeen Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Abd Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Housewife\Crofter Mother's place of birth: Keith Mother's region of birth: Banff Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Bnf Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: At work Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: At home and wherever possible