SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 825 Title : Interview 07: Teacher speaking about childhood in Shetland Author(s): N/A Copyright holder(s): SCOTS Project Audio transcription F606: Right, so you grew up on Shetland then? F828: Mmhm, on the second biggest island, it's cawed Yell. F606: mmhm F828: An eh, there was seven bairns in the faimilie, F606: uh-huh F828: an we had ehm, I suppose it, it could be considered to be an idyllic childhood in lots o weys //cause we had// F606: //Aye.// F828: freedom, we jist could do what we wanted really. F606: mmhm F828: Ehm, well we'd no electricity so we had no television F606: No, [laugh] F828: so I suppose we, we jist, we made up wur, wur own gemms an things an F606: Mmhm. Was it a farm you lived on, //or a house?// F828: //Mmhm, it was a croft that// Dad had, my dad had his own business, but we had, we had sheep, I think jist aboot everybody had sheep F606: mmhm [laugh] F828: for the subsidy [laugh], ehm but we didna, we had //I can mind// F606: //[cough]// F828: one year we had hay but //I think mostly// F606: //mm// F828: we didna. //We had pits// F606: //mmhm// F828: ehm F606: Pits. F828: pit, peat. //[laugh]// F606: //Oh peat, yeah [laugh]// F828: Pit, everything depends on pits F606: Yes F828: for, for the stove cause we didna have a cooker //so// F606: //uh-huh// F828: an we didna have, we didna even have watter in the hoose //so Mum// F606: //uh// F828: had tae cairry the watter fae the wall F606: mmhm F828: tae the hoose an wash ev- wash eh seven bairns' claes by, by haund so F606: [laugh] It was a hard //life!// F828: //It was a hard// life for her, //it had tae have been// F606: //Yeah.// F828: but ehm F606: So what kind of things did you eat? F828: [tut] an awful lot o mutton [laugh] //an a lot// F606: //Yeah [laugh].// F828: o fish, F606: uh-huh F828: an totties, potatoes F606: mmhm F828: an we didn-, didna have very many vegetables, cabbage certainly but ehm, we certainly had never got the variety o stuff that ye get doon here, no. //An we had,// F606: //No.// F828: I can mind the first time I ever saw a melon //I was aboot// F606: //mmhm// F828: ten or something, F606: Yeah [laugh]. F828: cause we just got apples an oranges an, I suppose we would see pears an grapes but //we never// F606: //mmhm// F828: got ice cream because, we got ice cream once a year F606: [laugh] F828: on the last day o the term //cause it was brocht up fae// F606: //Right// F828: the mainland in big con-, steel containers. F606: Oh aye. F828: Or I know what, was something that kept it cool anywey it was seemed like it was great big boxes F606: uh-huh F828: ehm because of course there was, there were no electricity so //nobody had// F606: //Mm// F828: freezers so F606: No. F828: so a major treat to get a bit o ice //cream.// F606: //Right [laugh].// //ah// F828: //An like I mind the// first time I ever went tae, tae Lerwick, cause Lerwick is the, is the capital in the main island F606: Yeah. F828: I jist couldna believe how many houses there were and they were all so close together an F606: mmhm F828: it was very exciting F606: Yeah [laugh] so where did you go to school then? F828: I had to go to, you went, there was a school on the island, there was three schools I think at that //time,// F606: //mmhm// F828: an there was a junior secondary school so if you passed your Eleven Plus you could, you had the option to stay, just a four year school or you could go to the main island an board in the hostel //an that's whit I did.// F606: //Oh yeah// uh-huh F828: So but the, that, there were no car ferries like they have nooadays F606: No? F828: so I only got home an I was the, the on-, I was the first one to go in the family. //There's three older// F606: //mmhm// F828: than me but they didna, they chose not to go //so I only// F606: //mmhm// F828: got home Christmas, summer an, well whenever there was holidays //basically because// F606: //Yeah.// F828: it was too, it was too remote. F606: uh-huh F828: But ehm so it was kinda funny because you were never, it was almost as if ye were never really accepted back into the faimilie the same wey as ye were afore F606: mmhm, cause you'd gone F828: cause you'd, an th- th- s-, they all expected you to be, to have kind of ideas abuin yer station because you were gettin a, you were livin in the capital. //[laugh]// F606: //uh-huh [laugh]// F828: But ehm it was kinda strange cause you never, ye didna really have, ye didna feel at home anywhere F606: mm F828: and also dialect was different //in Lerwick// F606: //Yeah.// F828: from what it is in Yell so I had to be careful to say things like in, in Lerwick you say tatties. //In Yell// F606: //mmhm// F828: you say totties //an if I// F606: //uh-huh// F828: came home and accidentally said //tatties then// F606: //Tatties, yeah.// F828: my, my older brothers and sisters would make a fool o me. F606: Uh-huh, [laugh] yeah. F828: [laugh] F606: Yeah so you were quite aware of the, the language //differences, yeah.// F828: //Uh-huh, yeah,// yeah. F606: Yeah. F828: But there's, there are anither island, Whalsay, //there used to be a// F606: //mmhm// F828: lass worked here in the library come fae Whalsay, they have a, a really really broad accent //but they say the// F606: //mmhm// F828: they have letters that they say in a different way //ehm// F606: //uh-huh// F828: "K" they say like a "J". It's a bit, //it's bizarre.// F606: //oh?// Yeah. F828: Mm you would, you would need to go there an //an tape some o// F606: //[cough]// F828: them. F606: Yeah [laugh] so have you travelled quite a lot on the islands or F828: Mm no, no real-. //I suppose.// F606: //Mm// F828: Ehm a bit I suppose, //yeah.// F606: //Yeah [laugh].// Frances said you'd a good story about making a haggis? //Is that// F828: //Well, a good// //story aboot, I telt// F606: //[laugh]// F828: Frances that story, my phone number when I was little was five. F606: Ah! //[laugh]// F828: //[laugh]// No it's no haggis it was like ehm, we, we used, when they killed a sheep we would get the job o goin doon tae the sea //wi the// F606: //mmhm// F828: sheep's stomachs //tae wash them oot// F606: //mmhm// //[tut]// F828: //in the sea.// //It was// F606: //uh-huh// F828: a disgusting job. //And the// F606: //Absolutely.// F828: the [?]bungsies[/?], a [?]bungsy[/?] is a, an arctic, is it a skua? F606: uh-huh F828: I think so. They swoop on you. F606: Yeah. F828: But then, then we would take it home an Mum would mak puddings but it was like er, like dumplin, F606: mmhm F828: an she used the, the sheep's stomachs for, nooadays I suppose they use plastic //but that was what// F606: //Yeah.// F828: that was what Mum used tae do. //An they were// F606: //Right.// F828: very tasty. F606: [laugh] Yeah. So presumably your parents' parents were also //Shetlanders, were they the same?// F828: //Yeah, uh-huh, as far back// as, as [?]I don't think there an-[/?]. //As far// F606: //[cough]// F828: back as we, as we go I think we were F606: mmhm F828: Shetlanders. F606: Yeah. F828: mm F606: But you left you said when you //were// F828: //I left when// I left when I was fifteen cause I, I couldna wait tae leave [laugh] //ehm// F606: //Yeah.// F828: an I jist, it didn't, as soon as I could, it jist seemed so far away fae everything else an F606: mmhm F828: remote an you never got any decent clo-, clothes, claes I suppose we would say //an// F606: //uh-huh// F828: you never got groups comin up an it jist seemed like it was a backwater. F606: Aye [laugh]. F828: So I couldna wait tae go. F606: Yeah it must be quite difficult when you're a teenager especially //yeah.// F828: //It's,// it's better noo I think. F606: mmhm F828: Ehm, well maybe not it's still, still is very very different because F606: mmhm F828: there's no quick way o getting there. //I mean you have to// F606: //No! [laugh]// F828: if you go up by boat it's fourteen hoor an if you F606: Ah F828: even if you fly it's a, it still takes, I mean, hou-, about an hour F606: mmhm F828: I think. F606: So did most of your siblings stay or F828: Ehm, n-, my ol-, the oldest boy lives in Norfolk F606: Ah F828: eh two older sisters stay in Yell and one younger sister F606: mmhm F828: ehm an my little brother stayed there, he's, he died, ehm and eh, one sister lives up in Fochabers so the most o them are //most o them are// F606: //Yeah.// F828: still there. F606: Yeah. //[laugh]// F828: //mm// F606: that's good. F828: An the one that lives in Fochabers has a, a hoose in Shetland too an she goes F606: mmhm F828: in fact she's goin up on Friday, she goes, she loves goin home. //I wouldn't,// F606: //uh-huh// F828: I wouldn't, I'm more of a, I like sun more than she does //I would// F606: //Yeah! [laugh]// F828: rather pay an go away tae Spain or something F606: Right! [laugh] So you don't go back very much, mm? F828: No, not very often, it's expensive, I could go to Spain. When I was little, when the kids were little we used to go //to ehm// F606: //mmhm// F828: France just aboot every year an last year the two oldest girls, my, I have three girls, //the two oldest ones// F606: //uh-huh// F828: went up to Shetland, //and// F606: //uh-huh// F828: they had thought it was fabulous, //and they said,// F606: //Did they, yeah?// F828: "Why did you drag us tae France every year, we could have been goin up to Shetland", F606: uh-huh [laugh] F828: but F606: Yeah, so they still have a sense that it's part of their heritage uh-huh? F828: I th-, I kinda feel guilty because I didna take them up an I s-, it is, I mean they, they do have roots there //but ehm// F606: //mmhm// F828: and they're very keen tae //tae keep,// F606: //mm// F828: tae cling on tae their roots, //whereas// F606: //Yeah.// F828: when I was their age I jist didna care //I didn't, I wanted tae get away.// F606: //Want to get away anyway [laugh].// Did you go to Aberdeen //[inaudible]// F828: //I, I came// tae Aberdeen, yeah. F606: Ehm, went to university //there?// F828: //But only// aft-, no because I'd left school withoot any qualifications, I'd left school //cause I was so desperate// F606: //Aw// F828: to get away. F606: [laugh] F828: And so then after I'd had my family then I did Highers and F606: mmhm F828: then went to university. F606: mmhm F828: So I've, it's only aboot, s-, I've only been teachin for aboot six years. This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. 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Information about document and author: Audio Audio audience Adults (18+): For gender: Mixed Audience size: 1 Audio awareness & spontaneity Speaker awareness: Aware Degree of spontaneity: Spontaneous Special circumstances surrounding speech: Participant had been asked to select a topic in advance Audio footage information Year of recording: 2005 Recording person id: 606 Size (min): 10 Size (mb): 47 Audio setting Education: Recording venue: School staff room Geographic location of speech: Laurencekirk Audio relationship between recorder/interviewer and speakers Not previously acquainted: Speakers knew each other: N/A Audio transcription information Transcriber id: 631 Year of transcription: 2005 Year material recorded: 2005 Word count: 1654 Audio type Interview: General description: Interview on childhood in Shetland Participant Participant details Participant id: 606 Gender: Female Decade of birth: 1940 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 18 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Academic Place of birth: Edinburgh Region of birth: Midlothian Birthplace CSD dialect area: midLoth Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Glasgow Region of residence: Glasgow Residence CSD dialect area: Gsw Country of residence: Scotland Father's place of birth: Leith Father's region of birth: Midlothian Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: midLoth Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's place of birth: Edinburgh Mother's region of birth: Midlothian Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: midLoth Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: All Language: Scots Speak: No Read: Yes Write: No Understand: Yes Circumstances: Work Participant Participant details Participant id: 828 Gender: Female Decade of birth: 1950 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 15 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Teacher Place of birth: Mid-Yell Region of birth: Shetland Birthplace CSD dialect area: Sh Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Stonehaven Region of residence: Aberdeen Residence CSD dialect area: Abd Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Haulage contractor Father's place of birth: Yell Father's region of birth: Shetland Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Sh Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Bookkeeper Mother's place of birth: Yell Mother's region of birth: Shetland Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Sh Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: French Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Italian Speak: No Read: No Write: No Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: No Write: No Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Spanish; Castilian Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: