Robertson, Arthur
I wis born at Cambus o May, bit ma folk moved tae Logie Coldstone fin I wis fower. We'd a 60 acre craft, wi 60 acres mair o roch pasture an bog, at the Mossit, ye ken. Weel, fin my brither wis wee, he widna spikk ava tae strangers, he wis that shy. The dominie at Logie Colstone got him tae spikk tho.
'How do you make a pussy purr?' he speired at my brither.
'Ye kittle its belly,' my brither telt him.
The storms war affa bad fin I wis wee, ay, affa bad. I myne eence, it snawed blin drift fur 3 days, the snaw wis the heicht o the dykes. Fin it froze hard, ye'd tae dig roadies oot.
We'd a peat cut frae Dinnet estate, ye ken. We cut the peats in June, syne we turned them eence tae dry them, syne we stacket them up the wye, tae dry them mair. We cairtit 40 loads o peat hame tae the peat sheddie, tae gie us heat fur the winter.
Fin I wis a littlin, there wis a Christmas pairty held at Dinnet that we waukit till. It wis sae far that we bedd aa nicht wi ma granparents at the Ordie. They war still usin caff beds. I mind they war terrible scratty an jobby, thon caff beds. I niver got twa winks o sleep yon nicht. I didna like yon caff bed ava.
Mither keepit 30 hens in the hen hoose. The hens hid a wee door tae ging oot an in, an some o them laid oot. Ye'd tae listen fur cacklin tae fin oot far their nests war biggit.
Mither cookit on a range wi a swey, she did aa her ain bakin, ay.
We'd twa ploo horses. We cleaned their braisse fin the weather wis coorse an ye cudna dee onything else. I'd tae takk the horses doon tae the smiddy tae be shoed. The smith wis affa ill-naittered. He made ye wirk the bellaws tae gar the fire burn. The smiddy wis a park's braidth frae the fit o Morven. Bit I niver cared fur the fairmin ava. I left the school at Coldstone fin I wis 14 year auld, an served ma time as a mason. Ma faither wisna weel suited fin I left...he'd tae fee a man frae the back o the hill tae help oot on the craftie.