Green, Belle
Mither took the washin in frae Melgum Hoose, she washed aa their sheets an their servants' peenies. She pyed ?1 a year fur a bit o the cornyard tae dry the washin, an made aa wir claes hirsel. She even made the claes fur ma brithers...a seamstress showed her foo tae shoo spayvers fur their brikks. Aabody made their ane claes in yon days...
I left the school at 13, an wis feed three mile awa at Prony fairm. Oh me, I wis that hameseek! I eesed tae wyte fur the postie comin ben the road tae speir for news o hame!
There wis nae phones, ye see, an maist fowk traivelled bi horse or bike. I didna hae a bike.Glass, wis the fairmer's name, Glass o the Prony. I'd tae rise at 5 ilkie mornin tae bigg the fire tae makk the brose fur the feed men. I wis that feart I widna rise in time that I sleepit in ma underclaes an jist took them aff tae wash or tae cheenge them. Efter that, I'd tae whitewash aroon the fire, scrub doon the sink an wash doon the steen kitchie fleer. The feed men lookit efter the nowt an the plooin..
Ma grannie telt me she eence gid tae help takk in the hairst on a fairm at Birse. She wis awa fur sax wikks, bidin in a cauld chaumer. Ye see, they'd hae bin scythin the corn, yon's the wye it wid hae teen sae lang. Fin I wis a quine, some fairmers war usin binders, bit some wis still scythin an gaitherin the corn by haun. Grannie deed in Aul Eel day, the 5th Januar. She took a turnie an cowpit face forrit inno a plate o broth. It didna spyle her face, they dichtit her up an beddit her, bit she deed nae lang efter.
Birthdays? Fit did I get fur birthday? Claes, of coorse, an a clootie dumplin. A dumplin byled in a cloot wis a fair treat, ye ken.My first pye at the Prony wis ?5 fur ma sax months wirk. I hid a wee pursie, bit I didna pit the ?5 in the pursie, na, I waukit hame grippin the ?5 ticht in ma haun! Fin I got hame, they took the ?5 awa frae me tae buy claith tae makk me mair claes,a green worsit cardie an a green tweed skirt.