Gaffron, Aileen
I loved the snaa! It wis affa bonnie, durin the lang Winters on Deeside. They hid tae snaa ploo roadies richt throw the Green it wis sae deep, an ye gaed alang these roadies. They didna pit satt on the roads, like they dee noo. Cars aa hid chynes roon the wheels..I eesed tae love the soun o the car chynes.
We'd a coal fire in oor hoose, an sometimes we burnt sticks frae a load o backs. A lot o folk in Abyne wirked in the saa mill, sae we'd plenty wid. Fin they squared aff the wid tae makk planks, the roch ootside wis caad 'backs'. We'd aa a saw horsie ootside wir hooses, an we saad up the backs an cloggies as weel, an stackit them ootside the hoose. My grunny an I used tae go roon tae Abyne Castle grounds an gaither cones. They war bonnie fin they burnt . They left a fite ash, an a fine smell.
The Lochs at Abyne and Dinnet were used fur curlin matches in the Winter...bonspiels they war caad. I dinna ken fa decidit it wis time tae haud a bonspiel, ye wid jist get wird that the shops war shuttin doon because a bonspiel wis gaun tae be held on the Loch. Aa the weemin were in the village hall makkin sandwiches an settin tables, while the curlers were competin, bit we got tae ging ower for a whiley tae watch.
The soun o the curlin steen on the ice is an echoin kinno soun..I can hear it in ma heid, bit I cudna describe it. The bonspiel could takk place in daytime durin the wikk. Ye cudna plan the timin o a bonspiel, it aa dependit on foo thick the ice wis.
Us bairns eesed tae ging sledgin ower the gowf coorse an get a row fur spylin the gowfers' greens. The brae doon tae the Station Square wis gran fur sledgin doon, tee, because there wis hardly ony traffic then. Aside the school we hid slides. Ye didna get on the slides if ye war weirin wellies.Ye'd tae hae tackety beets tae get ontae the slides. Tackety buits made the ice hard, bit wellies spyled the ice. The big loons war in charge o the slides.