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I have a slightly different
version of the toast in today's Flag in the Wind:
Here's tae a' yer days,
May ye niver want for meat or claes.
A widden bowel, a horny speen,
And aye a tattie fan the tither ane's deen.
This was given to my mother by a fisherman in my home town of Findochty,
Banffshire, and I have tried to write it as it would be spoken there, i.e.
"niver" instead of never, "widden bowel" for wooden bowl and "fan" instead
of when. In this area of Scotland words beginning with wh are converted to
f. e.g. where lowland Scots would say "whaur" for where, we would say
"far", and so when becomes "fan." We also would not say meat but
something closer to "mate." My mother's maiden name was Phimister and the
locals reversed the aforementioned usage and called her "Wheemster" and
the family was referred to as the "Peems." I am sure other parts of
Scotland have similar language peculiarities.
During the war the King's
Own Scottish Borderers were stationed nearby and we became friendly with
many of them. They had a very difficult time understanding us but we had
no trouble understanding them.
Sincerely,
George Slater. |
