The Hoose on the Hill
Meery, dye mind the owld days afore aal this forestry took ower the place? It wis whyles hard but man wuh hed same gud times. Ah loved yon nights ower it The Hope playing cardes we Matty an Jean, in aalwis sic a nice supper efter. Trudgin ower the hill in aal whethers, but it pit mony alangwinters night in. Dy’e mind the night they wor ower here ind Cissy in Joe landeed. Why it wasn’t lang afore Joe hed the pipes genin ind
Matty wasn’t i bad hand wi the fiddle ithor. Aal ah meniged was two or three songs. The Road Tae Dundee wis aalwis yin i me favorits. Things livind up even mare when ye got the whisky bottle oot. Matty wis sittin in the comer yonder, the amount i drink he got through, ah thout he’ll nivor git up agin, but man he still played on. If eh mind right wuh wor aal abit late arood the sheep next morning.
It wis nice seein the bairns growh up here, ind sad te see them leave but ahm pleased they’ve got gud jobs away. Times change Meery. The was nowt left here for them. The hills aal planteed noo, just trees insteed o sheep. Nivor mind wuh’ve still got the use i the hoose ind yin or two acres that the didn’t plant. It wis gud i yon coonsil man tae offer is a hoose in the village, but a div’nt naa if ah cud settle doon yonder, ower much noise. Its peaceful here. Lets hev a cuppa tea.
(c) Terry Common
(In the 50s and 60s the Forestry Commission planted vast areas of North Northumberland changing the hill shepherds way of life, in many cases for ever.)
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