IT wus this time o’ year that tha great Scottish writer, Robert Louis Steveson haed in mind whun he wrote:
Autumn Fires
In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!
Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The grey smoke towers.
Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!
Aff coorse wur no alood bonfires in oor gardens noo. Wur suppose’t tae gether up tha leaves an turn them intae leaf moul an dae oor bit fer tha environment.
Bit thon o’ a mere mature vintage wull hae mine o’ tha acrid reek o’ burnin’ leaves oan tha autumn air. A sure sign tha wunter wus jist roon tha corner.
A still mine waitin’ fer a dry day at tha stairt o’ November whun conditions wur jist richt fer getherin up leaves. Whun it arrived wae’d heid oot wi rakes an brushes an big tha leaves es high es wae cud. Then jist es tha licht stairted tae gan ma granfaither wud cum oot wi haes lighter. Wae wurnae alood tae gan near tha lighter bit A can still see it in ma heid. It haed a roon front wi a screw aff cap at tha een wur tha petrol went in an tha back wus square wi a hinged tap that struck the flint fer ye whun ye appen it. Simboady yince toul me thur whur caa’d Austrian lighters bit es fer es A ken tha aa cum fae tha Free State.
Yince tha fire wus licht ma Granmither wud bring oot tay an soda breid an coloured cake an wae’d aa hae a feed befur heidin inside fer a bath whur wae wur gein a rough curryin’ wi a bar o lifebouy soap tae git tha reek oot o’ oor hair.
Oany road A’ll lee ye wi a wee rhyme That cum tae me while getherin up tha leaves.
A stoop an strain tae gether in
Es leaves faa roon ma heid
In broon an gowd this day fertoul
Yince mere oor Autumn’s deed.
Tae nixt time lang may yer lum reek an yer spicket dribble. Fer mere oul bletherins ye can gan tae www.lowcountrylad.blogspot.com
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