The Road and the Miles to Dundee

So, there I was, walking past the bus station in St Andrews on my way to the bank, when a young lady tourist asked me if I knew where the bus to Dundee went from. I did, and I showed her, and she thanked me with a dazzling smile. Improved my outlook on life no end.



Cold winter was howlin' o'er moorland and mountain
And wild was the surge of the dark rolling sea
When I met about daybreak a bonnie young lassie
Who asked me the road and the miles to Dundee.

Says I, "My young lassie, I canna weel tell ye,
The road and the distance I canna weel gie,
But if you'll permit me to gang a wee bittie,
I'll show you the road and the miles to Dundee."

The lassie consented and gie me her airm
Not a word did I speir wha the lassie micht be
She appeared like an angel in feature and form
As she walked by my side on the road to Dundee.

At length wi' the howe o' Strathmartine behind us
The spires o' the toon in full view we could see,
She said, "Gentle sir, I can never forget ye
For showin' me so far on the road to Dundee.

This ring and this purse please accept as a token
And surely there's somethin' that ye can gi'e me,
That in years to come I'll the laddie remember
Who showed me the road and the miles to Dundee?"

I took the gold pin frae the scarf on my bosom,
And said, "Tak' ye this, in remembrance o' me",
And bravely I kissed the sweet lips o' the lassie
And I pairted frae her on the road to Dundee.

So here's tae the lassie; I canna forget her,
And ilka young laddie wha's listenin' to me,
O never be sweir to convey a young lassie,
Though it's only to show her the road to Dundee.

Mony A Mickle Maks A Muckle

Ever since I posted about the joys of Spring, the weather's been a swine - cold, windy, rain, snow.

The phone company has had a mix up and disconnected the phone here a month before they should have done. I've spent a long frustrating time on the phone trying to get them to take ownership of their mistake and sort it. Meanwhile, I'm still unable to make or receive calls.

I lost my broadband connection for a day as well, although that has now mysteriously re-appeared.

I've got some stupid stomach bug that's making me grumpy.

My head aches.

Thank goodness the news is all still good on the new house front - I've had enough.

Both Sides the Tweed

Here's Mary Black with her gorgeous version of Dick Gaughan's setting of "Both Sides the Tweed". It's a lovely song with a superb sentiment. Beneath, I've put the words and Dick Gaughan's notes about the song, because a bit of context helps.



What's the spring-breathing jasmine and rose ?
What's the summer with all its gay train
Or the splendour of autumn to those
Who've bartered their freedom for gain?

Let the love of our land's sacred rights
To the love of our people succeed
Let friendship and honour unite
And flourish on both sides the Tweed.

No sweetness the senses can cheer
Which corruption and bribery bind
No brightness that gloom can e'er clear
For honour's the sum of the mind

Let virtue distinguish the brave
Place riches in lowest degree
Think them poorest who can be a slave
Them richest who dare to be free


Song Notes - by Dick Gaughan

This was put into this form in 1979 shortly after the Scots returned a majority in favour of a separate Scottish Parliament but the vote was vetoed in the UK Parliament due to the inclusion of the notorious "40% of all eligible votes" clause which had the effect of counting votes not cast as being votes against. There is now good evidence to suggest that the architect of this piece of electoral sleight-of-hand may have been Robin Cook.

The verses call for the recognition of Scotland's right to sovereignty and the choruses argue against prejudice between our peoples. The Tweed is the river which forms part of the Scots-English border and is used here as a symbol of both the need for independence and the need for friendship and co-existance.

The original text was an attack upon the Treaty of Union of 1707 which abolished the independent Scots and English Parliaments and set up the United Kingdom. I made some minor amendments to give it contemporary relevance.

The tune has been the subject of some speculation and argument. So far as I am aware, I actually composed it and am highly flattered by the presumption that it is traditional, with people claiming to have known it for several decades, if not centuries.

There are also people who claim that they heard their grandparents sing Ewan MacColl's, "Shoals of Herring" in the 30s. My mother had never heard of MacColl but used to sing his "Manchester Rambler" which she'd learned from a Lancashire woman in the army during WW2 and always assumed it was an old song from that area. Hamish Henderson once collected a variant of his own "Gillie Mor" from the Borders singer Willie Scott who was quite surprised to learn it was not an old song. And there are those who swear that Eric Bogle's "No Man's Land" is a traditional Irish song called "The Green Fields of France".

For one writing songs in a "traditional" genre, this is the highest compliment imaginable. Like all tunes composed within any aesthetic, it is inevitable that it has similarities to and contains phrases and quotes from earlier tunes. However, if someone can provide a printed or recorded source to prove the existence of this tune prior to 1979 then I'd be delighted to acknowledge that I unconsciously used a traditional tune.

More Transatlantic Sessions - Roseanne Cash

The honourary Fifer playing in Scotland:

In a spin

My head's going like a cement mixer today. I'm just back from the new house, and I'm planning this that and the next thing. Where are the hens going, how do I best use my veg plot, can I get a polytunnel, and what size. I need to build a beehive. I need to get a chainsaw and a trestle for firewood cutting. All great fun - there will be much drawing of plans, scrounging of wooden pallets to recycle into beehives and raised vegetable bed edging, cadging of bulk bags and chipped wood for path making, studying of seed catalogues, setting up of incubator for chick hatching, and all sorts of other fun stuff, all that can be done at a leisurely pace. Low cost, low impact, low input are the guiding principles, though I'll need to make a few investments early on when I get my pension lump sum.

One of these to tow one of those is on the list, for wood-collecting and daily transport for me. I've one of these in mind as well. I'm going to need this and that as well

My veg patch has 13 metres of South facing wall - I could probably grow figs, peaches and apricots against that, even this far North!

I'm enjoying this!

Spring in the North

We are past the Spring Equinox, and last night the clocks went forward an hour. This is a big deal this far North. I'm at 56 deg 17 mins North here, so to US readers, whose country borders Canada at 48 deg North, it's clear I'm a lot further North than any of you.

So, suddenly it's still daylight at 8 PM, and the days are lengthening noticeably now. In June, it will still be light until nearly 11 PM. We pay back for this in the winter, when it is dark late into the mornings and early in the afternoon. The cabin fever can hit hard, and it's not a good time to have ME. But now everything is great and getting better. I love this time of year, as the sun climbs higher in the sky every day. The effect is even better tonight, with a big bright full moon lighting up proceedings.

The hens like it too, suddenly I'm being deluged with eggs!

New abode

Lot of pics here.