Cromarty Archive

Lazy Corner

Lazy Corner

Date Added: 02 March 2005 Contributor: Nora Watson Year: 1968 Picture No: 1054

Willie 'Ledgie' Ligertwood, Donald 'Dile' and Mr Budge, the lighthousekeeper in August, 1968.

Albums: People

19 Comments

Donald 'Dile' had what I now know to be Parkinson's Disease, he had the shakes or trembled all the time. As a 12 year old I could not work it out. One of his great joys was when my Father took him up The Hill in the car and he was able look across The Firth and out to sea. He is exactly as I remember him from 40 years ago. Comment left on 03 March 2005 at 21:07 by Arthur Bird
Donal' 'Dile', is the middle gent in the picture, but I can't recall his surname, 'cos surname was never used. The latter also had a brother John, locally, he was Johnny 'Dile'. Comment left on 05 March 2005 at 17:33 by Clem Watson
Clem - you're right it's Donald Dile I remember, the man in the middle, and he is the same man Father used to take up The Hill when we were in Cromarty each year. Comment left on 05 March 2005 at 19:35 by Arthur Bird
I'm not a 100% sure, but was Donald Diles name not Finlayson? Donald and Peelans also used to sit at the seatie at the bothy.and was pretty nifty with his stick if you got too close. Comment left on 07 March 2005 at 15:33 by Sue
Sue, you're right it was Finlayson. As to his adaptability with the walking stick, to coin a Cromarty phrase ''thee're no talkin' licht'' (meaning you're spot on!) Comment left on 08 March 2005 at 09:58 by Clem Watson
Clem "A kens at thee sayan" I've still got the bruises!! Comment left on 08 March 2005 at 15:11 by Sue
I think this is the first time I've seen Cromarty dialect written here. I hope more people will use it here. It adds 'poetry' to the pictures and reminds me of my Granny. Comment left on 09 March 2005 at 05:46 by Margaret Tong
Margaret, It may be worthwhile having some of the old Cromarty dialect restored in another format on this site. I'll have a word with Garve. In the meantime here's one for the book, as a question:- ''Dive thee ken at's a *sallikitazzar on the lug? *a skelp! Additional punishment would become
a pakeen., 'a ' pronounced as in 'cake'., ie more than one skelp!
Comment left on 09 March 2005 at 20:37 by Clem Watson
"Pakeeen!" I haven't heard that in... let's just say.. a VERY long time! I think it would be very useful and interesting to have a 'Cromarty dialect' section. I believe very strongly in preserving dialects, both in spoken and written form. Even here, in California, I speak "Buckie" daily!
Thank you, Clem!
Comment left on 09 March 2005 at 22:57 by [email protected]
Clem: I've checked both sallikitazzar and pakeen in my 'Concise Scots Dictionary ' and did not find either. If there is a way to preserve Cromarty dialect on this site, it would be a great contribution.
Although I heard the word 'pakeen' often, I never did get one! Granny was too kind!
Margaret
Comment left on 10 March 2005 at 02:07 by [email protected]
Clem, on more than one occassion I was threatened with a " sclaafart" is that a local wordie or made up? I knew what was meant and backed off very quickly. Comment left on 10 March 2005 at 18:55 by Sue
The man to whom you refer as Donald "Dile" was in fact my great uncle Donald Finlayson, who had the misfortune to have had meningitis as a child. Until that point it seems he was perfectly normal. As a child I didn't understand either, but my granny spent her life looking after him. In retrospect, I wish that I had been more patient. Comment left on 10 March 2006 at 06:57 by Hazel Clark
Clem, Mother still says to me, "Thee nay'te big fiya sclaafart yet me boy" In my time I've had a few sclaafarts but learnt not to stick around for the "pakeen" that might follow! She still spouts some of the old Crom. We hear it best when she's on the 'phone to Martha. An earwig was always a gullach (gullachan) in our house as kids, and remains so. Clem, you'll correct my spelling I'm sure! Comment left on 10 March 2006 at 09:31 by Arthur Bird
Hazel ..I remember Donald as it was yesterday ....Also "Ledgie" ...always had that beautiful smell of leather in his shop ..where he repaired the shoes !! Comment left on 10 March 2006 at 12:22 by John Macdonald
Clem, maybe my memory's not as good as it was, but I seem to remember Donald Dile's brother always as "Jock" Dile rather than Johnny. Am I right, Hazel. What a shame they're all gone now. Why do we have so few real characters these days.... Comment left on 13 April 2006 at 13:46 by Campbell Ross
Hi Ledgie was my Grandfather George Ligertwoods brother. He lived at Ythanbank near ELLON remember visiting as kids with my dad probably late 1960s Comment left on 24 January 2016 at 13:12 by Charles Ligertwood
I just checked my copy of the Cromarty Fisherfolk Dialect and sallikitazzar is in there but not pakeen but paykeen is there with the same meaning -just a different spelling. Comment left on 28 January 2016 at 17:29 by George E Gilmour
Ledgie was my grandfather his name was William signer Ligertwood and yes he was from Ellon Aberdeen. Charles Comment left on 29 January 2016 at 21:01 by Nora Watson
Hi Nora are you aware of any brothers or sisters your grandfather had my dad mentioned a Charlie who may have gone out to Canada thanks Charles Comment left on 01 February 2016 at 19:30 by Charles Ligertwood
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