Today is Christmas Eve, grey, cold and damp but nothing like the Arctic conditions of last year. We have now passed the shortest day (21st December) and when my mother and I used to write Country Notes in the Goole Times we always took pleasure in explaining that from now on the days are 'a cockstride' lighter.
East Yorkshire dialect has many of its roots in country lore and in the language of our Norse ancestors. Words such as 'bairn' (a child) and flitting (moving house) would easily be recognisable to them.
I enjoy listening to such dialect speakers and probably use dialect words myself without knowing. I do remember a visitor asking if a cable was 'wick' and being puzzled until I realised he meant 'was it live?' in the sense that a dog could be 'wick with fleas'!
We are feeding the birds with fat balls, beloved of blue tits and with kitchen scraps. But now we have Molly there is little left. Yesterday she enjoyed much of the rind of a butternut squash.
Tomorrow we shall be going to church at Laxton in the morning - my daughter plays the organ for the service - and then to family for Christmas dinner. I hope all blog readers enjoy their Christmas.
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