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We Dinna Gae |
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An elegy for 2020 We dinna gae tae club or cinema, We dinna gae tae Spain or Panama. We dinna gae tae rallies in oor auld car Jaunting jist locally, nae very far. We dinna eat oot, in cafe nor pub But Asda provided awfu' nice grub. Bins went oot mair than we did We stayed in, for fear of Covid. We dinna gae tae auctions at Glamis Tae get thon wee widget in oor hauns. It's nae the same frae Ebay, We dinna care whit ye say. We dinna gae tae Glamis Extravaganza, With many motoring stalls a bonanza. Tae admire vintage 'n' veterans Many o' them are better-anes. We dinna gae tae Guildtoon wi' Katie, Austin Seven We missed a' the craic, being in Seven-heaven. We dinna drive madly at forty or so, Nor did we brak doon, an' need a tow. We dinna gae tae Fyvie wi' Morag, Morris Minor 'Though we'd polished her up tae be a right shiner. She had a tick-over, tae warm the engine But, alas, she's had nae mair attention. We dinna "Drive-it" at Dobbies that year, Tae see whit ither Classics wad appear. Whether Fiat or Ford, Triumph or Rover Nane were there for us tae check over. We dinna gae tae Errol Show Sae that tae was a sad blow. We missed a' the banter While we had a wander. We dinna gae tae Ladybank Show, Wi' the wee Austin tae say hello. Mair auld parts tae rummage through, We couldna find thon missing screw! We dinna gae tae Loch Lomond, That plan tae wis ill-omened. Nae bumpy trek tae Loch Katrine, Refresh'd wi' pier cafe cuisine. We dinna gae tae Hadrian's Wa' We couldna gae anywhaur sae fa'. Nae Austins at Vindolanda museum, Car park dead as a mausoleum. We dinna gae tae Strathkinness, Fife, We hae tae accept thon's jist life. Nae gasping for power up Lomond Hill, When Katie's engine needed a chill. We dinna gae tae "Autumn in Angus", Compare oor cars' much varied status. Nae jaunt tae bonnie Glen Clova, Nor up Glen Prosen, moreover. We dinna gae oot wi' red Ford KA Indeed, she's been SORN'd awa. Aiblins next year, battery charged up She'll be back oot o' the lock up. We dinna drive Skoda much at a' DPF gummed up 'n' wouldnae gae at a'! Tae hae a run tae clean oot the stour, The Polis wad gie us a fine, for sure. We dinna gae oan oor Ebike, Sae we're less fit now, like. Waistline's gaeing awfu' saft, An' troosers hinging aff. We're conseiderin' used EV noo, Zoe, Leaf, Kona or Niro too. Cabling garage for us tae dae, We'll sort it a' oot ane day. We dinna gae tae Lochearnhead Games, Nae piping, dancing nor Heilan' names. Nae Clan Gregor there, nor MacLaren, Nor even an odd MacFarlane. We dinna award Drumcharry cuaich, As the pipers didna participate. Nae piobaireachd for us tae hear. In the dreadfu' pandemic year. We dinna gae tae Scone Palace. Tae view the coronation place. We dinna feast at Castle Menzies, Dinna view Clan Gregor's thingies. We dinna gae tae academic lectures, Tae muse on historical conjectures. Nae Jacobite themes did we consider Nor "what-if" thoughts tae trigger. At least we hae internet On computers tae get. Lots o' data o' all kinds Tae expand oor minds. Mair online lectures than ever before, Aiblins, we should hae some more. Nae mair hame by car in dark, Jist put computer aff, we remark. We dinna let oor bairns visit. Jist in case they may have it. Viewing Whatsapp video is so-so, We miss'd seeing the gran'kids grow. We tried to learn the Gaelic, But canna be sae quick! Whit does Dwelly mean? Chan eil mi tuigsinn! We zoomed wi' family 'n' friend Hoped that lockdoon wad end. We read books 'n' watched TV But really prefer'd life in 3D. Zoom quizzes tae prove we ken, Aiblins, nae sae smart then! Forty wis the target tae meet, Jist saxteen! we would greet. We puzzled o'er genealogy, Great grans 'n' ither family. Missing links tae mak it fit, Scotlandspeople hae some o' it. Nae mair books frae library, Risk of Covid if we'd call'd by. We read again histories, Nae mair amusing stories. We dinna gae tae the dentist, Nor hae we seen the hygienist. We havena asked the optician, Tae check oor eye condition. We email'd politicians Tae ask, "whit's the position?" But they dinna really ken, Nae mair than we dae, hen. At least, we dinna need a doctor, Yon's a blessed helpful factor. We're thankful for health, It's better than wealth. We didna hae vaccine until Feb, We didna fa' thro' the web. We're in J C V I level four, Protected by week four. We hae the vaccine anon, It mightna stop passin' it on. We mightna gae tae hospital, But for ithers, we could be fatal. UK hae the worst outcomes, Nae surprise wi' a' thon dumbs. Let's rethink oor hale future, Canna be worse than their culture. "Build back better", they dae cry, Mak siccar the foundations forbye. Aince it's all over 'n' done, Then let the reckonin' come. We dinna dae naething, you dinna too, Let's spier the vaccine lets us win through. It hasna worked oot the way we planned Sae, gie us oor year back, we demand! Peter Lawrie, with thanks to Peter & Irene Kendrick for the original inspiration. |