| Description | Farming diary, no. 5.
This medium-sized volume has a worn dark-brown cover with a black floral design containing the word 'Manuscripts' on the front; the diary's dates are written on two white stamps in the middle of the cover. The volume is lined and the writing is generally neat and legible (although the writer sometimes crams in the words which end an entry when he comes to the bottom of a page), but the punctuation is sporadic. Scots words and idioms appear often in the text.
Most diary entries discuss routine agricultural work, such as thrashing, winnowing, harrowing, ploughing, sowing, thatching and caring for horses, and conclude with a summary of the day's weather. On Sundays Mr Mathieson worships at Church along with his wife Bella. He occasionally visits Aberdeen, where his Mother stays, and on these journeys he frequently sets off with oats and returns with coal or lime. Friends and relatives sometimes come to Balmuir for a visit.
The action of the diary is limited to areas in and around Balmuir, Mr Mathieson's farm, and Aberdeen: Balmuir, Affloch, Waterton, Dunecht, Skene, Craigiedarg, Scotstown, Nethries, Knockquharn, Achath, Corskie, Uppercorskie, Gight, Monymusk and the city itself.
Some notable events from this diary: ploughing attempt defeated by frost; gets a young mare from McBay; cart slides into a ditch when returning from Aberdeen; eats at Shiprow cafe; leads splendid singers at Church; horses scared by traction engine; Robert Smith's baby dies; a cow calves, but takes a milk fever and is killed; wins fourth prize in ploughing match at Skene; wins prize in ploughing match at Knockquharn; speaks to Hannay the factor; Balmuir's chimneys are swept; the young horse bolts and runs away from Bob; polling day in West Aberdeenshire; sows Middle Haughie with nitrate(?) of soda; at 3am on Saturday 18 April, Bella gives birth to their second son (this event is recorded with astonishing restraint); the baby is registered at South Bank; enlists with J Duthie of Nether Corskie; Jane Aitken babysits at Balmuir; collects coal at Kintore station for Sandy Duthie; baby John gets baptised; attends Easter games at Skene; very warm days in August; Mother visits Balmuir; attends Cluny Cattle Show; reaper brakes at Gight; spends nights at Gight; drives coals from Kemnay station to Castle Fraser; snow in October.
Some Scots words and idioms used in the volume: lowsed, puckle, sheilocks, Baillie, yoking, midden, fastern's even, neepreet, precent, grubbering, dang on (fell heavily), midses, dykeside, the length of, gushetnook, lowsing time, Meikle Friday, kail, stirks, redd-up, dykes, byres, lassies, coling, cliack, stooks, lead (convey in a cart), piece (snack), puckle, brock, easins, ora. |