| Description | Farming diary, no. 10.
This medium-sized volume has a worn dark-brown cover with a black design, featuring birds, a floral branch, and containing the word 'Manuscripts', on the front. The diary's dates are written on a sticker in the middle of the front cover. The volume is faintly lined and the writing is generally neat and legible. The page with the entries for 13 to 17 February 1884 is loose and some of the diary appears discoloured by water. Scots words and idioms frequently appear in the text.
Most diary entries record agricultural or road building and maintainance tasks such as: road cleaning, cutting with reaper and scythe, caring for livestock, winnowing, lifting and binding, thrashing, leading, lifting crops, wisping straw, driving metal and blinding, spreading, holing, breaking stones, emptying the urine tank, levelling dung, patching roads, trenching, harrowing, planting, sowing. They tend to conclude with a summary of the day's weather. On Sundays Mr Mathieson usually worships at Church along with his wife Bella. Friends and relatives sometimes come to Balmuir for a visit.
The action of the diary is mostly limited to areas in and around Balmuir, Mr Mathieson's farm: Balmuir, Kirkton of Skene, Kinnernie, Broomhill, Tillycairn, Affloch, Hill of Corskie, Lyne of Skene, Waterton, Borrowstown of Newhills, Newfield, the Mason Lodge, Aberdeen, Wester Ord, Peterculter, Echt, Eastside of Carnie, Gask, Westhill, the Fiddie Tool, Garlogie, mill of Craigiedarg, Nether Corskie, Cullerlie, Drumstone, Hillkeir, Millbowie, Bervie, Bogentory, Tirryvale, Tillyshogle, Cairnton of Kemnay, Slackalurg.
Notable events from this diary: John's foot is a bit better; Alec and his wife visit Balmuir; commences harvest at Balmuir; Uncle Robert visits from Aberdeen; the Duthie Park opens in Aberdeen; enjoys 'a great night of fiddling and dancing'; has a 'very spirited' harvest home night; G. Leslie visits; has rick blown down at Balmuir; receives a glass of whisky from Mr Stephen of Borrowstown; buys new shovel from James Watt, merchant; Mr Mckay preaches about Martin Luther the Reformer; takes bus to Aberdeen for provisions, visits father's gravestone in St Peter's Cemetry, and has tea with Uncle Robert; J. Cadenhead repairs the old clock; buys new coat from tailor at Waterton for £2.7.6; attends Betty Stevenson's funeral at Dunecht Lodge; kills pig with J. Cadenhead - it weighs 7 stones 12 lbs; attends singing sessions at the Church; attends social meeting at Echt Free Church with Bella; goes to concert at Waterton with Isa; has evening of parlour games and dancing at Cullerlie as a member of the choir; a 'terrible hurricane' does damage throughout the country in late January; hears lecture on the sun given by Dr Copland of Dunecht Observatory; Bella visits town with Craigie and Miss Lawson; pays the Baillie for some wood; works on the Kintore road at Bogentory; learns of Miss Henry's death - 'alarming news'; attends Annie Henry's funeral; the horned cow calves; buys a pig from Mr Jamieson, Laird of the Leddoch; sells calf for £3..10; Alec and Helen visit from Glasgow; visits Aberdeen with Alec and Helen.
Some Scots words and idioms used in the volume: lowsed, puckle, piece (snack), convoyed (accompanied), the length of, neepreet, stooks, drouth, lowsing time, lead (carry), easin rapes, easins, cole, holed, hurley, dubs, burn (stream), yet (still), hacket, whins, baillie, kail, graping, grap, roup. |