Musings from the Merse
Friday, October 17, 2008
Ex Africa Semper aliquid novi?
Coming back, as one does, musing about the credit crunch and Private Medicine, in an Embra taxi, Huttonian kept half an eye open for the Doyen of the Mendicant Corps of Princes Street and his wee dog, and both ears tuned in in the general direction of the Mendicant Piper. Then just where the D of the MC usually has his pitch I came across a new comer to the play and spare some change scene. An African drummer*, or so it seemed, in full beat-the image is taken from the cab, so apologies for quality. As far as I could see, en passant, his 'begging bowl' was well specied. And so powerful was his sound the mendicant piper had been driven from his usual perch and no sign of any other competition for the generosity of the few remaining Japanese tourists
* I am no expert on exotic music. The chap concerned may well hail from other foreign parts but the rythym was certainly 'African' And of course, given the multi ethnicity of the Borders he may well have been a Pail Merk.
Coming back, as one does, musing about the credit crunch and Private Medicine, in an Embra taxi, Huttonian kept half an eye open for the Doyen of the Mendicant Corps of Princes Street and his wee dog, and both ears tuned in in the general direction of the Mendicant Piper. Then just where the D of the MC usually has his pitch I came across a new comer to the play and spare some change scene. An African drummer*, or so it seemed, in full beat-the image is taken from the cab, so apologies for quality. As far as I could see, en passant, his 'begging bowl' was well specied. And so powerful was his sound the mendicant piper had been driven from his usual perch and no sign of any other competition for the generosity of the few remaining Japanese tourists
* I am no expert on exotic music. The chap concerned may well hail from other foreign parts but the rythym was certainly 'African' And of course, given the multi ethnicity of the Borders he may well have been a Pail Merk.
Labels: Embra, Mendicant Pipers, Pail Merks
Friday, August 29, 2008
Gala Fails to Ding A. Apparently
The team doing the extension and associated works on the small-house-in-Duns mostly hail from, Galashiels. One of the first things we learned on our arrival in the Borders 11 plus years ago was that people from Gala were apparently heartily disliked by many of their neighbours and near neighbours; we were never told why but 'he is from Gala' seemed condemnation enough in many quarters. It is surprising as our Gala builders are a very friendly, personable (and efficient) bunch so I supposed the origins of this suspicion and hostility lies in the murks of history. Duns people are of course known as 'Dingers' 'Duns Dings A' is the informal town motto. I asked our joiner what the Gala people were called by the cognoscenti. It depends, it seems, on who is doing the calling but in the Borders they are known as 'Pailmerks'
This is nothing to do with being the wrong sort of Reiver in bygone days but refers to the fact that Galashiels was the last major Border Toon to get plumbed in toilets. So long after Melrose and Hawick were flushed with success the Gala people were still sitting on their buckets.Not always user friendly on the nether regions.
Hence 'Pail Merks' or if you speak proper :
Pail Marks'
Gettit?
And asks Robbie of Reston would a Galashiels Stand up comic (Beyond the Pale in this instance) be known as a
Galawag?
(The image is one of 1100 of Galashiels on Flickr-this was captioned 'The Best Thing in Galashiels'
The bus out of it?
Rather like Dr Johnston's comment that the Scotsman's favourite sight was the Highroad to England.)
Labels: Dingers, Galashiels. Small House in Duns, Pail Merks
