Hamish and Hazel, two haggis children went to a great haggis gathering – a picnic in Aberdeen. They wandered off and as children often do but were left behind by their huge family in the confusion of packing up. Follow their adventures around Aberdeenshire as they track down their family and meet some new friends along the way. The rhymes contain a mixture of Scots and the local dialect, Doric. Translations are available at the bottom!
It wis the middle o spring and the sun wis shinin
On the stream and the flooers and the honey laden bee
An the Hagglets giggled as they splooshed in the watter
Syne Fergal spiert wi a glint in his ee
“File ye’ve been ploughterin, ah’ve been sittin thinkin
“O fit will heal ma sisters woes
“Dae you twa wee hagglets smell that stinkin?
“Is the reek o wild garlic reachin yer nose?”
So some garlic they picked fur tae heal their auntie
An’ onwards they skipped doon the well trodden path
A soup made o garlic, that’ll cheer the auld besom
An’ a fine long soak in her Ladyship’s Bath.
So if ye came here at the richt time o year
Ye’ll see the garlic aa ower here
And for those of you that cam this wiy
The cache is hidin somewiy nearby!
Translation: It was the middle of spring and as the sun was shining, the little Haggii took some time to play in the stream. They laughed and splashed while Uncle Fergal sat thinking about what could cure his sisters sore bones. He smelled some wild garlic which they picked and headed on to make her some garlic soup and make sure she had a soak in a nice bath. If you arrive between April and May/early June, you’ll find wild garlic, also known as ramsons, growing everywhere here.
You do not need to step on the garlic to get to the cache. Please do not dig up the garlic!