{"id":1030,"date":"2021-05-28T08:13:52","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T08:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.org\/?p=1030"},"modified":"2021-05-30T08:33:03","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T08:33:03","slug":"kinpurney-hill-by-roddie-mckenzie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/?p=1030","title":{"rendered":"Kinpurney Hill by Roddie McKenzie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-soundcloud wp-block-embed-soundcloud wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kinpurney Hill by Roddie McKenzie. Read by Kenny Boyle by Pitlochry Festival Theatre\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?visual=true&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F1043203663&#038;show_artwork=true&#038;maxheight=1000&#038;maxwidth=1200\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The First Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Right boy, there it is, ach! ye\u2019ll no see it till ye get oot.&nbsp; Ah\u2019ll open the tail gate ye\u2019ll see it then.&nbsp; Aye, ye are getting gey grey aboot the muzzle &#8211; in dog years, ye must be almaist as auld as me; an let me tell ye, that\u2019s nae prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ach, is it the arthritis?&nbsp; Ah know, its painfu\u2019.&nbsp; But we both need to get oot &#8211; use it before we lose it, aye?&nbsp; Therrs a guid dog, Jet &#8211; here, one of yer meat treats that will sort it- here come oot c\u2019mon.&nbsp; Here ah\u2019ll help ye doon.&nbsp; Christ, yer heavy &#8211; less o the pudding for you this Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ach, muddy here on the millpond track, well you can plouter through it, Ahm staying on the verge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please yersel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is it boy? What\u2019s up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rabbit ! Look! Seek him &#8211; just by the tree ahead &#8211; go boy, go boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whit no? That\u2019s no much of an effort.&nbsp; Rabbit is laughing at you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>C\u2019mon, ah know you miss her too, this was her favourite walk before she got sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That why we have to do it-just you and me now, boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dinnae look so downcast, if it is too much, we can crap out at the start of the brae.&nbsp; Ma hips no too guid either, but these poles help me.&nbsp; Let\u2019s see how it goes.&nbsp; Fair enough?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dinnae know about you, but ahm fair knackered, nae trees fur ye to pee oan noo just the bare hillside See that tower &#8211; ye widnae remember it &#8211; but that\u2019s wherr we\u2019re going.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Go ohn boy, ohhhn, cannae speak &#8211; go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is tough on ma hip and ma heid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whit was it the counselling lassie said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One foot in front of anither.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lift one boot, then the ither.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No need of anything beyond that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She would know &#8211; imagine someone o\u2019 her age climbing in the Himalayas eh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look, Ahm daeing it, let\u2019s get tae that bench up the brae ahead and take stock.&nbsp; Nae mair talking till then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fhuogh!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fhough!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fhuogh!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fhough!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We made it Jet, good lad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well its a bonny view down Strathmore, even if the colours are muddy &#8211; but you widnae know that onywey wid ye?&nbsp; Aye, maybe we have already got the best of the day.&nbsp; We could always do it another time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Good boy Jet, sit up, sit up good boy.&nbsp; Mind when you were a pup, she sat and cuddled ye where you are sitting now?&nbsp; Aye, it\u2019s naw ma landscape; she stole me frae the west coast.&nbsp; But nae regrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gie\u2019s a hug &#8211; Ah could do with wan now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aye, good boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It wid be easy to just go doon, but I owe her, I promised.&nbsp; We\u2019re nearer the top than the bottom.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t think, dae it. Up Jet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aye on ye go &#8211; the path between the two larches, almost there, my &#8211; yon lone pine tree looks as battered an broken doon as you and me.&nbsp; Haud a meenit, till Ah get ma breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jet ! C\u2019mon intae the building &#8211; Ah need a seat, even it is gonnae gie me a cauld arse.&nbsp; Aye\u2026 Ah thought ye wid smell thon Lorne sangwiches.&nbsp; If yer guid, ye\u2019ll get a bit. Behave!&nbsp; Wow, this must huv been some place at one time.&nbsp; Jist a big shell noo wi thae amazing battlements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay-dokay &#8211; let\u2019s dae it.&nbsp; It\u2019s time.&nbsp; Thon wee projection o the hill, efter the trig point &#8211; aye, thon white stone thing.&nbsp; Go to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Good boy.&nbsp; Heel!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Say goodbye tae Annie\u2026she is resting wherr she wanted tae be.&nbsp; See her, drifting over her country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>`Bye, my lassie&#8230; my love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gie\u2019s a minute Jet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Naw, she\u2019s no in thon urn anymair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Haud oan, some yins been spray pentin oan the trig point.&nbsp; Fuckin hell &#8211; nae respect.&nbsp; Whit\u2019s this?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aye, a ainbow pented above \u2018NHS\u2019.&nbsp; Well cannae fault that &#8211; but shouldnae be on a hilltop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whit\u2019s this &#8211; need ma specs tae see whits oan the ither side &#8211;&nbsp; whits that ? V for victory? Naw, it\u2019s a guy, wi his arms up, standing on top of a golden mountain.&nbsp; Whits the words say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018When you reach the top of the mountain, keep on climbing,\u2019 whits that aboot?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jet! Up boy. They\u2019ve have spoiled oor day wi therr slogans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sacrilegious bastards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doon, aye doon the hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll rest at the bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ach, maybe therrs a load lifted, an look at you wrigglin on yer back like a pup in the grass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe, Ahm too set in ma ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018When you reach the top of the mountain, keep on climbing\u2019.&nbsp; Aye right enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ah\u2019ll call that wumman at the community centre the morra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gottae keep climbing that mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Know whit ah mean Jet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Roddie McKenzie<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/dog-4071446_640.jpg\" alt=\"Kilpurney Hill by the Nethergate Writers\"\/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a solitary man climbs Kilpurney Hill, he tells a moving story of love, loss and hope. Written in Scots by Roddie McKenzie and read by Kenny Boyle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[13,15,109,108,107,22,83,28],"class_list":["post-1030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-covid19","tag-dundee","tag-fiction","tag-loss","tag-love","tag-nethergate-writers","tag-pitchlochry-festival-theatre","tag-scotland"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1030"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1052,"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1030\/revisions\/1052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nethergatewriters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}