Yorkshire Dialect: Lookin' Forrard
It pays to look forwards when you reach 99, as Mike Shaw's dialect tale reveals.
It's amazin' aah fawk are livin' longer thees days ner wen Ah wer a lad.
Ah wer watchin' t'looacal cricket team last Satdy wi' Jack Bamforth an' Jooa Sykes wen t' subject cropped up.
Jack wer talkin' abaat Will o' Willie's, who 'ad a party last week fer 'is nahntieth birthday.
"It's nowt much aat o' th' ordinary thees days," 'e sed. "Wen we wer young uns they pushed t' booat aat an' reight if sumdy gate ter nahnty."
Jooa nodded i' agreement an' sed they'd done well at that tahme ter reych three scooare yeears an' ten.
"It must be costin' t' country millions o' paands ter keep fowk alahve sooa much longer," 'e reckoned.
"Ah dooan't know abaat yo two, but Ah'm tekkin' three lots o' tablets a day, otherwahse Ah maht 'ave snuffed it long sin."
Ah telled 'em booath 'at Ah wer fair praad cos Ah'd nivver tekken a pill i' mi lahfe, except a senna cot naah an' ageean ter keep mi reglar.
"If tha reyches a 'undres tha gets a message fra t' Queen, tha nooas.
"Yar Ethel's Auntie Mabel, fra West Vale, wer nahnty-nahne a week or two back.
We went ovver ter see 'er an' shoo telled us shoo'd be reight annoyed if shoo didn't mek it to a 'undred."
