Ey up, it’s time to talk dialect with Adam Collier, who has been tied up with rabbits and spring cleaning.

EY up, how ist tha? It’s been a grand old time lately, the weather’s set fair, with some lovely days and also the pitter patter of tiny feet. No, not what you think, it’s baby rabbits I am talking about. Three good litters all two-weeks-old and looking promising for the summer shows.

It has also been a busy old time here with one thing and another. Work, meetings, work, rabbit shows and out and about talking to different groups.

One nice occasion was to be asked to compere a show at the Kirk Theatre, Pickering, on the opening night of the theatre’s new bar. Congratulations to all involved with the new venture and thank you for letting me be a part of it. If you have never been to this lovely theatre then you are missing a treat, it is a real gem in the Ryedale Crown.

Also this month I got roped in to the spring cleaning at home, not something I enjoy, but after working all day on the other-half’s birthday I thought I better help out a bit, or a little bit.

By we were thrang, we never gave in and it set me thinking about Muriel Carr’s piece called Frustration, a poem written by a woman from the point of view of a women.

The first verse: Ah beeked a caake an med it rise Ah beeked a shelf of grand mince pies Ah maade a pie wit custtard on It wer dark afore ah’d gettnin done But thou nivver com.

It must have been hard years ago, keeping house, with the different jobs on different days.

Tuesday, I think, was baking day. Another verse mentions stoning’t step and blacking scraper, more jobs you don’t see being done very often, although I do know someone who still stones there front step. Then the last verse typically reads: Soa next day ah white weshed kitching out Ah gor our sweep ti clean oot soot Ah toned all’t chairs owt int ti back And wrapped mi Sen round Iv a sack I then thou com.

Typical, when you’re not ready. But at home, we are all “spring cleaned”.

If you’re wondering about father he has just come back from holiday. He and his trusty side kick have been on a bus trip to Scotland – the metal detector goes everywhere with him.

But, unfortunately, it did not bring a lot of joy, although it did come in handy when mother lost her purse. He found it straight away thanks to the padlock she has on it, plus father said there was no way was he paying for everything.

Which puts me in mind of the two Yorkshiremen who travelled to Scotland and on leaving Edinburgh station the first shop window they saw had a sign up saying “suit trousers £4, suit jackets £3 and shirts £2”, so one Yorkshireman said to the other: “We are ganning in yon shop ti buy everything they have, but deeant thou let on mi and thous frev Yorkshire cause Scots thinks we’re tight.”

So in they go and ask to buy all the jackets, trousers and shirts and man in shop says: “You’re from Yorkshire aren’t you?”

“How dist thou know that,” says the Yorkshireman and, in reply, the shop owner says: “Because we are a dry cleaners, now, get oot.”