Heard a Shilfa1 at Elm Cottage
Sharp hoar frost + a clear sunny day with slight N. wind. A very pleasant change. Roads hard + slippery but muddy in afternoon. Had a small town list. Finished posting January [accounts]: not a very good month. Made up a note of my liabilities with accts + books. They came to about £166 + I have only about £46 to meet them. Painting the house, renewing the gates &c + expenses at Viewfield come to a lot. Mrs Andrew Linton2 called. Tom Mitchell has announced his engagement to Miss Suttie3 who is companion at Oakwood. Jack4 is in bed with diarrhoea.
1 SHILFA, n. Also -faw, -flaw, -fie, -f(e)y, shillfa, schilfa, shelfa, -fie, sheelfa, and reduced forms shillie, -y, shellie, -y (Fif.), sheelie, -y, sheilie, shully. The chaffinch, Fringilla caelebs (Ags. 1784 Gentleman’s Mag. II. 505; Sc. 1808 Jam.; Bwk. 1889 G. Muirhead Birds Bwk. I. 162; Cai. 1907 J. Horne County Cai. 374; Ayr. 1909 Science Gossip (Aug.) 227; Cai., m. and s.Sc. 1970). Also in Nhb. dial. [Source: ‘Dictionar o the Scots Leid’]
2 Victoria Winona Linton née Johnstone (about 1890-1957), wife of Andrew Linton (1876-1951)
3 Assume Gladys May Wallace Suttie and Thomas Mitchell who married 1921 [Statutory BMDs 685/159, Liberton]; Gladys (1901-1926), daughter of John Wallace Suttie, advocate, and Charlotte Suttie née Kay, died aet 24 in Edinburgh, usual residence Shadyside, Ettrickbridge
4 John Roberts junior ‘Jack’ (1876-1966), mill owner and Provost of Selkirk, Dr Muir’s son-in-law
[Source: Scottish Borders Archives & Local History Service SBA/657/24, Dr J S Muir of Selkirk, medical practitioner, journal for 1921]
Rumbling Clint's Scottish Notes 