Boxing Day Walk: A riddle from Victorian Rathen

Morning sunlight catching an ivy clad sycamore in a corner of St Ethernan's Kirkyard

An extraordinary mild Boxing Day brought temperatures of around 15c by mid morning. We walked from St Ethernan's Kirkyard in Rathen over the hill to Rathen station. The air was very clear and there were wide views over the countryside, bathed in pale sunlight. Despite the mild weather there was quite a strong wind, particularly noticeable coming back over the Hill of Ardglassie. We saw deer slots in the sandy track, Rufus checked out the rabbit burrows and a buzzard wheeled over the Corncraigs woods. The recent mild,  frost free weather has  brought out a fresh crop of yellow flowers on the gorse,  we also noted that it has enabled the 'Uncle Tammie' of  this riddle, collected in Rathen by Rev Walter Gregor, to  be active.

As I gaed ower the Brig o' Dee

I met Uncle Tammie

Wi'a the wardle on's back-

Wasna he a clever mannie?

Grey Granite challenges blog readers to solve the riddle.