Wee cosy, tranquil Gatehouse Library
Ah come in quite a lot tay see yi,
Tay read yir books and use yir wifi
An' chat tay Joannie,
Sae noo Ah'm goannie sing yir praises,
Ah'm pure dead goannie.
Ye're sic' a cultural oasis,
Wan o' ma favourite learnin' places,
Yir books can form the verra basis
O' Scottish brain power,
Enrichin' minds an' cheeky faces
O' Scottish wean power.
So let us pray they never close yi
Tay those who would, we will oppose yi.
We'll be the storm an ill wind blows yi
At sic' a crunch time.
The only closin' we'll allow
Is Joannie's lunch time.
Over the last year or so of visiting Gatehouse Of Fleet for short breaks I've got to know the librarian, Joan. I was there during Book Week Scotland 2014 and saw a few "love letters to your local library" on the walls. When I mentioned it to Joan she immediately said, "You could write one too."
"I don't have my laptop or any paper," I said, making a pathetic attempt at an excuse.
"I'll give you some paper," comes the reply.
And so instead of spending the planned hour and a half catching up on some reading, I spent it writing this.