Return to the diaries of Ernest Waymark in Sussex
1991
kacker mush
It was a perfect summer’s day. The sun was high and warm. A gentle breeze from the south made the long lush green grass in the meadows look like the waves of an emerald sea.
A skylark sang as it soared upwards to the heavens and a song thrush joined in... at that moment old Harry met his friend George on the little stone bridge over the stream that flowed slowly on its long journey to the sea, some 14 miles away.
"Mornin’ mate" greeted Harry
"Kacker Mush" replied George
"How Be’est?"
"Aar fair to midlin I be" said Harry!
"I see you got yer scran with you" said George
"Yus" said Harry "I want to go to Gooderd so I will eat it on the way."
They chatted away using old Sussex words that I hadn’t heard since I was a small boy. Just then Moses joined them: "Mornin Mose...Mornin" they exchanged
"Did thee see that Fluderpusher round street this marnin?" asked Mose
"Yeh, I seed him" said Harry, "he looked a bit of a toff to me, but he might be a tallyman - well I maunt bide here, I must make tracks for Gooderd...looks like a scud over by will’s mothers... might work up thunder sarter noon and I don’t want to get wet..." so off went Harry on his walk to Gooderd.
George and Mose continued to talk, I was fascinated to listen to their conversation. Just then along came Peter. He was pushing a wheelbarrow, "thee wants some oil on that wheel to stop that scroop?" asked Mose
"Are, that I do, replied Pete, but I wants to dig a few tattes first... the wife’s got some relations coming tomorrow... they be posh townies... so we’ve got to scrub up a bit... got to empty the bucket round the back... and go down shop.. so I best push off.
George and Mose lingered on the bridge. The pub would be open soon and I guessed they were going to have a pint and play a game of dominoes. Just then Billy passed by "kacker mush" he said, "did thee see that old milestone inspector round street? - looks like he could do with a bit of scrum... I can’t stop I’m going to Estden..." and with that, Billy was on his way.
By this time, George and Mose decided it was time for a pint, so off they toddled. That was the last I was to see of them. I wandered on around the old village roads (we used to call them streets when I was a boy) and suddenly I realized what I had just seen wasn’t real - it was an echo from the past. Harry, George, Moses and Billy had long since been laid to rest in the little village church yard just a short way down the road. They like many more who had walked the old village streets, were all lost in the sands of time.
I looked around. Everything was looking beautiful... the blossoms on the trees... the sun was warm... the breeze was soft and gentle...and, the birds were still singing. I decided that I must go on my way. However, before I left, I had to have one more look from the little bridge over the stream. As I watched the water, as it rippled over the stones, I faintly heard those words again Kacker mush.... kacker mush.
Some words and sayings that I remember of Sussex accent.
• My father used to say about the weather: "it looks pretty shucky over will’s mothers" (unsettled weather)
• A sinkhole ( a term used in tree felling)
• Hellsinifitant (I’m telling the truth)
• Fritt (frighten)
• Scram (lunch held in hand - or food)
• Mile stone inspectors (tramps)
• Estden (East Dean)
• Chi (Chichester)
• Goodard (Goodwood)
• Toffs (Any Gentry who lived in the village)
• Tallyman (the tradesman who collected money each week)
• Tattes (potatoes)
• Scroop (a squeak or squeaky sound)
• Townies (people who were not local folk)
• Bide (example - you bide there or bide where you be)
• Maunt (you maunt do that or you mustn’t do that)
• Coup, Coup, Coup (used by cowman to call the cows or farmer to call the chickens)
• Only a Skid (a little rain)
• Kaker Mush on mate (this used to be form of friendly greeting)
• Fluderpusher (an expression used by my mother if any stranger went by the house)
• Kackhanded or cleggy paw (Left handed)
• Hopo-a-Hoppo a mate (to talk in terms of my old Hoppo)
And the missed out words, for example: "down shop" or down to the shop.
Most toilets were a bucket under a wooden seat. The bucket had to be emptied very often if there was a large family. The toilet was a small wood or brick building usually a good way from the house - old and draughty. So one didn’t stay too long. I don’t remember my mother refer to the toilet - only as the (round the back) - for example when were we going to school, she would say: "have you children been round the back?"
