A legendary Doric musician and broadcaster has wound up in a hospital bed – just a few feet from his wife.
Robbie Shepherd MBE was rushed to hospital last Monday with a broken hip after tripping on a kerb outside his home while en route to the shop.
After being admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary he ended up in a bed next to his wife, Esma, who was admitted with hip complications earlier in the year.
He had been visiting the ward every day for the past three months, prior to receiving a replacement hip joint last week.
For three days, the couple were in neighbouring rooms in the ARI ward before the Press and Journal columnist was moved on to Woodend Hospital.
Yesterday, Mr Shepherd said: “I tripped and fell crossing over to go down to the paper shop with a neighbour, I was right down on the pavement. I was admitted at dinner time on Monday, and had my operation on Tuesday.
“I got a completely new hip joint put in. My wife has been in hospital for three months with complicated hip problems.
“The thing is I landed in the same ward as her, I was there for three days. I was shifted into a single room and my wife was in a single room too.
“There was only four single rooms side by side. She was in the first one, I was in the fourth. We could certainly have shouted through to each other.
“I know the ward well, I have been going into that ward every day for the last three months. I knew all the staff nurses, I knew the whole damn thing.”
He hopes to be back home at the weekend.
The 80-year-old recently stepped down from his presenting role on BBC Radio Scotland’s Take the Floor, but will be return to the studio from time to time.
Born in Dunecht, he began his career as a musician – his instrument being the mouth organ, or “moothie” – and was made an MBE in the 2001 New Year Honours roll for services to Scottish dance music and culture.
Mr Shepherd is known to thousands of people in the north-east as voice of some of the most popular Highland games in the region – including events in Aboyne, Oldmeldrum, Lonach and the Braemar Gathering.
He has also written books on Scottish country music and Scots dancing. Earlier this year he stepped down from his commentary roles at Braemar and Aboyne.