Category: Observations
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The Wooin o’ Edom
A lass woos Adam by cooking him a dumpling and he soon gains her mother’s approval.
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Spring is Wi’ Us
The coming of Spring leads Barrowsgate to think that Spring on the croft is not how it used to be and bemoans the loss of the old customs, particularly around ploughing and ploughmen. Note: Castel o’ Auchry was a large farm near Turriff and Barrowsgate is quoting from a bothy ballad. Bothy ballads were songs…
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Jeems an’ Tilly
Craigshannoch didn’t come with enough land to keep a cow so Barrowsgate buys a goat, but it doesn’t end well.
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Kissin’ Time
Before the first tune at the local dance, there was always “Kissin’ Time”. Gentlemen and ladies started out sitting at opposite sides of the room but, when the fiddler took up his bow, both sides rushed towards each other. There then followed a whole range of approaches to kissing, from the bashful to the positively…
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Whusky an Soda
Barrowsgate’s Granny “accidentally” gives the cow dealer washing soda to drink, which leads to a successful sale. “Birse tea” is where a dram of whisky is added to the last cup of tea in the pot.
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Rural Harmony
The parishioners of the divided community of Drumnadroggit decide to come together as one congregation for a Social Evening at the Auld Kirk. Needless to say, they still manage to fall out with each other.
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Coaches and Cargoes
Following on from last week’s column, Barrowsgate describes a typical journey on the Aberdeen to Tarland horse-bus service of forty years previously. As well as passengers, these “omnibuses” carried goods and livestock.
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Toots Fae the Past
Barrowsgate comes across an old coaching horn that used to signal the approaching coach bus service at the Kildronan Arms. Note: In 1934, Leslie Hore-Belisha, as Transport Minister, had introduced a 30mph speed limit in built-up areas. The Kildronan Arms was, in real life, the Balcarres Arms Hotel in Echt. Ninety years later, Barrowsgate’s toot-a-roo…
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On wi’ the Dance
Barrowsgate looks back with affection at dances where as many as sixteen tunes were played in each half.
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Fich an’ Feech
Barrowsgate explains the difference between the meanings of “feech”(an exclamation) and “fich” – the latter being the knob on the bottom of a certain variety of French clay pipe. Note: the end of this article is missing but an almost identical version appeared two years later in the Mearns Leader. It ends with a plea…