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A keek in the windae
The author peeps through the window of his beloved’s bedroom and is shocked to see her with another man. Eventually, he realises that what he thought was another man is, in fact, a picture of himself.
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A’body blames Barrowsgate
Mrs B decides to make some beer and buys some yeast from the baker. When her friend drops in a few days later, Mrs B offers her some beer and shortbread. When the bottle is opened, the beer spurts out and soaks her friend. Unbeknownst to his wife, Barrowsgate had added an extra once of…
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A ‘Bus Claik in Buchan
Barrowsgate gets the bus into town and (unseen) sits behind two women who happen to be talking about him – and agreeing how lazy he is. As he reaches his stop and gets up, Barrowsgate tips the hot ash out of his pipe down the neck of one of the women.
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A bite for Rob
Barrowsgate goes to the cinema with Rob, who takes on a wrestler in a “no holds barred” challenge during the intermission. Rob, getting tied in knots by the wrestler, ends up biting his own bottom. He vows to leave his teeth at home next time he takes on such a challenge.
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Peats – a Peetifu’ Tale
Mrs Barrowsgate remembers cutting peat as a young girl and, after they move to a new area, she sends Barrowsgate out with a spade to look for some. Taking instruction from Wull o’ Mormon, Barrowsgate finds out that cutting peat is harder than it looks.
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Thrashin’ Day at Barrowsgate
A new threshing machine arrives at the croft and brother-in-law Adam comes along to “help”. According to Barrowsgate’s son Murray, this verse was based on real life events, where Adam is Barrowsgate’s brother-in-law Adam Corbett Taylor.
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A Helpin’ Han
A pedlar hangs himself and a passing poacher leaves him hanging in the tree because he wasn’t dead yet.
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Some snake
This is an interesting piece, published in the Mearns Leader newspaper under the name “Hugh James” (i.e. his first names reversed). Barrowsgate appears to have only used this nom de plume a couple of times in total. It is an early example of Barrowsgate’s later approach, where he recounts a story which was very likely…