The Poems: The Gype

Title: The Gype.Poems in Scots & English by Sheena Blackhall.Published by Lochlands, Maud, Aberdeenshire.Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street Aberdeen.The cover image is that of Le Mat: The Fool. Woodcut, French, Marseille, 16th century Cost: £3.00. Copyright: S. Blackhall October 17 Acknowledgements:Many of these poems were written while recuperating after surgery at Fadlydyke Farm with Philip and Vicki Watt, New Deer. Le Mat: The Fool or The Jester is one of the 78 cards in a Tarot deck. The Fool is titled Le Mat in the Tarot of Marseilles, and Il Matto in most Italian language tarot decks. These archaic words mean "the madman" or "the beggar.” Jamie Fleeman. Jamie Fleeman was employed as a fool – a clown – by the Laird o’ Udny at Knockhall Castle near Newburgh, along the coast from Aberdeen. Born in 1713 at a croft at Longside near Peterhead Jamie died nearby at Kinmundy, in 1778. He was listed as a pauper in the Statistical Account for Longside.One of the poems was commissioned by John Cairns, Artistic Director of Haddo Arts Festival, after a cultural conversation, others reflected a visit to Peterhead Prison.Time Warp: 1897-2017 was written after a visit to the café on the corner of Whitehall Road and Desswood Place, formerly the hub of my great grandfather Matthew Booth’ s dairy empire in the city of Aberdeen.Thanks are also due to the ongoing support and encouragement of Les Wheeler, in agreeing to publish this collection.The Life and Death of Jamie Fleeming: the Laird of Udny’s fool. by John Burnett Pratt was published by Lewis and James Smith in Aberdeen in 1859