The Poems: Baa/Humbug

Title: Baa Humbug (Pamphlet no 187) Front Cover : on-line photo of a bumble bee Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall April 2023 Limited print run of 50 copies The Soutar’s Shop was written after a visit with members of the confraternity of the Knights of the Most Holy Trinity, arranged by Grand Prior Albert Thomson. to the Soutar’s Shop at Ballogie where we were met by Toni Watt, manager of Birse Community Trust (BCT), the organisation responsible for the building. The shop is the only one of its type left in Scotland. The poem was published in the Knights of the Most Holy Trinity’s magazine, issue 62 of The Northern Light. Birse Community Trust became the owner of this historic soutar’s shop in 1999. It was built in 1896 by James Merchant on a croft in Ballogie and he continued his soutar’s business there until his death in 1941. The Soutar’s Shop is a remarkable ‘time capsule’.Most of the poems were written during a 5 day tour of the Caledonian national Park. Some of the poems were inspired by brief entries in A Dictionary of Scottish Phrase and Fable, by Ian Crofton, pub. by Birlinn, 2016, Edinburgh ISBN 978-1- 78027-428-7.The six short bairn rhymes at the end were written as part of a programme of 6 visits to Aberdeenshire libraries, funded by the Doric Board, for much thanks. Copyright April 2023