It’s aff tae the Portsoy Haal this weekend for Sheena Blackhall an masel!
There’s heaps gaen on, but come find us at the following times for Stories and Sangs:
Friday 5th June, late night storytelling at the Town Hall – 11pm to 1am. Come tell us a tale or just listen!
Tales of Mythical Monsters, stories for the young and the young at heart – Saturday 6th June, 12 to 1.30pm in the Scout Hall
Doric Sangs an Stories – Sunday 7th June at Macrae Court – 11.45am – 12.45pm
See ye there!
I’m not bragging or anything… but I’ve had the most wonderful day!
It’s truly spring in the NE and today i had two wonderful storytelling sessions which were full of fun and joy!
First I was at the Broomhill Primary School Spring Fair where Fizzy and I told some of our favourite folk tales from around the world… to an amazing audience of bairns and their grown ups!
Then it was off to a private party at the GORGEOUS Ballogie House
Oh wow I was seriously in awe at the Fantasy, Mythical and absolutely Legendary costumes! 🥰
Fairies! Faun! Atlas, Medusa, Icarus , a rogue Anubis, Green Men, Green Women, Green Bairns, Mushroom Fowk and all round wonderful people!
(I seriously need to up my headdressing 😂🥰)
Thanks so much to both events for having me (and Fizzy the Fairy) along to tell our tales! 🤩😘😍🥰
I’ve had a grand afternoon teaching Scots Song for SC&T Youth in an Aberdeen City School. The team are off doing their fourth week of “Taster Sessions” in another school, so I was asked to visit and teach some Scots songs to a group of P7s who are having a bit of an activities week while others are off on their residential trip. P7s you say? So I chose a couple of supernatural ballads that are great for engaging an older age group.
You know it’s been a good session on murder/supernatural ballads when you move on to “Twa Corbies” with a class and you ask them “What would you do if there was a deid knight behind a dyke?”
And the answer is “Make a fiddle out of his corpse?”
They learned well.
(The image is Twa Corbies by Jessie M King, 1902)
And a second post from Girvan! On Sunday I was working with the fab team at CRAG Community Arts in the Wee School Arts Space!
We made shadow puppets based on David’s story of the Cottar and the Devil. Unfortunately I only got a couple of photos because it was time to tidy up all too soon!
In the evening Wee Imp and I went to CRAG’s amazing fire show on the beach. My phone’s camera is not great so I’ll be sure to share some of the official images!
The other two pics are of amazing wicker lantern Pikachu and chip scoffing scurry at the Wee School 
Aye it’s only taken me a week to post these photos from last Saturday at Girvan Traditional Folk Festival !
On Saturday morning I had a brilliant time telling stories to wee fowk and their grown ups at Girvan Library – what a great bunch who had fun joining in! Then Natalie Chalmers and I had a spot at the Bobby Rob concert.
Later on it was back to Glasgow (no starting late in Girvan for sessions as the caravan was stuck in Abz!) where we had a relaxing walk along the Clyde with Wee Imp
Thanks Amy for the photos! 
Somehow it’s been 15 years since I’ve telt tales at Girvan Traditional Folk Festival (time disnae half fly!) – but this year I’m delighted to say I’m going back for another visit! Yaaay, cannae wait!
On Saturday 2nd May I’ll be telling some Folkie Stories for Wee Fowk an their Grownups at Girvan Library from 11am – drop in for a tale or two! ( https://girvanfolkfestival.org.uk/family-events/ )
On Saturday afternoon at 2.30pm, I’ll be doing a couple of songs (hopefully wi ma amazing pal TBC) at the Bobby Rob Memorial Concert in the Catholic Hall https://girvanfolkfestival.org.uk/concerts/
And on Sunday afternoon 1.30 – 3.30pm (thanks for the lie in folks! 
), I’m joining the fab fowk fae CRAG Community Arts to tell the tale o Coultart the Cottar and the Devil, written by David Powell – we’ll then be making shadow puppets to tell the tale! This event will be held in the Wee School Art Space and links in to the shoreside fireshow at night! Children must be accompanied by an adult.
See https://girvanfolkfestival.org.uk/family-events/ for the workshop and https://girvanfolkfestival.org.uk/concerts/#seilach for the fireshow!
(Now ye can see fit wiy I cannae wait?)
A wee photo fae last wik’s Bring A Puppet To Life workshop at Whitehills Playing Field !
The bairns (and their grown ups!) worked with the puppets learning to make them talk, move and most importantly… come to life!
We then had some stories and songs before a Scots Variety Concert in the village hall in the evening.
Thanks to the organisers for having us along!
We had a lovely session today at the GREC Language Cafe!
First we heard from two speakers, Shelter and Aberlang; then I told a story about a challenge to become a queen.
Afterwards, the Cafetistas wrote words in English and their own languages (and there were so many in the room) – words relating to house and home 
We made a bit of word art!
Coming up on Saturday 11th April! I’m going to be running a Hand Puppet Workshop, Family Storytelling Session and a Family Scots Song Workshop – all at the Blackpots Pavilion in Whitehills!
The Hand Puppet workshop runs from 11am to 12pm – Learn to bring a hand puppet to life – Bring your own puppet or borrow one of Pauline’s many characters for the workshop. For bairns aged 5 and up and their grown ups. Unaccompanied grown ups are of course welcome an aa! £5
The family storytelling session runs from 1 to 2pm and costs £3. Come hear some tales of legendary leviathans,
boastful bosuns and mysterious mermaids! Suitable
for age 2 to 102! Any auller than that an I’m sure you hae a tale or two to tell
The family Scots Song workshop will run 3 to 4pm and costs £3. Sing yer hairts oot at this fun Scots song workshop for wee ones and their grown ups – again, unaccompanied grownups are aye welcome!
The pavillion pop up cafe will be open – hot dogs and drinks from £1.
I’m also chuffed tae be takkin part in the Scots Variety Concert in the Whitehills Village Hall at 7pm. I’ll be in fine company wi Doug Hay, Moira Stewart, the Portsoy Pipe Band, local highland dancers, Mike Blackburn, Aaron Clark and Graham Legge!
Book via Whitehills Playing Field on Facebook
or by calling Doug Hay on 07979 360238
Aye it’s been a busy couple of wiks an although it’s the skweel holidays, I’ve got some exciting prep coming up! I’m delighted to announce a successful application to the Wee Grants for Creativity In The Scots Leid!
I’m going to be visiting Arduthie Primary in Stonehaven to work with the bairns to write some songs in Doric as part of their Hoolie In The Schoolie! This is going to be so much fun 
Pauline Cordiner - Scottish Storyteller 