Elsie the Fishwife is delighted because she knows she’ll now be travelling to our storytelling sessions in style!
I have been looking for an authentic fishwife’s creel for years, and finally I got one yesterday from Fancy That? in Edzell! (We enjoyed our nosey around at all the other amazing things and will have a nosey at their shop Ivy’s Emporium next time we’re in Banff)
The creel came from Whitehills near Banff and has been well looked after, so it’s perfect for another few decades use. If you would like a fully costumed storytelling fishwife for your event, please don’t hesitate to get in touch
I caught Fizzy the Fairy last night getting ready to head out to the Fairies Yule Party. She was in a very festive mood and was almost set to head out to the Cauld Hill o Fare.
Now! If you know your Aberdeenshire stories, you’ll know that the fairies once lived in the Seeley Howe on the Laird of Blelacks Land. They were then dislodged by John Farquharson (a reputed magician) and sent to the Hill o Fare which wasn’t a patch on the Seeley Howe!
They cursed Blelack of course, stating
“Dool, dool to Blelack,
And dool to Blelack’s heir,
For drivin’ us frae the Seely Howe,
To the cauld Hill o’ Fare!”
And that was him cursed. Fizzy assures me that the Hill of Fare is actually very nice these days (the fairies having had a few centuries to spruce it up a bit) but aye that it is a bit chilly.
So! I decided to give her Christmas present early. When we went to Ellon a few weeks ago, we met Elsie who said that Fizzy could do with a nice warm ganzie. So I’ve got the old knitting needles out and have managed to knit Fizzy a lovely jumper to keep her warm. She’s delighted – especially considering my lack of knitting skills!
It’s not the end of 2022 yet but in between wrapping gifts and nipping out to post my cards, I’m starting to look at my calendar for the following year. Here are some of the year’s main dates for storytelling activities – so if you’re looking for stories a storyteller to inspire your school pupils or entertain at your event look no further!
I tell all sorts of stories – folk tales, myths and legends, stories of local places and characters – including old Scots songs and ballads. My specialist areas are science, environment and pre-history and I have a number of costumes to choose from. Puppets can also be brought and incorporated into the storytelling session. I am also keen on the promotion of Scots and Doric which is not just used around “Burns Season!” I thoroughly believe that stories are for all ages and can provide storytelling sessions or storytelling workshops from age 2 to 102! (If you’re over 102 then I think you have a few tales to tell to me!)
I am on the Scottish Storytelling Centre’s Directory as well as the Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature Author Directory. I am a member of Equity and can provide Disclosure certification. Make your enquiry today by emailing paulinecordiner@gmail.com !
Burns Night – 25th January 2023
National Storytelling Week – 30th January to 6th February 2023
World Book Day – 2nd March 2023
Mother’s Day – 19th March 2023
World Poetry Day – 21st March 2023
British Science Week 10th – 19th March 2023
International Children’s Book Day – 2nd April (held on or near Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday)
National Share A Story Month – May 1st to May 31st 2023
National Writing Day – June 23rd 2023
Festival of British Archaeology – July 16th to July 31st
National Poetry Day – 6th October 2023
Father’s Day – June 18th 2023
National Poetry Day – 6th October 2023
Scottish International Storytelling Festival – End Oct 2023
Odd Socks Day – Anti Bullying Week – 13th November 2023
St Andrews Day – 30th November 2023
Book Week Scotland – 16th to 22nd November 2023
National Children’s Book Week – 31st October to 4th November 2023
The students had been collecting stories from family members and friends and I was looking forward to hearing them – but that will now be postponed until January.
Oh well… I thought I’d find out what the fairies were up to!
After Mallku’s party it was a quick tidy up and off to Peterhead for the Light Up Peterhead event! There was so much on and I was lucky to be telling Christmas stories in the Muckle Kirk. (Just look at those stained glass windows!!)
Of course this required a quick costume change from Viking to Christmas Tree Fairy. See I’ve got my shiny tinsel crown and aathing!
I had some wonderful audiences throughout the afternoon and had the help of Fizzy the Fairy and my wee Tomte/Nisse pal – who is insisting he is not a gnome or a gonk!
Well WHAT a busy day I had yesterday! In the morning I had the pleasure of telling Viking tales to Mallku and his guests for his 8th birthday out at Haddo House. After the stories they made clay tablets with their names in Norse runes – and what a great job they did!
Here’s a photo of me with my pal Bjarni who needs to be told that Vikings did not wear helmets with horns OR Ikea rugs over their shoulders (Also note the amazing birthday cake in the background!)
We all had a tea party with yummy cakes and the Queen announced that she enjoyed it so much no one would be allowed to leave unless they gave her the present of…. A STORY!
Luckily our friends at HANDSS. Are great at making up stories. We had a quest for seaweed, a gift for an imp, gold for a troll, shrinking potion, magical scones and a tiny but firey dragon who managed to save everyone from a land of ice and snow!
To top it all off, HANDSS have been telling jokes to each other and putting them up online as part of their Ripple Good Deed. Every day in November- that’s 30 jokes recorded, animated and uploaded to social media! A massive round of applause for all involved
Yaay! What a great session I had this morning with the P6s at Greenbrae Primary School! Here’s a quick selfie taken after tales and ballads about the treasures of the earth, death in love and gory revenge! Thanks you lot for being a great audience!
This session was my second last one for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival‘s #SISFStoryRipple of 2022! The pupils will be writing some tales of their own, inspired by Stanley Robertson’s stories and they will then take their stories into a local care home to share for their Good Deed
I’m heading off to Greenbrae Primary School tomorrow to tell stories to P5/6 as part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival’s 2022 Story Ripple. ( #SISFStoryRipple)
Their current theme is “Could You Be An Artist,” so I’m going to be telling them some of the stories I learned from the wonderful Stanley Robertson.
Stanley was a storyteller, ballad singer, piper and an inspiration to anyone who wanted to learn the tales and songs he taught. He was a Scottish Traveller and spent many years as a fish filleter in Aberdeen before writing 7 books of his stories in Scots, Doric and Cant as well as traveling the world telling his tales.
I was privileged to learn many of the songs and stories he shared and here’s a photo from May 2009 of the last time I shared a stage with him. I’m looking forward to sharing some of my favourites that I learned from Stanley with the pupils 🙂
(Also note the amazing birthday cake in the background!)
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Pauline Cordiner - Scottish Storyteller 