Another upcoming event! 🙂 Come hear some Nature Tales and local folklore at Forvie National Nature Reserve this coming Friday. I’ll be telling stories from 12.30 to 1.30pm and 2 to 3pm but there are so many other things going on! (Wee Imp is looking forward to the opening of the moth traps as always!)
A grand day of stories last week for #worldbookday2024 at Gilcomstoun Primary School !
Their theme this term was Scotland and I loved hearing from the pupils what they’d been focusing on in their classes. (A special hello to the class who showed me everything they’d been doing relating to the Picts!)
My Wee Imp and I joined our friends at HANDSS yesterday evening for a story and a craft!
I told the tale of an Armenian woman (a total hero who is a teacher and a weaver) who refuses to marry a prince unless he “gets a real job” – he becomes a weaver and that ends up saving his life. The story was followed up by a wee bit of simple weaving.
Here are some photos courtesy of HANDSS.
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!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
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!
Pauline Cordiner - Scottish Storyteller 