Pauline in one of her fairy costumes and another two mischevious imps, all set for storytelling

2015 Events:

My first storytelling session of the year was at the Pitscurry Project . The Pitscurry Project provides training and day services for adults with learning disabilities and are hoping to do a project on local myths and legends for either Halloween or Beltane in 2016.  Watch this space!  (P.S.  Wonderful cafe and gardens – do make a visit!)

At the end of May, the Banff Coast Festival  invited me back for a second year – this year the theme was “Light” and I learned a few new stories which are sure to become some of my favourites.

On the first of June I was telling stories about gardens, flowers, plants and trees at Drum Castle’s Chelsea Fringe Event.  I had been scheduled to tell stories in their beautiful formal gardens, but unfortunately the heavens opened – luckily there was a very cosy place indeed inside the castle which we made comfortable with blankets and cushions.  There were a lot of adults tempted in by the stories as well, so it was a wonderful session!

Before heading off to Glastonbury, I told stories at the Robertson Road Centre, Fraserburghm which provides day service opportunities to adults who have a disability.  I have to say it was the best banter I’ve had all year and that “Jack, Jack – yer sic a tattieheid!  Fit a neep! will forever be included in my telling of “Lazy Jack.”

I know it sounds a bit repetitive but I’m sure THIS year at Glastonbury has been the best ever!  This year I had some company in the form of Fizzy the Fairy who is the perfect compliment to my Thistle The Fairy character.  Let me tell you – she’s really cheeky!  But clearly she has some star potential as we made it on to the front of the BBC Music at Glastonbury web page (see photo above)
She’d like me to assure all her fans that she’ll be making a lot more appearances in the future!

No sooner were we back from our Glastonbury journey than I was telling nature and environment stories at the Burn O Vat.  Once again I’m covered in lumps from the midgies – perhaps if I had told that story I wouldn’t have been stung so often?

The Rhynie Wifies were at Castle Fraser again on the weekends of the 18th/19th July for the Rumbling Romans and Wicked Warriors event next weekend, 18th and 18th July 2015. Visitors took part in Warrior School, Iron Age Crafts, Cooking and Dyeing/  We were as wicked as we Wifies (and one Tiny Rhynie Quinie) could fit into a weekend.

Perth Prehistory Festival 2015 will be held the weekend of 22nd and 23rd August 2015.  I had the chance to tell all of my iron age tales in full kit and enjoyed seeing all the other crafts stalls and chatting to other folks from prehistory!

In Summer, I organised a meeting of the Grampian Association of Storytellers who have been having some time off since 2012.  I’m proud to say we have a new committee now and that we will be organising monthly storytelling sessions from now on – please see the GAS Facebook Page for details.

I was asked to tell some ghost and horror stories at the Bottlecap Brewery in Aberdeen on Halloween.  It was a great night with a couple of other performers telling stories and reading some classical Edwardian ghost stories.  As it was an adult audience and there were some amazing acoustics, I sang a couple of ballads too (The Unquiet Grave and Wullie’s Ghost)

Fizzy the Fairy and I headed to Charles Michies for a couple of weekends in December – we had a great spot in their cafe (nice cakes there folks!) and enjoyed telling Christmas stories to those who came to hear us.  I also told stories at a special event at Woodend barn December called “Tales From The Christmas Tree” in which (as Thistle) I told a different Christmas story for each tree decoration and asked children out from the audience to place the decorations on the tree.