A Scottish Storyteller

The Stonehaven Fireballs are my favourite Hogmanay event up here in Aberdeenshire.  In fact, I've blogged about them in the past - http://ascottishstoryteller.blogspot.com/2008/11/fire-festivals.html Well, we're just a few days away from Hogmanay now (that's New Years Eve for those of you unaquint with the name!)  and I'm very pleased to say I'm going to be storytelling at Open Air In The Square on Friday night. I've got a good selection of traditional stories and some new New Years stories I'm just bursting to tell! Open Air In The Square runs alongside the Stonehaven Fireballs and will be providing entertainment for all ages from 8pm until the wee hours.  Have a look at their web page for more details - http://www.openairinthesquare.co.uk/  (OK, not as impressive as the fireballs, but here's my attempt at bringing in the New Year in an appropriate way last year! There were more impressive moves, but these ones looked like 10 and 11, so I t...

As the final event of the year at Archaeolink, Wickerman, has always been the climax of the season. Quite simply, Hallowe'en has always been my favourite time of the year - I love the stories, the games, the dressing up, the traditions, and since I started volunteering at Archaeolink in Spring 2001, Wickerman has been part of my life.  (I just had to count back on my fingers there to figure out if it really has been 10 seasons that I've been volunteering there!) In the past few years, the weekend of Wickerman has consisted of getting out there early on the saturday to spend the day decorating the caves up for the "Spooky Tours" followed a party in the round house before attempting to get a full nights sleep ready for the busy day ahead.  A full nights sleep never seemed to happen though - whether due to the singing round the fire, last minute rehearsing of local ghost stories or child-like excitement.  This year, however, I was even busier than usual as Anna Fan...

Just a quick post to say that I have had a wonderful Storytelling Summer! The first event of the summer was telling Pictish tales at St Ternan's Heritage Fair in Banchory.  We had the run of both the museum and library - which had set up areas cunningly disguised as both a Pictish Fort and an Iron Age Roundhouse.  Banchory and the surrounding area is rich in folklore and legends relating to past kings and saints. Anna Fancett and Lee Ramsay tell stories in Banchory Library (note the "Make Your Own Hillfort" display on the right - we loved them!) Next, I was off to Glastonbury via Callanish where we took part in The17 with Bill Drummond , Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice and Avebury Stone Circle the day after that! Glastonbury was almost a rest in comparison!  I met some fantastic people and storytellers and am already looking forward to 2011's trip! For the first time, I told stories at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival in July and then Wizard Festival in Augu...