The end of May already!? What?
Apparently this year has gone by quickly :)
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We've been quite busy at GAS (The Grampian Association of Storytellers) with a workshop in Montrose organised by Blether Tay Gither and ourselves, a night of royal stories, a night for storytelling newbies and an Arabian Night held in the carpet shop in Stonehaven - all of which were well attended with some brilliant new storytellers (as well as some great stories from our regulars!)
In April I was a guest at the 37th Girvan Folk Festival along with Frances Logan from Glasgow Storytellers and the Better Crack Club. We had a great time and were made to feel very welcome by the Girvan folk and our host Colin McAllister. I enjoyed singing and storytelling in the evening concerts and telling "Lazy Jack" with Frances at the family ceilidh on the sunday afternoon - but probably most of all enjoyed judging the storytelling and verse recitation competitions. (You can see some of the photos from the competitions by clicking here).
Apparently this year has gone by quickly :)
.JPG)
Some of the audience from the Arabian Nights storytelling event at John Briggs Persian Rugs Specialist in Stonehaven
We've been quite busy at GAS (The Grampian Association of Storytellers) with a workshop in Montrose organised by Blether Tay Gither and ourselves, a night of royal stories, a night for storytelling newbies and an Arabian Night held in the carpet shop in Stonehaven - all of which were well attended with some brilliant new storytellers (as well as some great stories from our regulars!)
Storytelling (or perhaps singing?) At the Girvan Folk Festival
Pauline and Frances telling "Lazy Jack" at the Girvan Festival family ceilidh
The next event was March 4 The Marines on the 15th May, an event held at Milton of Crathes, Banchory, to raise funds for Woodlands Garden for the 45 Commando Marines, based in Arbroath.
The weekend after that, I headed up to the Strichen Festival, organised by the Buchan Heritage Society. I had a go at the storytelling competition (despite my inexperience at telling stories in Doric!), the ladies ballad competition and the bothy ballad competition. My other personality, a frog, made himself known during the ballad, but I was most surprised to win the ladies bothy ballad competition (Really surprised! I still can't believe it) singing Bogie's Bonnie Belle. I got an awfy shiney trophy but the best prize was my Granda's face when I told him. When he was a boy, he and his cousin used to sneak out of their bedroom when visiting their Uncle Jim's farm at Belhelvie and they'd make their way to the bothy where the fairm loons would let them in to hear a couple of songs ("nae dirty aenes tho") before packing them back off to bed.
So what's next?
The Ferryhill Community Centre are having an open day this Saturday (4th June) and then it's the 2011 Banchory St Tiernan Fair on the 11th June. The theme this year at the museum and library is "Post War Banchory" so I'm going to come up with some modern day stories to tell. I'm also pondering which costume I could potentially wear!
The Ferryhill Community Centre are having an open day this Saturday (4th June) and then it's the 2011 Banchory St Tiernan Fair on the 11th June. The theme this year at the museum and library is "Post War Banchory" so I'm going to come up with some modern day stories to tell. I'm also pondering which costume I could potentially wear!
After that it's in to festival season with Glastonbury, Belladrum and Wizard all on the horizon. Here's hoping the weather will be good! :)
