Teak Lady Tells a Tale

Posted on August 15, 2020

I like a nautical story and during a recent 'Post-lockdown Scottish-staycation'  I stumbled upon an interesting 'teak lady' sheltering under a tarpaulin on a harbour slipway... ...under her black veil I realised that she was stripped down and that her bare boards were teak, so I asked around to hear her story: “This is Mhari Bhàn, a 26 ft. sloop designed by Rouse and built between the wars in Hong Kong,” a local explained. “W...

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A Fish Out of Water?

Posted on July 8, 2020

All my storytelling venues shut their doors with the lockdown and a storyteller, with no schools, care homes, community groups or festivals to visit, is like a fish out of water. 2020 is The Year of Scottish Coasts and Waters and I was so looking forward to travelling around the coasts of Scotland sharing and finding local stories in my role as the honorary resident storyteller on RowAround Scotland. I am a keen coastal rower and have been ...

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Set Sail with Stories

Posted on March 3, 2020

  I recently set sail on a new adventure - getting locals singing shanties here at The Dreadnought Pub in Leith. Researching nautical songs and sea shanties I came across this curious tale of  Auricular Trauma. Ever heard of The War of Jenkins’ Ear? It is April 1731 and in the warm waters off Jamaica the good ship HMS Rebecca is being searched by Captain Juan de Leon Fandino and his Spanish coastal officers aboard ‘La Isabell...

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High Five! 5 more Tall Ships on my sponsored story challenge.

Posted on August 20, 2019

Bergen was bristling with Tall Ships as we arrived at the next stage of The Tall Ships Race in July. However my time in Norway was running out and I still had another half a dozen Tall Ships to tell tales on so I needed to be both tenacious and audacious! Over two days in Bergen I visited and told stories on 5 more ships:  Christian Radich from Oslo, the beautiful old lady of the sea Oosterchelde and the wonderful Wylde ...

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Tall Ship No.4 ‘The Lord Nelson’

Posted on July 29, 2019

After travelling from Leith to Lillesand in July and spending 10 days researching stories linking Norway to Scotland I boarded STS Lord Nelson with The Jubilee Sailing Trust sailing from Fredrickstad in the company of the fine ships taking part in the 2019 Tall Ships Race. Shy bairns get nae sweeties - 'getting gallus' is the best way to tell tales in Norway One evening I approached the good ship ‘Christiana’ on a night sail out of ...

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Tall ship No. 3 – travelling hopefully!

Posted on July 2, 2019

All aboard for my next adventure traveling up the coast of Norway following the Tall Ships Race! I am hoping to travel on Lord Nelson with my favourite charity The Jubilee Sailing Trust however they are currently facing 'stormy weather' and have issued a disturbing weather forecast! ‘Nellie’, as she is affectionately known, is one of two ships specially designed and modified to enable people of all abilities to experience sailing ...

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Ties that bind…storm sails and snorters!

Posted on May 24, 2019

I’ve recently been researching into the Edinburgh Roperie and Sailcloth Company here in Leith for storytelling projects with Citizen Curator and Our Linen Stories and so I was fascinated to find out that Leith was a world leader in sails and rope. I'll be at Customs House Lane this weekend sharing stories of maritime migration and Leith ships as part of my sponsorship drive to Tell Tales on Ten Tall Ships - we're not far from the ...

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Tenacious Tales on Tall Ships

Posted on March 26, 2019

I'm looking forward to launching my 2019 sponsored storytelling quest this weekend.  Telling Tenacious Tales on Ten Tall Ships In the run up to 2020 The Year of Scottish Coasts & Waters I am gathering seafaring stories to share for free with coastal communities. My challenge is to tell tales on ten tall ships in 2019 and my first vessel is a fine one and a great Fun Day out: HMS Unicorn in Dundee! I also be gathering stories of ...

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Bags full of stories!

Posted on April 18, 2018

This Spring I have been working on an intergenerational project that combines my love of textiles as an artist and my love of storytelling. Commissioned by Newhaven Heritage Society, who together with Judith Crabb had successfully bid for a grant from the HLF, I have been working with P5 classes from Victoria Primary School in Newhaven in North Edinburgh and with the wonderful Haven Group who have kindly shared their stories with us. ...

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New Year – New Story

Posted on December 31, 2017

A story is best told eye to eye, mind to mind and heart to heart. I was delighted in December to be accepted onto the directory of The Scottish Storytelling Forum. Inspired by spending time with storytellers on various projects since my return to Scotland 4 years ago I started my storytelling apprenticeship 3 years ago. It has been an honour and a pleasure to meet so many amazing storytellers, mentors and fellow apprentices from all walks of ...

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