Are you sitting comfortably …?

Did you know that Saturday 29 January to Saturday 5 February is National Storytelling Week? I didn’t! I’d never heard of National Storytelling Week until now. Apparently this is the 11^th year of Annual National Storytelling. I learned about this eventful week through my local newspaper, which often tells tales about local shenanigans and goings on. Like most newspapers for the past few weeks there’s been a lot of gloom and doom stories, hard stories and stories which made me question whether or not I should continue buying the local paper! Some weeks it makes for a depressing read. In fact I found myself scanning the paper for good news stories, inspiring and uplifting tales but there weren’t many this week, except for news of this – National Storytelling Week. Now there’s a thing, I thought. I do love a good story and proceeded to check out what is on offer in and around my area.

As a child I loved stories and still do as an adult (the grown up child with me!) My lovely Dad was one of the best story tellers in my time. Sadly he is no longer with us but I can still recall many of the tales he told, those of mystery and intrigue, those where everyone got a mention in the story by name and those well told ‘shaggy dog tales’ where even today I wonder if they were really true! His storytelling had the power to quieten and still the boisterous and lively child. He could entrance us as children with the goings on of his school days and later the harmless and playful pranks on mates when he worked in the building trade in his early days. His love and enjoyment of stories continued in his grandfather years and often as adults we would listen to him recounting the same tales to his grandchildren and despite invariably knowing the ending of the tale, we sat on engaged and listening anyway.

I wonder now if it was the story, his dulcet tones, the musicality of his words or quite simply the child within us wanting to be entertained that held us there hanging on his every word. Whatever it was, we loved it, young and old alike. For a few minutes he could transport us to a different time and place through the magic of storytelling.

So I’m off to check out some storytelling this week. What about you? Let me know if you come across any good tales in your travels. You may consider starting with the Society for Storytelling and their website is http://www.sfs.org.uk/nsw

Magpie Tales – Skates On!

(Snow Trio from Magpie Tales)

'Blog hopping' is becoming a favourite hobby of mine and today I 'hopped' over to Magpie Tales, a great site for aspiring writers and poets. What a great idea for a blog. It provides an opportunity to challenge us aspiring writers. I've often stopped by, read and admired the writings here. Such talent! One day I'm going to have a go at writing a Magpie Tale .. one day ... when I'm brave enough! Today I felt brave and a little creative too and I've made my first contribution to Magpie Tales. Enjoy. (Hope I manage to get the links and photo right!)

“Come on, hurry up. For goodness sake, take the photograph Edward. If we stand here much longer we’ll freeze to death” shouted Ella.

Her friends Elisabeth and Kitty stood and grinned. They refrained from getting caught up in the good natured brother-sister banter. Kitty had always admired Edward. In fact it could be said that she was quite smitten by the young, handsome dark haired man with the camera. He had smiled at her, not once but twice when they met outside the library at Marchmand House.

“Just one more shot and we’re finished here” called Edward from behind the curtained camera. One day he would be a famous photographer with a studio in London. One day they would appreciate his fastidiousness and attention to detail as he worked.

“You need to get yourself a proper job,” his father had said over and over again. A photographer was a proper job as far as Edward was concerned.

His father had plans for him to work in the City, ‘a sensible career in banking or the stock market’. His plans hadn’t included Edward ‘wasting time on photography and spending endless hours developing pictures that no-one wanted to buy or admire’. But Edward Marchmand knew different. One day people would travel miles to see his great photographic exhibitions and leave in awe of the great photographer.

But today, he was keen to impress the shy and demure Kitty Delaware, his sister Ella’s friend. Kitty was staying for a few days at the Marchmand Estate. He wondered if it would be appropriate to invite himself along to join them skating. Perhaps that might appear too forward? Would it be considered rude and un-gentlemanly? Would there be opportunity to engage in conversation with the lovely Kitty before she left tomorrow?

“Here, I’ve brought your skates too” shouted Ella. “Come on, we’ll race you there.”

Kitty Delaware smiled and he smiled back.

What would you say to a Polyglot?

I’ve been blog hopping again and came across a great post written by Benny Lewis on the Zen Habits site, a site which I think you will enjoy, so do stop by. When I read Benny’s guest blog I was fascinated by several things he said, one of them being his passion for learning new languages. You see Benny is a ‘polyglot’. A what? I know it isn't a word prominent in my vocabulary so off I went to the ‘authorities on vocabularies and big words’ and discovered that a polyglot is someone dedicated to learning languages and has the ability to speak and write in several languages. Impressive!

My language abilities extend to great English in a Northern Irish accent, a reasonable grasp of French, enough to order a meal and find somewhere to stay, a inactive command of Irish (Gaelige) and half a dozen words in other languages that permit me to say hello, please, thank you and a glass of white wine! It’s often stood me in good stead when I’m travelling. Yes I am one of those people who often makes a fool of herself trying to come to terms with the local language. Well it’s all part of the travel experience, don’t you think? Our last trip to Prague (beautiful country) was a real challenge linguistically! However, I’m pleased to report that my sign language has come on leaps and bounds.

Anyway, back to Benny, the polyglot … great word … polyglot…one for dropping into conversation this week when you can’t think of anything to say. You know, when you hit one of those awkward silence moments – ‘Are you a polyglot?’ Although probably best to use with caution, well until you get comfortable with the sound of the word anyway. Benny is a keen traveller and professes some great ways to learn languages. Sounds like a fun way to learn and much more creative than the audio visual languages courses at a certain Grammar School all those years ago.

What new word have you discovered recently? How has it influenced your communication skills?

Have a good week and do let me know if you bump into any polyglots in your travels.

Blogs worth hopping over to;

Zen Habits http://zenhabits.net/fluent/

Benny Lewis http://www.fluentin3months.com/about/

What are you exploring in 2011?

About this time of the year there will be New Resolutions made, Big Plans conceived and Great Actions agreed.

What's yours? What do you really want to say that you have achieved by December 2011? How do you want to feel? Happier? Fitter? Wealthier? Successful?

One of the things I want to do more of this year 2011 is to write more, to be more creative and to explore the whole creative process in more depth and detail, whatever that means. I'm very much in awe of creative people, those who can paint a picture whilst capturing the mood of the moment too. Those who can create a patchwork quilt which captures a life stories and tell it in colour and cloth. Those who can dance a tale in elegance, movement and grace ... and without uttering a word to disrupt the flow. Those who can write with diligence, fervour and passion to bring a character into being without lifting the pen from the page. Those who can trawl a seashore and catch the bounty of the waves in shell, wood and shale and capture the sound for future generations.

This year I plan to explore Creativity in its widest sense. An exploration of creativity in life, work and play.

And you? What do you want to explore in 2011?

Wishing you health, happiness and fun exploring in the New Year.

While I’ve been away …

• Snow fell, created traffic chaos and created a magical wonderland too
• Walked in the snow wearing my old and trusty hiking boots
• Decorated my Christmas tree
• Visited family
• Watched Christmas come and go
• Attended a lovely Nativity play prior to school closing for the holiday season
• Became an auntie once again
• Became a great auntie for the first time!
• Worked hard and played hard too
• Realised that some days become so busy there’s little time to blog
• Gave great thought to my goals for 2011. (Just thinking at this stage!)
• Read lots … poetry …short stories…
• Wrote a little … just a little
• Stopped occasionally to smell the flowers
• Sang along to the car radio tunes (no passengers’ only me in fine form!)
• Caught up with good friends
• Celebrated success
• Appreciated how fortunate I am to have good family and friends

And you? What have you been up to while I’ve been away? I hope you had/continue to have a good break over the vacation period. Wishing you health & happiness for the New Year when it comes.

Happiness is not an accident

Happiness is not an accident, nor is it something you wish for. Happiness is something you design. ~Jim Rohn

What makes you happy?

As I grow older and wiser I’m more inclined to do the things I enjoy rather than doing the things I ‘have to’ do and even those I know I ‘should’ do. Admittedly it’s not always that straight forward as often the ‘have to do’ includes other people and it’s not all about me. I understand that. However, where possible I try and do as many ‘things I enjoy’ doing. On occasions when I’m really busy with work stuff it’s quite nice to have a little spot of doing something I enjoy like going to the theatre or seeing friends and family. Some people may consider this as ‘reward’ for working hard. And yes it’s a good way to look at it. Often the enjoyment of rewards makes us happy. So what’s that like? How does happiness manifest itself, in you, in other people?

It’s good to watch and even be a part of events where people are enjoying what they are doing e.g. singing, dancing, creating masterpieces with their own fair hands. I have so much admiration for creative people. People who can make wonderful things like beautiful patchwork quilts which tell great life stories. I’m afraid my failure at needlework in Mrs P’s domestic science class a long time ago means that I’ll never be able to list needlework as one of my accomplishments! I’m so glad that I was not born in the Jane Austen era. I would be banished from all of her sewing circles. However admiring such creative works does make me happy.

I like Jim Rohn’s quote about happiness and wonder if I were to design happiness for me what would that be? How might happiness look? What would I include? What would I leave out? Who would be there? Would there be colours and sounds? What would I be doing? What would I be saying? Maybe enjoying the peace and tranquility may need no words, perhaps only sounds like crashing waves on a shore? Who knows? Even the process of writing about designing happiness is making me smile and lightening my mood.

If you were to design happiness for you, what would you include?

It's Friday, it's five to five and it's Crackerjack

It's Friday … it’s five to five and it's CRACKERJACK! I wonder how many of you remember that children’s programme on the television all those years ago. Now I’m not expecting lots of immediate answers from this blog but I am curious to know how many of you do recall said programme. What memories does it trigger for you? Some of you may well be wondering what I’m 'wittering on' about. There will be those of you rapidly trying to recall the names of the presenters. There may even be a few of you thinking that Crackerjack after school was just ‘the biz’ - long before the days of computers, X boxes and after school clubs!

Now why exactly that sprung to mind when I started to write my blog this week really has no rhyme or reason, it just happened. Honest! There was a blank page with no words and not knowing what to write about; I just decided to write something which started ‘It’s Friday’ and that’s what happened.

Fridays were always big days in our household all those years ago. By the time we got home from school the ‘grocery man’ had been and delivered the week’s groceries. The idea was there long before on-line shopping as we know it today! He visited lots of homes in the countryside and his little van was always well laden with groceries, fruit and chocolate. Although I suppose that might depend on when he called at your house, morning or evening. He usually got a grand order when he arrived at our house and my poor mum would ensure that everyone got a piece of fruit and a bar of chocolate as a treat. Such was the tradition when we arrived home after school on a Friday … just in time for us to settle down and watch Crackerjack.

Ahh … Happy days!

Look what I found, a link to Crackerjack, sadly no more!