A planet of plastic

Image from: http://wildnewjersey.tv/2010/09/30/phillycom-where-did-all-the-plastic-go.aspx

I do not always write about stories and storytelling, and this is about recycling. I suppose this could be a story about the planet and how I live my life.  And this might help you save some money and will help reduce the amount of plastic that goes into landfills.

We all talk about the planet getting smaller, but our garbage rate in plastics is getting greater.  We stopped buying plastic bottled water and soda a few years ago because of this.  And we are trying to find other ways of reusing single use plastic items, or eliminating them altogether.  And we are saving money. Dasani bottled water had an ad that said "Treat Yourself Well Everyday." Dasani is tap water bottled for you, yet bottled water costs 2,000 mores times than tap water, which is also more regulated!  As it says on The Story of Bottled Water, would you pay 2,000 times more for a sandwich? How many tax dollars are spent cleaning up these water bottles - look in a trash can at the next outdoor concert you go to or at your kids next sports game.  Some plastic gets thrown in water ways and ends up in the ocean, or is shipped to India (we don't want it in our backyard) and it has been reported that some of these ships have sunk. There, it is down-cycled to lower grade plastic to be later put in a landfill with the rest of the 80% which is not recycled.

We have not bought a zip lock bag in over a year.  We realized that the bags we bought our tortilla shells in are zip lock.  We reuse them. A lot! (We also consume a lot of tortillas!)

We have started making our own deodorant so we re-use the deodorant container.  I have refilled mine up a good half dozen times and the container still works fine! And it is way cheaper and better than any commercial version out there that I have used. (See below for recipe!)

Image from: http://swilson37.wordpress.com/tag/recycle/

There is currently an island of plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean.  According to Wikipedia: "Estimates of size range from 700,000 square kilometres (270,000 sq mi) to more than 15,000,000 square kilometres (5,800,000 sq mi) (0.41% to 8.1% of the size of the Pacific Ocean), or, in some media reports, up to "twice the size of the continental United States".^[10] Such estimates, however, are conjectural based on the complexities of sampling and the need to assess findings against other areas."

Image from: http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/events/department-news/619/marine-trash-islands/

I have read that this island has grown rapidly since the 1980's, due mainly from the increase in bottled water sales - something that was thought of once as a yuppy fad!  Most of the plastic actually arrives in the ocean via rivers and streams and causes untold damage to the environment and the creatures we share the planet with.

One last note on how ridiculous bottled water is.  On Wikipedia it states: "In 2009, the New South Wales town of Bundanoon voted to become the first town in the world to outlaw bottled water.^[32] Its citizens voluntarily chose to ban bottled water in response to a bottling company's desire to sell water from the town's local aquifer.^[33]
"In a community meeting of 356 of the town's 2,500 residents, all but one voted in favor of the ban,^[30] prohibiting the selling or dispensing of bottled water within the town precinct.^[34]
 "Bundanoon's six stores have removed bottled water from their stock. The town now offers public drinking fountains and filtered water dispensers where people can fill up reusable water bottles and canteens. The reusable empty bottles are sold in place of full bottles in the local stores. Bundanoon's bold stand against bottled water's damaging effects on the environment and on communities has thrust it into a global spotlight. Bundanoon has caught the attention of many other cities around the world who soon could have similar policies.^[30][35]"

<sup>An interesting article on re-using plastic bottles can be found here: http://refillables.grrn.org/content/western-europes-experience-refillable-beverage-containers.

So, next time you reach for a bottle of water in the supermarket, think about buying a steel or glass bottle instead and fill it at the fountain.  It will pay for itself in a few weeks, if not days and you will be saving yourself money.  Don' throw away those bags that your consumer products come in, re-use them.  Don't buy things that come in blister packs, or wrapped in plastic unless you really have to.  And check out the recipe for homemade deodorant! There are four "R's".  Re-use, re-cycle, reduce and refuse!</sup>

Do you stink?

This stuff is great.  As part of my family’s desire to eliminate as much consumption of (single-use) plastic as we can, we searched for a recipe for home-made deodorant.  We looked at a few and now use this. 

Recipe

• 2 Tablespoons Baking Soda

• 4 Tablespoons Cornstarch

• 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil*

• About 5-10 drops of essential oil of what you would like to smell like (lavender, tea tree, basil, ylang-ylang, clove etc) - optional.  This can mask the smell of the coconut oil if you do not like coconut!

• 1 recycled empty, washed and dried deodorant container

Steps
1. Mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 6 tablespoons of cornstarch in a bowl.
2. Add 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil to the bowl and mix well. The coconut oil we use is firm, so we heat it up a little to reduce it to liquid form.  Microwave it for just a few seconds.
3. Add about 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil, and mix well.  If you find that the smell of the essential oil is not strong enough, add more. 
4. Make sure your recycled deodorant container is clean, dry, and unwound (the ‘tray’ is at the bottom). Pour/pack the mixture into the container, pushing it down with your fingers if need to get remove air bubbles or gaps. Wipe off the edges and sides, place on the cap. 
5. Put the deodorant container in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes so that it sets/solidifies.

A few words about this deodorant:
*This is an all natural product. Because it is made of coconut oil it can and will liquefy if it gets too warm. We live in New Hampshire in a house with no A/C and it is fine, however on a trip to Costa Rica, we found in places where there was no A/C our deodorant turned to a more liquid state.  Fortunately we had packed a few zip lock bags (reused tortilla bags) and still used the deodorant by dipping our fingers in it and wiping it on!  It does leak from the container in hot climates, but very slowly.

**UPDATE**
 21st June - When the weather reached the upper 80's in our house (the nineties outside) the deodorant began to liquify!  I did not have my glasses on, so ended up wearing a lot down my torso!

It can mark your clothes if you put on too much and it is freshly applied and your clothes rub against it.  It contains oil, so apply lightly.

We were very active in Costa Rica where it was hot and humid. I found it works for me better and longer than any other commercial deodorant I have ever used, including the healthy options, and is a lot cheaper too.

The cost of buying a (recyclable) glass jar of coconut oil, (card box of) baking soda, cornstarch and essential oil comes to about $18.00, depending on brand, size, and which essential oil you buy.  You should get over 6 batches from a 12oz jar of coconut oil and many more batches from the baking soda, cornstarch and essential oils.  A six pack of Old Spice deodorant costs around $14.00, a six pack of Arm and Hammer costs about $18.00, the good healthy varieties cost about $25.00 - $30.00 for a six pack.  And then you have six plastic containers to dispose of!

My first audio book has it's first chapter. It comes from Jennifer Carson's Hapenny Magick, published by Pugalicious Press.
Go to: http://www.diamondscree.com/downloads.htm
for more information and to hear this snippet!

(C) 2011 P.A. Lewis

Here is a commencement speech by Neil Gaiman for the University of the Arts entitled "Make Glorious Mistakes, Make Good Art".  Gaiman is one of my favourite writers. Check it out.

The passing of my Gran

My Gran

For the last couple of years my Gran has been getting worse in health and on Friday, 11th May, 2012 at 10.15 am GMT, she passed away aged 94.  She had lived on her own until January of 2011 and did not complain too much when her kids moved back in to help!  My mother and uncle (Rob) spent a week on and a week off sharing Gran's house, looking after her.  But now that is over.  I was asked to speak  at her funeral and two stories came to my mind, the second my brother reminded of, and I thought I would share what I said at her funeral just a few days ago.


I loved my Gran and Grandad (who died in 1981 at almost 80 years of age).  Sometimes I would cycle down to their house, sometimes I would walk, and once in a while I would drive with friends if we were passing  by on the way somewhere, just to say 'hi'.  Gran was always good for a cup of tea and biscuits (English cookies). My friends would suffer my forced visits to my grandparents because of the treats, as well as them being fun to be around.  I was in my late teens on one of the first visits with my friends and I began to hand out the chocolate fingers my Gran made whilst she brought in the tea.  Gran used to make wonderful snacks. My personal favourites were biscuits made of oats and had a 1/2 cherry in the center.  Once the chocolate fingers had been passed around, I began to hand around a plate full of these wonderful, soft, oat biscuits with the cherry in the middle.  "Anyone for a titty biscuit?" I asked, for that was what they were called.  They had always been called that, and to me it was just a name with no meaning.  But to my teenage friends who had never seen them before - well, there were some slack jaws and some snickering! "What?" I asked.  One of my friends said: "Titty biscuits?" and held one up.  The penny dropped.  I looked at Gran and she was smiling, pouring tea.  I was mortified, she was giggling.  And from then on, when my friends came with me to Gran and Grandad's house, they were always sure to ask if there were any titty biscuits to be had!

When I last visited Gran in January last year, we got talking about cars.  She had mostly had what might be classified as little racers! Gran wasn't reckless, but she really liked to drive.  She stopped driving when she knew she would was not safe driving.  There are many elderly drivers who could take a lesson from her there.  And  I remember that my Gran was good driver and probably would have been a racing driver if she was born in a different generation.

A very nice Ford Anglia - Gran's was white!

This goes back to when Gran was driving her beloved Ford Anglia.  A wonderful little car with fins; a wonderful little car that in 1966 won the British Saloon Car Championship.  The Anglia has also been in movies such as 'Harry Potter' (the car that flew), and 'Blow Up' with Vanessa Redgrave and David Hemmings (one of Uncle Rob's favourite movies).  Gran loved that car.  When Gran drove, she never went over the speed limit, but stayed right on it.  And when Gran got to traffic lights, she would, of course, stop at the red lights never running them. The amber lights, however, were different!

This time, Gran must have had enough of my brother and me and was trying to get to Mum's as soon as possible.  We were sitting in the back seat in a car that had no rear seat belts and certainly no headrests. I was sitting in the middle of the back seats, my favourite spot, no doubt with arms on the back of the front seats, looking alternately between the speedometer and speed limit signs. Gran was coming towards a set of traffic lights.  They were green.  Then they turned to amber and Gran sped up.The amber light turned red.  And Gran would not run a red light and so she braked. Hard. Really hard.

I remember we careened to a stop, no doubt JUST on the line!  I do not remember the car skidding, nor do I remember bouncing off Gran's arm, but I do remember that I did not stay on the back seat as the car came to an abrupt halt.  I had been propelled between the front seats and took rest in the passenger foot well in a tidy shaking ball!  I imagine my brother wondering, gleefully, if I were still alive!

Gran calmly said: "Are you alright, dear?"  and helped me out of the well and gently helped back over the front seats into the rear of the car.  My brother has similar driving skills which I am sure come from Gran, inspired by that amazing stop.  "Wow" I think was all he said.  I always liked the Anglia, despite it's grumpy look.  When I had talked to Gran about it she said: "Oh, I did love that car."

I can imagine Gran now, freed from her body at last, to be the young spirit she always was.  I can see her driving off at top speed in her Anglia to get to those who have been waiting for her for so long, so happy to have her with them again....maybe with a tin of titty biscuits and chocolate fingers sitting beside her in the passenger seat.

Uncle Rob, Mum (Di) and Gran (Daphne), 1990

Many people shared memories of Gran at the funeral and afterwards at the pub.  Not just my Mum, Uncle Rob and cousin Kat, who also delivered eulogies at the service, but others who came up to us to tell us their memories.  Some inspired or remembered (triggered) by what we had said at the funeral.  We found out where the name titty biscuits came from.  There were children (now in their sixties and older) of people who knew Gran and Grandad who came to say how much they were loved.  I learned more about Gran that day than I ever thought I could.  She truly left a positive mark on many people, and a legacy to live up to.


Love you, Gran.

Simon

Titty Biscuits, or officially "Crispy Biscuits"

Here is the recipe for 'Titty Biscuits" although going through Gran's stuff the recipe was found, and they are really called "Crispy Biscuits."

2 oz. cooking fat
2 oz margarine
3 oz sugar (brown)
1 teaspoon of syrup (Tate and Lyle's Golden Syrup which can be found in the USA at some health food stores)
3 teaspoons of boiling water
4 oz self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup porridge oats
Glace Cherries

Cream fat and sugar, add syrup and boiling water.  Work in dry ingredients.  Roll into balls, top with half a cherry, place on greased baking tray and cook for 15 to 20 minutes on Gas Mark 3 or 150c

Crispy (or titty) Biscuit

The biscuits in the photo were made by my cousin Catherine.  They sit on a plate of my Gran's crockery which she had forever on the kitchen table (with original chairs) which dates to the 1960's.  When Gran (and Catherine) made them they were never crispy, but rather the almost crispy side of soft.

The Dreaded Nightmare Gig

Last week was nice and busy for me.  I had an all-day school residence, an evening performance at the same school, a gig at a ballet studio (dance stories), and another performance close to home.

Usually things go right!  You get to a venue and as you unpack the car you realize that you have everything you need.  This is not always the case with a busy week!  You have plenty of time to set everything up and the venue offers you helpers too, even your musical instrument has time to acclimatize to the space.  You test the space to see if you will need a PA.  You look yourself over and there are no food or drink stains on your clothes.  Your socks match your shoes and there is no cabbage in your teeth.  Things are good.

So there I was.  Matching socks, clean clothes, bottle of water, all set up and plenty of time.  I clapped my hands and said a few words in the space in which I was to perform. There was a fair amount of echo, but it was a small space.  Smaller than the other the previous nights which were also acoustically challenged.  I wondered if I might need a PA; I had one in the car.  No, it was a small space and a PA, I decided, would be more than over-kill.  Besides, when the audience shows up and the stories start, those bodies will absorb some of the sound and everything will be all right.  Except, except I did not look at the ceiling over my head and notice it is at a very acoustically dangerous angle.  The pre-arranged start time is pushed back a little.  There is, however, a deadline which doesn't get pushed back and I wonder if I can do all I want to in the shrinking time frame. I again wonder about the PA.  No, it will be fine.  It's a small enough space, and there should be about 100 people coming.  My socks still match my shoes, I have not eaten any cabbage, and my water won't leave ugly stains on my shirt.  And there is still 15 minutes before 'show time'.  I play my bodhran and watch as people come through the area I am set up in.  I then notice, a little late, that there is a dance class going on down the hall, and in a room right next to me, other activities are going on, but that's okay, the door is closed.  I chat with a few folks and sit with a couple of the kids already congregating for the tales. And then it happens.

People appear from all over to hear stories, or so I think.  They swap stories with each other, visit the activity rooms which begin to get hot with all the bodies and so the door is left open and the sound of happy voices filter out.  And because sounds travels up, those happy voices hit the angled ceiling and bounce back down amplified.  There is no one there to introduce me, so I begin.  I get out my brass Tibetan bowl and make it ring, starting off slowly until it is singing beautifully.  This usually has the effect of those nearest me hearing the bowl sing and so become quiet, which then has a ripple effect as more people hear it.  But those closest to me, by a matter of a few feet, cannot hear it or the two that can, turn and ask the others what it is and why I am doing it.

I laugh to myself and stop, putting the bowl away, and then in my big booming "pub voice" do not announce closing time, but starting time.  I do the usual 'turn your phones off', 'if you kids lose it, take them out and come back when they are calm', and 'please, please, please be quiet, the acoustics here are not conducive to more than one person talking at a time - and that person should be me - I was paid to come here and tell all of you stories after all! Respect your neighbour' and all that.  Mostly people settle down, but one man keeps talking.  He is on the other side of the hall and it sounds to me like he is sitting on my lap, shouting in my ear.  So I politely walk over, so as not to make too big a deal of it, and restate my cause and the room's acoustic issues, allowing that there is a very long corridor and that he or anyone else could carry on their conversation down there where others won't be disturbed, and I can do the best job I can.  He is very gracious and smiles.  But by the time I am back on my side of the room he is talking again, albeit much quieter.  Yet it still sounds like he is sitting on my lap.

Who designs ceilings like this anyway?  You know, apart from Christopher Wren who MEANT to do it.  And he did it so you could be heard if you WHISPERED and it would only travel around the wall, not into The Space!  I worked at a library whose architect designed a room for teens with no doors - a very open space - and then in the upper floor above put quiet study rooms.  Teens cannot be quiet.  It is a scientific fact.  That without killing their spirit, or threatening them their lives, teens cannot be quiet.  With the open design the noise from the teen room went out of the space, up the walls, hit an angled ceiling and projected the now what seemed amplified sound into the quiet study space.

Anyway, I told my first of three stories without too much trouble after this, but when I finished the kids began to get up to go.  Some moved into the activity room, some came out.  This had been going on during the story but somewhat quietly.  Now there was no need to be quiet.  I had finished, hadn't I? Wait, wait!  I asked if they wanted another story and many said 'yes', and sat back down or came to listen.  But about a third of the way through my second story I could not hear myself speak.  The adults had taken over.  I tried raising my voice, but so did everyone else.  I spoke softly so it might cause some who wanted to be respectful of those who wanted to listen to become quiet, but they did not notice.  One woman, in the picture above, walked up next to me and began talking to a friend of hers, who tried politely to make her stop - to no avail.  The kids took a cue from her and began to talk about what to do after the stories, where did they get the cool hats from, etc..  I tried every trick in the book, from trying to physically engage the kids in participation, to walking into the audience, but people then began to move around and out of the room.  My normally ten-minute story was reduced to five and before I could get into another tale, people were leaving to get to another event which was to begin in another five minutes or so.

Someone came by and asked me to stay in case people came back.  In what seemed like 30 seconds, the place was empty.  As I was left alone, I packed up most of my stuff and waited.  But no one came back.  But I waited.  Not even the person who asked me to stay and wait, "just in case".  I smiled and laughed to myself and wondered what it would have been like with the PA.  Over-kill?  It was a great drive home as I listened to some of my favourite storytellers - my kids captured on my iPod, and thought this was one event I would not forget!

A world away

When my family decided to book a vacation in Costa Rica I thought I could find a native storyteller or two, but that, sadly, did not happen.  There was not enough time and this was a family vacation.  But I have come home with a desire to return to Costa Rica and learn Spanish. Not in that order!

We read up a fair amount before taking off for these foreign climes, so we might understand the culture we were about to explore.  We read and were told that there is a thing called Tico-Time!  People of Costa Rica are very friendly and laid back.  We were told that if you want someone to show up, they may not be on time (at least not Western time, but on Tico-Time).  We never found this, everyone was very punctual.  However, whilst waiting for a ferry as we traveled from Curu to San Jose, I was in a line with a bunch of people from all over and learned another part of Tico-Time.  This was my second time in the line, getting a second cup of Costa Rican coffee (in my mind, the best coffee on the planet - even the bad ferry port coffee was really good).  The line was not moving fast due to some of the none Spanish speaking tourists who panic and look blankly at the Costa Rican's with wide eyes!  One guy was getting really up-set.  The ferry was close to leaving, but I watched the three folk in front of me fuddle their way through their breakfast order and get to the check out. Meanwhile the other guy, Mr. Upset, was getting more and more agitated.  In the end he leaned between the group of men and me, jumping the line in quite a major way, ordered a soda, paid and left.  On the ferry I saw him and discovered he was not a native, but an American!  He was the only one NOT chilled out and NOT on Tico-Time.  I guess he was starting his vacation, or had lost some surfing contest!

This really is a land to watch and listen to.  We traveled by taxi, micro-bus and regular bus with a backpack on myself, a backpack on my wife, and with the kids carrying day packs; traveling light.  Walking through forests, or sitting on beaches, and even climbing up volcano's or sitting by the pool, if you stopped and watched and listened, you saw and heard so much.  As I sat alone one morning, on the beach at the Curu Refuge I noticed a hermit crab climbing over the rocks and stones.  As I sat still and watched this little fellow make his way along the shore, I noticed another, and another.  Then, as I broadened my view, I realized the rocks were a hive of activity with hundreds of hermit crabs moving around almost invisible blending into the rocks and stones they traveled over.

In the forest we heard rustling. Turning around to our sides we saw a very different crab.  These crabs were blue or purple in their bodies, with bright orange or red legs - not water crabs, but forest crabs - congrejo.  They rattled over the dry forest leaves and fallen palm fronds.  Hundreds of them, running and hiding or bolting back into the holes they lived in.  We realized that first evening there that the holes around our cabina were not lizard holes, but homes for these crab.  We came back to find the concrete floored porch, and screen door covered in the congrejos.  It was like a sci-fi movie or Hitchcock film as we chased them away and they rattled and clattered back to their burrows.

Volcan Chato

I imagine the first Europeans to visit Costa Rica thought that the forests there were filled with demons: the eery screams and barking that come from deep between the trees.  Well there might be demons but we only saw, and heard, howler monkeys.  From the noise they make you would think they were giant monsters, with frighteningly sharp teeth.  But no!  Over-sized if they were large dogs, shy and those who are not shy, very friendly!  We were so lucky to have many howler encounters.  We watched as they danced from tree to tree, in a way Ananzi would be proud!  We saw a mother carrying, with great care and agility, her young one.  And they watched us too.

The sounds, once you got used to them, were like songs, the sites like a dance.  The scuttling crabs, the howlers had their language and at first we were wide-eyed. But the more we listened, the more we heard the songs and understood the language: the songs of the birds, the songs of the fish, the dance of the incredible flora and exotic birds, the songs of the forests and the songs of the people and the beautiful dances their joyful faces made. I have a desire to return to Costa Rica and learn Spanish. Not in that order!

Brothers Grimm meet Philip Pullman

I received an email this morning from Laura Packer (via Facebook) that Philip Pullman is coming out with a new book of old tales. In September we can look forward to 50 of the 200 or so tales Grimm, retold Pullman style. It seems appropriate that this year is the 200th anniversary of when the Grimm Brothers originally published their Household Tales for the Young and Old. On 'Bridge to the Stars dot' net they mention that some of the tales are well known, such as Snow White and Cinderella, but he will also be including some of the lesser known ones such as Godfather Death, Three Snake Leaves, and is quoted as saying his favourite Grimm tale is the Juniper Tree, which happens to be one of my favourites. I first read the Juniper Tree in Kevin Crossley-Holland's book Northern Lights: Legends Sagas and Folktales and was fascinated that there was such a blood-thirsty story 'for children'. But this was not one of the most dark stories I found in that book. Nor in other re-tellings of Grimm, either. Those of you who know me, also know that Crossley-Holland is one of my favourite writers. The Juniper Tree is a great example of fairy tales at their darkest. The story includes murder, cannibalism, and revenge; the latter taking form of a good crushing by a millstone (although I have wondered how a bird could lift a gristmill stone capable of crushing someone)! I also wonder if this story is where the saying 'knock your head off" comes from.

Louis Rhead, illstrator.

New York: Harper and Brothers, 1917.

(That step-mother looks nice, right?!)

As with most storytellers, I have a few different editions and translations of Grimm's tales.  It is good to compare them to see how people have treated them.  Pullman has said that he is telling them in his own voice.  On 'Wales on line dot co dot uk' he states that when the Grimm recorded their stories, they were captured as they were told on that day by that informant and if they had come another day the telling would have been different.  I think this is a very true statement.  As with all storytellers, we also bring our own life experiences into the stories, highlighting some parts and toning down others.  I, for one, am very much looking forward to reading Pullman's book and hearing his voice and seeing what he plays and plays down.  The new book will be released on the 6th September, 2012 published by Penguin.  I will be pre-ordering mine right now!

Giving kids a voice

Gran and Simon 1997

This week I did an hour long workshop at a school in Enfield, NH.  It is a wonderful little school that is still in its original building (albeit with a few additions built on).  Some of these old schools are the best, with winding corridors leading all over, wooden paneling and beautiful wooden floors in places.  Trying to teach storytelling to kids so that they can take the skills and use them is not an easy thing in one hour!  It is rushed to say the least.  But still they got it!  From the first telling, the three kids picked grew to be able to tell a rich story worthy of listening too and holding anyone’s attention.  Teaching students how to tell stories gives children a voice through which they can be heard.  In our overly busy schedules I know that there are times when we tune children out.  We fail to hear what they say.  I have met kids that rarely get a voice. Or the voice they get is one that is telling them to go and watch tv, or play outside, or read (if they are lucky).  By teaching a child how to tell a story, their voices become compelling.  We want to hear what they have to say, we want to help them find the right words and increase their vocabulary.  Being able to tell stories empowers the child, not just with adults, but with their peers, too.  When the child is empowered, the child’s confidence grows and when that grows they become better students and better people too.

And it is not just at school where storytelling is important.  Growing up at home, I had two ‘camps’ as it were: one where my voice was heard and another where it was not.  I ended up going to where I was listened to, where I was nurtured.  I also had grandparents nearby who always listened to me.  I loved to jump on my bike and ride to their house and just be with them to ‘swap stories’.  It did not feel like that, it was just ‘what are you doing today?’ or ‘how are things?”  To listen to my grandparents and be listened to, by my grandparents was a wonderful experience, one which gave me a close relationship with them that is still strong today with my surviving Granny who was still up for telling stories 12 months ago (stories I was able to record)!

Not everyone these days has that luxury.  Many grandparents in America live hundreds or thousands of miles away as our jobs take us from our roots, or we move to more agreeable climates! So take time in your day to ask your kids (no matter what age they are – whether they are five or fifty) how their day was, and what they got up to.  They love to be asked, even if they only grunt a monosyllabic reply! Tell them your stories too. It doesn’t have to be a story about the office, but maybe something that happened between you and your parents.  It might give them a deeper understanding about you and who and why you are the way you are.  I know I am guilty of this, so step away from the computer, the bills, the emails, and sit down with your kids, or phone them up if they are at college or far away, and share some stories.  Make a ritual out of it.  Stories are powerful things that, like boots, love to travel!

Book Review - a book for the soul

Doorways to the Soul, 52 Wisdom Tales from Around the World, by Elisa Davy Pearmain, published by Resource Publications; Portland OR, 2007, a slim 138 pages.

When I got this book I was originally going to read it as suggested - one story a week. But the stories are so good I went through more than a story a day. In each case I saw something that applied to my inner work and life. I will be reading this again a story a week and going deeper with it and have recently been dipping into it! It is one of those books I will be returning to again and again like the Tao Te Ching, a book I use for inspiration and guidance.

The stories are great stories by themselves, so even if you were to get nothing from the intent of the book (which is HIGHLY unlikely) then you still have a great book of tales. Most of the stories are traditional folk tales and parables and come from all cultures. There are Buddhist tales, tales from India, Hasidic, Sufi and First American tales, European, African, Zen and Christian tales which all offer great insight to ourselves and the world around us. Some of the tales are less than a page in length, others are longer at two or three pages.

The 'work' Elisa Pearmain suggests you do is explore the story, visualize the story, write about the story, explore the story through expressive art form, make a personal connection to the story, try on the ideas of the story, share it with others and create a personal vision to guide your journey using the stories and book as a whole. These are all a series of exercises Pearmain suggests and offers ideas of 'how to use' at the end of each tale. Of course you can pick and chose what you want to do with each story, if anything. Each story has a depth to it which can be plumbed using the techniques Pearmain offers. And you can discover parts of yourself and your life in these tales. As I read them I saw myself in ways I did not before, sometimes as the 'bad guy', which caught me off guard. The stories teach healing and forgiveness and gives one an opportunity to forgive oneself and those around you. You can gain insight from the stories which could help you on your journey through life, spiritually or not.

This book could be good for so many applications for all ages. I can see religious leaders and teachers, and therapists using it, parents with their children using it (grief and loss), people who are stuck in a rut, people who have lost their spiritual path and want to get back on track, or as a book of great tales for storytellers and story lovers alike. It is a beautiful book and a gentle book, well written and presented in a clear way. Some of the tales you might know, some will be different versions of tales you have heard before, and some, I am sure, will be new to you. And the price is perfect. The book is well bound and is of good quality so will stand the test of time from reading it again and again which I plan on doing.

I bought this book and have no regrets at all.

Peace,
Simon

Endings

Parkside Road, New London, Copyright Simon Brooks, 2012

This week I spent an afternoon with a bunch of college kids at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.  I was helping out a friend and colleague who teaches storytelling there.  What a great bunch of people these students are.  So vital and on the verge of taking off into their futures.  There is nothing to hold them back and by teaching them how to tell their own stories will help them get more quickly to where they want to be.

Storytelling allows you, the teller, to improve your imagination.  Without imagination, as I always say, how can you think outside of the box?  How does an artist come up with a new concept without imagination?  How does the researcher come up with a cure?  How does the car mechanic find the problem that all the other mechanics can't fix?  How does the financial adviser figure out how to relieve a country of it's debt?   How does the parent tell the child the story without a book?  With imagination. And like every other muscle in the body, the brain needs exercise - using the imagination is one of the best exercises you can use.

It was a lot of fun helping these young people to tell their personal stories.  We looked at how to start, and probably one of the hardest things, how to end the story.  Because these tales were personal stories, they knew the tale already, but trying to present a story in a captivating way that leaves the listener wanting more is sometimes a challenge.  You want the story to come to a conclusion and not leave the listener wondering what happened next, unless the story is a cliff-hanger.  We found in one story that the end could be tied up nicely by repeating, or drawing upon part of the beginning of the tale, taking a minor detail (yet part of the character of the people involved in the story) and repeating it at the end, wrapped the event together with a perfect conclusion.

On a slightly different note, one of the organizations I belong to is called L.A.N.E.S.. It stands for the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling.  This coming March they are holding their main event - Sharing the Fire, the Northeastern Storytelling Conference.  This is an annual event for anyone interested in story.  If you use story as part of your therapy practice, or you teach, if you use stories to get information across, then this is a great place to learn new skills and refine those you already have.  I am doing a workshop presentation with Karen Chace on Branding.  If you need to get branded, then this workshop would be perfect for you.  It will be fun and informative and it will not hurt one bit.  If you need to find your ending, there are workshops for that too!

Visit www.lanes.org for more information about the conference and about their first ever, Community version of the Museletter (usually only available to members).

Stay warm and well in this icy weather.

Peace,
Simon

Limited Edition CD

It is with great excitement that I have a new project coming up and I need a little help!  This is my first foray with Kickstarter, but would love it if you could take a look: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/simonbrooks/simon-brooks-storyteller-new-limited-edition-cd
Many thanks,
Simon

Stories and discussions about faerie tales!

A friend and colleague of mine, Megan Hicks, has started a discussion on faerie tales.  It is open to anyone interested in the subject.  Each month a question will be asked and folks are encouraged to respond.  Check it out!
http://fairytalelobby.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/two-simpletons-were-walking-along-one-day-when/
Happy Holidays everyone.  May your festivities be wonderfilled.
Peace,
Simon

Simon Brooks, storyteller does it again! This time he gets GOLD!

I am thrilled and honoured and humbled that I have been given the Gold Award by Parent's Choice for my third CD, A Tangle of Tales.  This, I feel is really my best recording to date, and a lot has to do with the help I had along the way - Rob Brookes, Steve Glazer, Rick Barrows, Rachel Clark and Stevens Blanchard, all who contributed greatly to this recording.  The music, which I feel surpasses the music on my other CDs, was written by Rachel who plays along with Steve, Rick and myself.  And Mr. Blanchard did a brilliant job putting it all together and making it sound as good as it does.  Rob did the amazing artwork for all three of my CDs.  To read the Parent's Choice review, please go to: http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=29665&StepNum=1&award=aw You can hear samples of those stories on CDBaby where you can purchase it, and you can stream one of the stories from the CD and others from my website, under Free Stuff at: http://www.diamondscree.com/ Thanks, of course, also goes to the all the families, including my own, of those involved in making the CD. Thanks!
Simon

The day in the life of a storyteller

Well maybe not a day, maybe an extended day ending on Sunday morning! 

I had three performances on Saturday, and all were outdoors.  I left the house on Saturday morning at 8.15 am for the first performance in Lebanon, NH at the Food Coop in Centerra Place.  I set everything up, did a sound check, got a little shopping in and then walked around telling families I was about to begin, trying to pull an audience together.  As I told my tales the audience grew, and I shared, over the almost two hours, quite a few stories!  Some were requested by fans who knew my work, others I told were new to them.  I looked at the faces and saw enjoyment, but then as I began packing up, a couple of families arrived saying they thought I started later, so we sat down and I told a couple of other tales which I enjoyed. It is funny, but as I had been packing up I had felt like something was not quite right in me ending, so telling more with those folks just arriving, seemed to put things right.

I packed up my gear and headed north to Lyme NH for their town's 250 year celebration.  Again it was outdoors and the humidity, which had begun high was getting higher.  The place which had been set up was next to a banqueting tent where a band were playing.   They were very good, but I would not be heard over the music, and I did not have any intention of starting a volume war with my PA system!  That would help no one.  We looked at other spots and then discovered that the band were were ending when I was due to begin!  This was a very large event and different people were in charge of different things so organizers were not aware of all the logistics - the event was so big with a lot going on throughout the day and evening.  Once I was set up and put on a fresh (and by this I mean clean!) shirt I waited for the band to end at 1 pm.  They did another song and then started another.  I explained to the organizer that I had to leave at 2 pm as I had a gig in southern Vermont later that afternoon; the longer they played, the less I could tell.  I began about 15 minutes late, but it was a good group and a real mix of people.  I had children wearing diapers, an elderly couple sitting holding hands, teens, young families and a guy covered with tattoos.  Some sat down and listened, some hovered listening to a tale or two and then leaving, others stood thinking they would leave after 'this tale' but staying for the next and listening to the entire 55 minute set.  The band played late because they and their audience were enjoying themselves.

The band in Lyme were not the only band I was to hear that day as later, when I was in Wilmington, Vermont I got to listen to a blues band.  I arrived in time to set everything up again for the third time, PA system included, and changed into another shirt!  The humidity had not lessened and I had come prepared!

In Wilmington there was a street party going on which was another day-and-into-the-evening event.  My contact,  was wonderful and helped set everything and as it began to spot with light rain, she found a tent to put the audience under.  I sat outside of the tent enjoying the lady-rain, the drizzle, that lightly fell.  Some of the stories I told that day were duplicated but some were not.  One thing about performing a lot in one day is that you can tell a larger family of stories.  It keeps me fresh and I not have think - did I tell that bit yet, or was that at the last performance?  A fear that haunts busy days, but one that did not play that Saturday.  It was a similar event in the  way that some folks came and went to explore other activities that were going on, but some stayed for the long haul despite the damp, some even stood with umbrellas.  Although I was mainly telling to those in the tent, when I looked up at those around I amazing and thrilled at the number of people standing, listening.  The power of story is incredible and not to be under estimated.  It was great to see people smiling in the wet.

After I was packed away, I wandered around looking at everything that was going on and stood in the rain listening to a really good blues band complete with sax.  They sounded great and appreciation was shown by a couple of young kids and grown-ups dancing along to the fabulous music, on the road in the rain.

I got home at around 9.15 pm. and brought myself, my drum and the mail indoors, unpacked some of my stuff, read the mail and went to bed.

On Sunday morning I got up late, fed the animals, got myself some breakfast, made a cup of tea and listened to the CD which had arrived the day before in the post.  It was, of course, a storytelling CD!  It started my day off well.  I wrote a blog review of the CD that you can find here on A World of Stories -CD Love Story Review.

My ego likes to think it is me people are watching and listening to, but in reality it is not me at all.  When I am doing my job properly I am not even there.  It is the stories that draw people in and keep them listening.  I find myself constantly amazed at how powerful stories are.  Why else would someone stand in the rain with or without an umbrella and watch me?  There was a street full of activities and the smell of good food was everywhere.  It is the stories, and I am blessed to be able to tell a good story and be able to try to make this my living.

Also see Laura Packer's blog: http://truestorieshonestlies.blogspot.com/2011/08/living-life-of-storyteller.html on a different day in a life of a storyteller!

True Stories, Honest Lies: Storytelling in a suit: the art and craft of business storytelling

True Stories, Honest Lies: Storytelling in a suit: the art and craft of business storytelling
This post by Laura Packer is well worth a read.  In fact many, if not all the posts on Laura's blog are worth reading.  More companies these days are looking to better themselves in the market place where things are very tough right now.  Storytelling can help and storytellers have the skills to help.

Recording Family Stories

My grandfather on his own milk wagon with milk from his own farm

.

When I was growing up I loved visiting with my Grandad.  Even in my late teens and early twenties I would ride my push bike over to their house to be with my Grandad.  I loved talking with him and finding out what he had done in his life, although just being in his presence was good enough for me.  He died in 1981.  One thing I miss is the sound of his voice.  Sometimes I hear it loud and clear and sometimes I forget what he sounds like.  My mum has a tape of him but I need to get it digitized so I can listen to it again!  When I last visited my grandmother this year at a rocking 91 years of age, I took a voice recorder with me.  I will now never lose the sound of her voice and hope that I can covert it to whatever the next form of storage will be be next along, so my children can hear it too, long into the future!

These days more and more people come from far-away places.  Not only are people moving from India or China, Europe or Japan to work in the States, but people simply find they have to move to do what they do, or do what they love.  And as a result our loved ones are not seen as often as we might like.  I met a family from India over the summer and asked if the kids' grandmother was in America, or back in India.  She was far away.  I asked if she ever told the kids stories.  Yes on the phone.  Does she visit?  Yes she does.  Do you record her stories?  No, haven't thought about that.  So here are some thoughts that you might want to use, or share with others.

Although it is always nice hearing the voice of a loved one who has passed away, if the sound of their voice is covered with hiss and static it does not make for easy listening.  What I use is a higher end voice recorder but you can pick up very good voice recorders for a fairly reachable price.  A voice recorder that is worth it's salt will start at around $90.00, a lot less than an iPod or iTouch.  And less than going out for a nice meal somewhere.

Brands I know that have good quality products are: Zoom, Tascam and Edirol.  Zoom is the cheapest and does a great job.  The Edirol are at the higher end and Tascam falls in between.  All are comparable.  All have an on and off, record, stop and pause switch, all have high quality built-in microphones.  Almost all of them take SD cards which are easy to find.  They all record at or above CD quality which means you can play around and edit with no detectable loss of quality.  I record at 24 bits, although CDs are 16 bits.  Some of the higher end machines can take external microphones.  But adding a cheap external mic might give a much lower sound quality than the built-in mics.

You want the microphone as close to the person speaking as possible.  Sometime people get self-conscious when they see a shining, flashing object they know is recording them.  It might help to cover it up with a light weight open weave material so they can forget about it.  The open weave will allow the sound through, but try out different materials before hand so you don't end up muffling the person's voice that is so important to you.

Make sure the voice recorder is plugged in to the mains if you want to sit and record for a long time.  If you use only battery power, you never know if the batteries might die, or the machine (my Edirol does this) might turn itself off after a while.  Hit the record button and let it run.  Ask leading questions and not hard questions.  Sometimes if you ask a person what their school was like, they may say 'Just like any school' but if you ask 'what colour it was inside, what did it smell and sound like walking down the corridors,' they are more likely  to tell you more than you expected.  "Where did you hide if you had to," might get some interesting answers!  Follow a question like 'who was your best friend' with, something like: "I bet you got into all sorts of trouble" and wait for the tales to start rolling.  Show them something from the past and ask them about it.  My Gran told me the story of a tea cosy made by a lost aunt, when I saw her in January. Old photographs also make good triggers.  And then, of course, you have to ask what their favourite story was growing up and see if they can tell it.  "Remind me - what's that story about?" is much more likely to get them telling, than, "Can you tell me the story?" which might get a healthy "NO!"

You can edit the recording down using free share-ware such as Audacity - a great product with a great following, which  also happens to be easy to use!  You can cut out the long silences.  If it is too quiet you can amplify it.  But bare in mind that when you amplify their voice you will also amplify all the background noises too.  This is why you want the mic to be as close to the speaker as possible.

When you go to my own website - www.diamondscee.com - and go to the FREE STUFF pages you will find audio files you can stream of stories I have recorded just this way - a simple voice recorder and a Digital Audio Workstation like Audacity. Remember that none of us live forever and to capture the voice of those close to you is a treasure indeed.

If you would like to listen to the Teller to Teller Conference call I did with League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling on Producing and Promoting a CD, one track at a time, it contains more tips and advise for recording and can be obtained by contacting Yvonne Therese Zinicola at lanesdirector@GMAIL.COM or by going to the LANES website at: http://www.lanes.org/teller-to-teller-teleconference-series

New places to see storytelling

This coming weekend there is a new venue for storytelling in the White Mountains.  If you want to get away for a weekend and listen to stories then this is for you!  There will be about 16 storytellers there performing in three separate venues which allows anyone to find something they will like.  There is a place for adult tales, family tales and tales for young children!  And at $20 for an adult and special family rates for the whole weekend, along with discounted rooms available at the Snowy Owl Inn, this event at Waterville, NH, in the heart of the White Mountains is going to be great and affordable!  For more details please go to: http://www.nhstorytelling.com/ Oh, and I will be performing Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon!

It has been a great summer!  I have been kept busy, and yet had plenty of time to spend with my kids.  I have been working on new stories and have a new CD plan in the works of my mind.  I know this is very soon after the release of a brand new CD this spring, but this one will have VERY limited availability.  It will be a short run and will not be re-released.  As some of my readers will know, I tell stories once a year at CAMP Exclamation Point.  This is a place for very under privileged kids and so I want to make a CD for these young people.  The CD will be a gift to them next summer.  Even with a short run, I am not in a position to fund this myself, so I will be setting up a Kickstarter funding project to pay for it.  The ONLY way you will be able to get this new CD will be to help fund this project - unless you are a child going to CAMP Exclamation Point in 2012!  And the only way I can make this project work is with your help. Visit Kickstarter to see how it works and Keep Your Eyes Posted Here for more information later this fall.

Lastly, I wanted to say a huge thank you to the Friends of the Library groups, to libraries, towns, individuals and organizations who have invited me to your community.  Without folks like you I would not be doing this wonderful work I am so fortunate to be able to do.

Enjoy the fall weather - what?  It is going to get to 75 degrees again today?  Well, enjoy the apples, the cider, and the wonderful colours which are now starting to come in.

And don't forget to keep in touch.

Peace,
Simon

Collecting Stories from people, from the sidewalk and from the internet.

Jonathan Harris talks about the stories we have and share and what he has done with them!