Eye to eye, mind to mind and heart to heart...

This is a scottish traveller's proverb says the home of Scottish storytelling. Having visited the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh today, I agree!

Such a welcoming center, such kind people and the two story tellers we watched and met were both skilled and charming (there they are with me, Ailie and Marie Louise). There are men and women across Scotland who make up the Story Telling Network that share stories with adults, teens, children and toddlers at the center and at many other locations.

I cannot say enough about this great place and truely hope there can be a mutually beneficial link between this marvellous place and our modest effort to read in libraries and tell stories around Harare.

I have taken a quick video on my phone and hope to share that with you all soon. I need to edit it and get the sound going so will appeal for some tech support idc.

So what did I see and learn at the SSC today? Here are a few thoughts I had. The stories and the story tellers today were aiming for a very young audience, those with special needs and both have skills and experience in this area.

1. With some simple staging and a few clever props children of all ages and abilities can be activly engaged and enthralled. A custom made bag became a 'boggy loch' [a loch for those who do not know is commonly what a lake or sea inlet is called in Scotland aka Loch Kariba??) and in it were some strange wee things, some of which were a sheep (which later became part of a very nice short story about witches), a frog (which helped tell a tale with action and song) and a teeny weeny mitten (which started a story based on Aesops fable of The Wind and the Sun).
2. Songs and childrens participation is important. Every story told today allowed children to take part in some way: singing; calling out; playing a part; passing things round and more.
3. Remember the childrens names. These names were used and incorporated into the stories and especially the songs.

Here are some more picture to share.

Hello from the Isle of Arran

Forgive my silence, I am on a lovely Scottish Island at the moment and access to the internet is erratic. Nevertheless, where there is a will there is a way. I have to share the following photograph with you, a very, very young reader and granddaughter of my gorgeous friend Jacquie. You go Juno.

Libraries have been on the news here in Britain, their importance to communities and individuals being highlighted. Goodness, who'd have thought, hey, with all there is to offer that the book still plays such a role. Whilst the plight of our own libraries in Zimbabwe is complex,  over here in this gilded place, the great British Isles libraries are being asked to innovate and diversify.

A piece of information that made me smile was that across these fair isles the good Scottish people are the most avid users of their libraries..wahay! Is this because the scots read more? The libraries are more interesting? or is it the cost and/or nature of the services. Anyways.

Here are a few pictures of this lovely place. Wish you were here.