High Spirits in the Woods

Whilst I was coming up with the story behind my StoryDoors, I did some illustrations of local trees which I imagined could be tree spirits.

Could this fairy be flitting around in the dark woods? Who knows? Perhaps we should go for a night walk (die Nachtwanderung – this sounds so much better) .

1 . Nuts, My Busy Little Squirrel

Door 1

Let the Games Begin!

Once I had decided to hide my StoryDoors in trees, I had to solve the mystery of who it put them there! That’s when Nuts, the Busy Squirrel came alive.

This is a story of a little red squirrel that scuttles around the winter woods looking for her store of food. Her cache and her favourite bedtime story are hidden behind a little door. I, the storyteller, am amazed how fat my little friend, the busy squirrel, becomes by the end of the book.

You too can get the inside story by visiting www.storydoor.info

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Playing by Ear

I recently came across the expression “to play it by ear” which means basically “go with the flow”; in other words – act according to the situation depending how it develops. What a lovely saying!

Having checked the derivation it confirmed what I thought. Musicians ‘play by ear’ when they reproduce music without written notes. It’s usually done from memory and the player uses his or her ears to work out whether the notes are correct.

Be Spontaneous!

When it comes to reproducing music by ear I think I am ok. In real life, however, I must say I’m not very good at playing things by ear. Improvisation is not my strength and I like to plan ahead. Maybe I should try to be more spontaneous.

How good are you at “playing it by ear”? Some people are prone “to winging it” but this is not the same. That’s another post I think 🙂

That’s Crowned it!

Just in case you didn’t realise it – I am a fan of Netflix and I especially enjoy watching a good old historical drama. At the end of 2020 all the talk was about season 4 of “The Crown”. For some reason I’m not interested in watching this drama which follows the royal “ins and outs” during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Maybe it’s because I was part of that history and don’t want to admit that I’m getting old!

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Mushroom Picker Stick

Ollie the Grey

Jamie Oliver has been an inspiration for my son and I for many years. Recently Jamie challenged his Instagram followers to make him laugh in these difficult Corona days.

This was the photo he posted of himself holding a hand-carved walking mushroom picking stick. How good would it be to have a mushroom picker’s stick signed by Jamie and Gennaro Contaldo?

Is it Ollie the Grey from Lord of the Rings?

I couldn’t resist! Time to get the creative juices flowing. The pose reminded me of Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, hence the name Ollie the Grey.

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