In a spin

What a weekend that was!  The village gala took place on Saturday, so I stood with the crowds lining the route and we all waved at the floats, which included the the Gala Queen (what a nice lass she is!) with her attendants, a pipe band, The Mad Hatters Tea Party on a float, and any number of fairies.  We had three seasons in one day (two of them were winter), but the thunderstorm held off until after everyone had gone home.  (except, possibly, for the stallholders.)

The StorySpin began at three o'clock on Sunday afternoon.  At five to three there wasn't a soul in sight and I was looking nervously at the door, willing it to open.  Then they poured in!  I started with a Norwegian folk tale with lots of animal noises to do, and it felt right.  We were in the zone.   More came for the afternoon, and judging from the feedback, they enjoyed it as much as I did.  My happiest ever story-telling day.

If a story stays with you, if you remember it and want to repeat it, it has something to say to you.  Treasure that story.

I call it Spinning Stories because I like hand-spinning with a spindle and fleece, and 'spinning a yarn' is another phrase for telling a story.  I take a spindle with me and let people have a go with it, if they like.  One of the kids yesterday was a natural! But the thing about spinning is that, in order to spin smoothly, the centre has to be perfectly balanced.  If not, the spindle wobbles.  But the point of balance ensures that the spin is smooth and steady, and you know when you've found it.

If you haven't already done so, look at Deborah's comment on the blog post last week about cats.  Lovely.

I've thought long and hard about definitions and here's 'Traction - have nothing to do with railways'.