Dear It's high summer, the days stretch, nature flourishes and Scottish people turn from pale blue to bright red after one day of sunshine.In old times, rural folk would take their livestock up into the hills to access the high pasture, the lush gree...

The date is set.On Wednesday the 10th of June, 7.30pm, I'm hosting a free online evening: Passing an Ember- storytelling, apprenticeship and the living tradition.We'll gather on Zoom. I'll tell a story. Then we'll talk — about what real mentorsh...

Dear I've been thinking lately about the people who changed my telling.My former mentor David Campbell pulled me aside after a session in 2021 and in his usual expressive style, stated, "Something has changed — how wonderful."He had noticed something...

Dear Happy Spring Equinox.As a late-March baby, I always enjoy this time of year. Not for the birthday celebrations, (although this year I did have a particularly fine cake!), but for the return of the sun, blooming of flowers and the birdsong that r...

Greetings I'm writing from Cascadia, deep in the Columbia Gorge, where I'm developing an appreciation for blues jams, 1950s diners and medicinal mushroom laden coffee.The Pacific North West is claiming a sweet spot in my heart, and whilst I'm not her...

Greetings I write from the Hood River Gorge in Oregon, marvelling at the majesty of this place- the vastness of the Columbia river, white water streaming down the hills, Mount Hood's jagged peak rising the south. I'm likewise delighted with quirks s...

Hi The winters been long here in the North of Scotland. Snow still caps the mountains, yet the faintest lilt of spring can be heard in the birdsong.Before Spring has fully sprung, and the pull outdoors gets stronger, I'm excited to share a free onlin...

Greetings , The sun hangs low and darkness encroaches. For me, midwinter can be a complex time of year. The compass swings from hibernation cave to feasting hall and back again in steady rhythm.The festive season can swing from rest to frenetics, kin...

Hi I write from the Hood River valley, a tributary of the epic Columbia river, a vast body of water that flows past Portland, Oregon, into the Pacific Ocean. It's so far from Scotland, yet the colours, vegetation, and climate are remarkably similar f...

Warm greetings story lovers,Only the most determined leaves cling to branches, and local rivers swell to bursting, following the recent torrent of rain. The glorious purples of late summer, and gold of early Autumn make way for winter grey. The dawni...