The following is courtesy of Anne Forrester and Janna
In keeping with the Valentine's month Love theme, hosted by Sylvia Olsen, a large crowd of listeners tried out a new, theatre-style seating arrangement on which the Executive will appreciate comment from members.
Janna's "unlikely love story" told just enough of "The Blue Faience Hippopotamus", to whet listeners' appetites for the whole story of his transformation, with the help of a kindly magician, into becoming the object of 'his' princess's love. Having acquired a replica of such a little hippo, and in keeping with the Wisdom Book's adage that "there's a time to keep and a time to let go" Janna is delighted to be passing him on to another granny on the Island who loves to tell his story.
Love of gambling was the theme of Pat Carfra’s song. The ballad chronicled the success of the gambler and flowed along with Pat’s lovely voice and her guitar, then came to its final climax! Having cleaned out all the card players, they accepted his final challenge “put up the name of your town as the stake.” And as always, he won. Ever since, to the loser’s chagrin, their town has borne the gambler’s name - “Weaverville”.
Jennifer told of another Pharoah's daughter, this time beguiled by the flute of a peasant boy as she sat in her garden. A boy who chose transformation into a warrior, "The Black Prince" as he came to be known, to win the Pharoah's favour and his daughter in marriage. Warned there would be no going back to his former self by this less-kindly magician, the warrior prince returned to claim his princess only to find her still in love with that former self, the simple boy with the flute.
Andrea, our new Treasurer and first time teller at Fern delighted us with her parents' love story. As young people she, a talented seamstress, he an apprentice carpenter who wooed her with his persistence and gifts of his craft in kind, survival of their love through years of separation, and eventual reunion and marriage in England . So expressively told, we look forward to more of her stories.
A necklace of hearts topped by crowns was the topic of Sheila Blake’s impromptu vignette. Wearing the necklace that had been an engagement gift from her husband so very many years ago, Sheila offered her encyclopedic knowledge of Scottish history and a legend about a crusader who died before he could join the trip to the Holy land but sent his heart instead. The kind of necklace she showed us is known in Scotland as “lucken-booth” and Sheila’s closed with telling us that after one day, worrying about her dress when her Naval officer husband took her to be with the top brass, the Admiral’s instant comment on greeting her was, “What a beautiful necklace!’
Perhaps because of the special guest or the extra large number attending, the refreshments offered at the break were extra lavish and plentiful. The array of fruit, sweets and savouries were a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
Lee Porteous opened the second half of the evening with the intricate details of a well-crafted story that is her special forte. In her story, a prince and a shepherd’s son who have been raised together as though they were brothers are both trying to win a princess who has set her would-be suitors the task of keeping her awake for a whole night. The honour falls to the shepherd who engages the princess right until dawn by intriguing and challenging her with his dialogue with a little wooden doll he has brought along to the vigil. Pretending to argue the merits of each case with the wooden doll, he draws the princess into offering her opinion about who is most deserving, most to blame…. AND as he has won the challenge of keeping the princess awake all night, he also wins her hand.
Our special visitor, Michael the Icicle, as he introduced himself, an Inuit from the Arctic Circle, charmed us with his 'Cinderella' story of an orphan boy rescued by his Big Brother from the family who mistreated him. The tale of Kaugjagjuk - the stone mallet - was told in a seamless blend of Inuktituk and English, another transformation story, this one achieved by the love, care and training poured into the younger brother until, oh sweet revenge - the father and mother from his old home were thrown to three ravenous polar bears roaming the village. And what of the two mean sisters who had tormented him ?? He married them both and left it to the imagination of the listeners to create their own happy or unhappy ending to the story !!
