A Poem to Help Parents & Teachers Broach the Subject of Grief with Children

I've had a few requests to write about the loss of a loved one, dying & grief to help grown ups broach the subject in a loving & mindful way with children, so I have written this poem called: 'On the day that Mummy died.' ♡♡♡ 

I run a children's story company, writing alternative endings to the things that concern children the most, as well as poems and stories about the things that can be tricky to talk about ...  www.thesleepingstoryteller.com

International Women's Week

Oh my Goodness me! What a celebration it has been. International Women's Week started on Saturday for me, when I won an Equality Award for my Radio Series 'Remarkable Women'. So many AMAZING women, totally inspiring & a honour to be a tiny part of it. 

Then, my second Radio Series  launched with my Special Guest Cheryl Bass & music composed by Kate Strudwick on Sunday March 8th ... 'Remarkable Women' International Women's Day

Who knows what the rest of the week may bring!

REMARKABLE WOMEN: OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES OF BEING A HEARING IMPAIRED RADIO PRODUCER

It's been so interesting producing my own Radio Series as a hearing impaired person. I learnt a lot on the last series, when I spent too long trying to do things in the way a hearing person might, which took an awful amount of ear energy, ear energy that I just don't have anymore - so for this series, I have tried something different, to explore whether or not it is possible to be more kind to my disability needs, and still make great radio for the listener.

The series is called Remarkable Women & launches on International Women's Day 8th March at 7pm with Oystermouth Radio. It feels really important to launch on this day because I have been bestowed a very great honour indeed, by the  Women's Equality Network, who have made me an honorary member of the Top 100 Women Pioneers in Wales for my work in the Arts, Health & Innovation. I can't quite believe it. This is an all time list & so, I'm in great company - there are suffragettes, politicians, sports women and ... me! 

In light of this, it feels like the right time to create a Radio Series that celebrates all Remarkable Women and I am very grateful to Oystermouth Radio & Welsh Connections for giving me the opportunity to take it to the airwaves.

Anyway, I digress, the first thing, was to invite women guests to talk open and freely about their amazing life. I made a video to give help & guidance, so that I would only need to talk to folk the once ... some of the women I invited, struggled with this free format and wanted me to interview them in the traditional way - I am a firm believer that the right women accepted the challenge to try something new and the results are nothing short of astounding. Now, after receiving the interviews in my inbox, I am building the shows around the guests, rather than vice versa. This has meant trusting wholly in my guests and allowing the series to be shaped by itself. That makes me smile inside. It's been a huge part of my journey, letting go of things and accepting what is, and this feels like part of that process.

The quality of some of the interviews from a technical point of view, is not great, but the life stories are so inspiring, & that's what really matters. It has made me realise that we so seldom get the chance just to listen to each other for 20 minutes - to hear in great depth about each others lives is such a joy.

Then last week, I decided it would be a good idea to extend the platform, & include unpublished music or songs written by women musicians ... so  I have a call out for that at the moment too ... feel free to get in touch if you'd like to submit your own unpublished track.

If everything goes to plan, I should have 6 women guests and 4 - 6 women musicians joining me ... 

So far my Interview Guests are: -

Fiona Winter from Energy Moves & The Summer House Studio.

Dr Anne Lister, Historian, Songwriter & Storyteller.

Catherine Fookes, Director of the Women's Equality Network.

Abbie Jebbers, Singer/ Songwriter & Holistic Therapist.

Esyllt George, Drama Therapist 

Cheryl Bass, Director of I AM WOMAN.

Music so far, from, Ann Lister, Abbie Jebbers, Kate Strudwick & Lowri Evans.

And off course, I will be talking about my life, too, in bite size chunks - and no doubt chanting.

What I have learnt so far,  is that there is always a way to overcome our challenges, as long as we listen to ourselves & trust each other, our desires are possible, even if we can not hear like we used to. 

Namaste, Dear Ones.

Full details available at www.cherylbeer.com

The Dancing Boy & his Shadow.

The Dancing Boy & His Shadow

When I watched Sean from Hijnx Theatre Company and Angharad from Artscare Gofal Celf dancing a shadow improvisation, I was moved to tears. We live in a society that does not empower people with learning disabilities to be leaders, so I found something deeply poignant in the role reversal, not knowing who is the 'teacher', not needing to, just experiencing the human connection of the dancers. And Sean moves so beautifully, his love of dance reaches out from the screen. As soon as I saw them, I put down everything I was doing and responded in story, to encapsulate the emotion of the moment.

The following day, I performed the piece as  reading on facebook live to 200 viewers, including Sean & his Mum who wrote to me saying ...

'I felt every word of your story , it was as though you had knowledge of Sean's life and struggles, his love of music and dancing. He was smiling all the way through . I will treasure this lovely story. It was absolutely wonderful and had me in tears. It's given me a little lift and really encourages me and Sean to embrace his passion and makes things very worthwhile. Thank you so much for making Sean feel very special tonight, from a very emotional Mum.

   

This is the facebook live and at the top of the blog, is the film footage edited with the story. I hope that you enjoy it, feel it.

The photo used in the e-flier and the title page of the film is a painting by Virgina Flemming found at www.disabilitypicturebooks.com

If you would like more information about my stories, why not pop over to my website, The Sleeping Storyteller ...

THE SLEEPING STORYTELLER TV SERIES: She writes stories in her sleep!

I am set to start quite likely one of the most exciting adventures ever; one that I could not have dreamt would even be possible. The immensely popular Internet TV Station, Showboat TV, have offered me a 6 part pilot TV series, with my own Storytelling Show! I am going to be on the telly box for the run up to Christmas, the last story being aired on Christmas Eve! 

My show is called 'The Sleeping Storyteller' and I will be telling the stories that I write in my sleep. Yep, that's right, in my sleep!

As some of you will have read already, since becoming hearing impaired, my tinnitus keeps me awake all night. I do not go into deep sleep for a very long time. In this twilight zone, I have been writing stories, poems and songs by recording them onto the voice recorder of my mobile phone IN MY SLEEP!!! Yep, I know, it's out there, even for me, which is why I haven't really stepped into it, until now. I didn't even know I was doing it, until I happened to look on my mobile phone and found literally 100's of recordings.

My first book, Soul Ink for the Morning, contains 100 little poems from my voice recorder and has been received very well throughout the Summer at the Book Fairs, so I decided to start typing up the stories that I have also spoken into my phone whilst sleeping, too. It is these that will form my new pilot, The Sleeping Storyteller TV Show.

It's absolutely unbelievable, isn't it? But it has just sort of happened and so I am embracing it. I am going to be a television presenter! Oh my days! I am smiling from ear to ear, just typing it.

Fate had a BIG hand in it and as you come with me on this adventure, you'll find out why I believe it is all meant to be. Be sure to FOLLOW my blog by adding your email address in the box provided, top right of the page, that says 'Follow by Email', that way you won't miss out on the fun.

Right now, there are all sorts of exciting things happening behind the scenes, like designing a new website and making the characters into toys, as I prepare for filming at the end of this month!!!!!!!! GADZUKES!

MAHOOSIVE thanks to the very lovely John & Maxine Rolls at Showboat TV for opening this incredible opportunity for me to share my stories in a deaf friendly environment. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me. Thank you for your faith in me and for believing in me. I'm going to stop now, or else I will have to go and get the tissues. All love to you, dear ones.

A Peep Behind the Scenes at Book Fairs

Author: Carol Lovekin at Parlour Press, LLandysul Book Fair 

WOWZERS! What an incredible Summer it has been. A Summer of stories, poetry, publishing, books & learning about Book Fairs. 

When I published my books Soul Ink & Soul Seeds at the start of this Summer, Jeff and I decided we would try having an Author's stall at some Book Fairs , to test the waters. It was a great way to network and to find out if selling books at fairs is a viable outlet in financial terms. 

I also had this hair brained idea that I could organise a Book Fair in our village ... and so I did. 

The first Book Fair was at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. It was very lovely to be back there and off course, the venue was spectacular. I used to be the Creative Director of the Children's Storytelling Trail at the Garden, so it was really quite magical to be in the Great Glasshouse again. 

I met lots of lovely people, but the truth is, I didn't sell any books outside of my friends who kindly came specifically to give their moral support. I didn't mind though, as the Book Fair stall was free and I had slipped in last minute. The Garden is near where I live, so we treated it as a lovely day out.

Then we went to Carmarthen Book Fair organised by Sarada Thompson and her partner, John. They are both renowned authors in their own right. It felt like a great honour to be part of their Book Fair. I got in last minute because my dear friend, Lazarus Carpenter, asked if I could share his table with him. I sold lots of books, talked with a wide range of people from different parts of West Wales, as well as meeting a small gathering of woman with hearing disabilities, sharing our truth with each other. My friends came to visit me as it was close to home, which was so kind of them. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but WOW!

My wonderful new husband, Jeff came with me to all the fairs. I could not have done it without him. He is an absolute star. We had really good fun meeting people. 

Also, at Carmarthen Book Fair, we met John and Maxine Rolls who own a TV station over in Pembrokehsire. What lovely people they are. I told them all about my books and how, since the onset of my hearing disabilities, I have been writing stories and poems in my sleep. I showed them my new books and they invited me to come and be interviewed at Showboat TV.

The next Book Fair was a complete surprise. I was on the waiting list of the very popular, most established and biggest Book Fair in West Wales, Narbeth Book Fair organised by renowned authors, Judith Barrow and Thorne Moor.

One of the authors pulled out last minute, so we ended up taking their place. I had half a stall, which was more than enough. There were 45 authors at Narbeth Queen's Hall. It was huge, with great workshops happening in off shoot rooms. We met so many amazing people. What a joy. I sold a few books in the morning, but nothing in the afternoon. Still, we didn't mind because the experience was worth its weight in gold.

And then, my own Parlour Press Book Fayre in Llandysul at The Porth Hotel. It was magical. I made sure that the whole event was deaf friendly and so for me, it was absolutely blissful. We had the most amazing feedback from everyone, I sold lots of books, more than I had sold all Summer. I also launched The Parlour Press Anthology on the same day. I had put out an advert of social media and 10 poets collaborated with me, to produce The Parlour Press Anthology 2018.

What an absolute treat to see the people from my Creative Writing Workshops at the Book Fayre, the Poets performing readings, Authors sharing their work. Just lovely and off course, the sunshine helped us. I did some fb live readings for the poets that had taken part in New York and japan.

I learnt so much on my Book Fair adventure. Especially from my own Book Fayre. It reminded me of who I am, what I am capable of. I had forgotten that I am actually quite good at organising events. I thought I couldn't do it anymore because of my hearing, but making it a deaf friendly event, meant that I had control over my environment. This Summer has gone some way to re-building my shattered confidence, not completely, but has given me the courage to step fully into the next exciting phase of my life.

And so my Summer of Book Fairs comes to a close but as that door closes, so a very exciting door is opening ... a door that I never thought would be an option for me and that has come to me in such a beautifully spiritual way ... It seems that each part of my life is a stepping stone to the next ... you can read about it in my next BLOG ...

The Real Reason Why Trees Let Go in Autumn?

I saw this post today on a friend's facebook page and it is right, off course, trees are about to teach us a lesson in letting go, but the real lesson is in WHY they let go of their leaves, not simply that they do.

That's the thing with Mother Nature. She has so many lessons to share with us, if we understand from the viewpoint of nature itself, rather than our definition of it. 

I used to feel quite sad at seeing the trees stood naked and bare without leaves, until I found out that the reason why the trees purposefully drop their leaves in the Autumn, is to preserve their energy and water supplies for the inner core, to keep strong through the tough winter months ahead. The energy that it took to hold onto their leaves, is released, the leaves drop, they are no longer needed and that energy is now re-focused into the core of the tree trunk, holding her fast.

So, the lesson is that sometimes we need to let go of all the things we no longer need, that no longer serve us, however radical that may sound because  by re-channelling that energy, we can build a stronger core to hold us strong. 

What are the leaves that you will be letting go?

A Mini Tour of the Venue & Disability Access Advice for the Inaugural Parlour Press, Llandysul Book Fayre

Not long now until the Inaugural Parlour Press Book Fayre. I am so excited. After 17 years as the Director of  Parlour Press, this is the first Book Fayre that I have organised. The time feels right now to stretch our wings and invite even more people into the Parlour Press family.

And I couldn't be more pleased with our beautiful venue. Thank you so much to the James family who have run The Porth for 30 years, for being so supportive. This little film gives you a mini tour of the building in relation to the Book Fayre and advice on access for those with a disability.

I will leave you with a poster of the event & the Front cover of the Anthology Launch ... See you there between 10.00 am and 4pm. The poets will be performing Live readings in the morning and the Authors, in the afternoon.

Defining Moments: Platforms for the Storyteller

Have you ever had a defining moment, when something happens and suddenly you realise exactly what it is you are supposed to be doing with your life? I have had a fair few of them. They are like sign posts, guiding me to the next chapter of my story. 

When I look back, the first defining moment that I can remember, is when I was 5 years old, stood on the stage at the London Palladium with Ronnie Corbett, playing Buttons. 

I nagged and nagged my Mum to take me to the London Palladium and as luck would have it, on the night that we went, the producers selected children from the audience to come on stage and be part of the pantomime.  I'll be honest, there was no way on this earth that I was NOT going to get chosen! I put on my best smile and with a cheeky retort, got myself onto the stage. It was an experience that would shape my whole life. 

Ronnie spoke to us, one by one. He was so kind and generous with the stage, encouraging us to sing and recite nursery rhymes. Doubtless, he was ad-libing and in hindsight, likely making time for the costume change of Cinderella, who I could see as clear as day from where I had been placed. As I gazed back stage, I watched 3 people, one on a step ladder, all changing Cinders into an enormous frock.

All my life, I have thought the woman getting ready for the ball was Olivia Newton John, but it transpires I was wrong. Today I found out that it was in fact, Clodagh Rodgers, an Irish singer and actress, who worked alongside Ronnie on the Panto circuit for many years. But oddly, it wasn't this moment that shaped my future.

Whilst looking out from the stage, all I could see was complete darkness. Blinded by the bright lights, I became acutely aware of how the story of Cinderella made the audience feel. It was tangible. Every intake of breath, every gasp of awe, became a symbol of their collective presence. They were no longer an audience of many people, they responded to the story, as one.

By some kind of alchemy, the auditorium had forgotten all things, other than the story in front of them. They laughed at the same time, held silence at the same time; instinctively together, like a shoal of fish, becoming one being and I knew, in that moment, the importance of storytelling to the human experience and more succinctly, my role within it. 

Since that moment, and according to my Mum even before it, I have spent my every spare minute writing poems, short stories and songs, finding ways to share them with others in such a way that they are able to forget all things, other than the immediacy of now and  the collective presence of humanity.

I have every faith that The Universe is my Fairy Godmother. The challenge I set her is this: To unearth new, deaf, tinnitus & hyperacusis friendly platforms from which I can still be the storyteller, poet & songwriter that I have always been, since the day that I was born. Creating platforms that meet the needs of my new disability will not just benefit me. I will be trailblazing ways of creating potential platforms for others who have similar needs. (I can feel a fanfare coming ... )

For now, I will carry on making work, for my ink does not just write words; it is an integral part of my story.

The Giving Tree : A Story in Draft

Hello friends, what a wonderful thing facebook live is :) This morning, a story winged its way into my heart. All day it was waving its face in mine until at 8pm tonight, when I typed it up and decided to do a facebook live reading of it straight from the printer, in draft, to get feedback before editing. And now, by the wonders of modern technology, I am able to share it here with you, too. Hope you like it. Have a great weekend, folks.

Hyperacusis Awareness: A Personal Insight

Hello there, friends. This video is a facebook live from my talk tonight about Hyperacusis, what it is, how it impacts my life, why I think we need to be mindful of it as a society, as well as some suggestions as to how we can do to create access ... 

Daisychains : Longing for a child

Singer/Songwriter Tophy Llewellyn Dye

It was about 20 years ago, I was touring the festivals throughout the Summer and I found myself in a very beautiful part of the world, Hebden Bridge. I performed my set at the Acoustic Festival, including a new song that I had just written, called Daisychains. It is a song about a woman longing for a child. I wrote it whilst imagining how beautiful it would be to hold a babe in my arms, but it was never meant to be for me.

In the audience that day, was a young man and his friend who ran up to the stage at the end, to tell me how much they loved my songs. Some weeks later, when I got home to South Wales, I found a cassette in my letter box from one of them, a fine musician called, Tophy. I was so blown away by his work. His soaring piano and heartfelt emotion poured into every lyric. I remember weeping.

The next time I was up North, I contacted Tophy and he performed before I came on. Just beautiful and we've stayed in touch ever since, helped by the invention of Facebook.

So, when Michael Kennedy of Welsh Connections Magazine and Radio Tircoed, asked me if he could compile a tribute album of my songs, performed by different artists, Tophy immediately came to mind.

Since experiencing sudden hearing loss, tinnitus and hypercusis, I am not able to perform live anymore. The lovely Michael Kennedy has arranged this loving tribute album, which we have called 'Fallen on Deaf Ears' and is being released by Death Monkey Records in Swansea, as a fundrasier for my dementia friendly radio station ...  www.soundmemoriesradio.com

We have such a beautiful array of wonderful artists recording their interpretations of my songs, yet staying true to them, which felt important.

And which song did Tophy choose? Daisychains .. Just magical. We could never have guessed at Hebden Bridge, that 20 years later, Tophy would be recording such a beautiful interpretation of my song. I just love it. It is so very special to hear a man singing about a longing for a child, because off course, men do long to be fathers, we just don't allow them to express that so much in mainstream music ... We (me and my husband, Jeff) listened to Tophy's recording and were both completely breath taken. Thank you so, so much to you, Tophy and to your engineer, Luke Collins. 

I just can't wait for you all to hear it. Meanwhile, here is the original track by me, available at my Bandcamp ... 

Tinnitus: The Unwelcome Gift?

Tinnitus is a bit of a bugger. I'm not going to lie. It keeps me awake all night because once my hearing aids come out, it is much, much worse than when they are in, but I have to say, in the exhaustion, the fatigue, the endless hours laying awake with sirens blaring in my head, all manner of creative ideas, stories, poems and songs arrive from this bleak darkness. 

It's as if there are crocodile clips attached to my brain and I am fully wired, being charged up with electricity all night, whirring around my synapses in wild ribbons of tangled rainbows. And all of this activity carves a route, a network that leads me to the central cortex, where, laying in a precious casket, is the one truth of who I am ... 

In many ways, this extra thinking, extra over working brain, this sleepless, creative matrix, is a gift given to me by my tinnitus, though I wish she could give it to me more quietly. Perhaps sometimes, the one thing that destroys us, is the one thing that makes us stronger.

Out of this all consuming din, comes strength, love, resilience. Every atom of my body rallies together to send me healing in the form of these beautiful little stories and poems, mantra and songs. I am so grateful to my body, my heart and soul for this incredible rescue remedy, sending the mind stories, poems, songs and ideas to ease the pain.

Fallen Tree: How stories save me

When we are little, we love listening to stories, especially before bedtime. They are loving and comforting, so why not have bedtime stories now, even though we're grown up? That's why 2 weeks ago I started sharing the stories from my new book Soul Seeds: Planting Heartfelt Stories on Facebook Live. 

I am delighted to have had so many people join me. It's really helping me to feel connected, even though I can't go out like I used to. How wonderful to have a platform from which to share my work, literally, from my bedroom and to help folk feel relaxed and calm before bedtime.

I absolutely LOVE writing stories, especially when they have an inspirational message within them. Most of my stories are based on my own healing journey. I write them to lift my spirit, to help me face my day, which can be a challenge with constant tinnitus.

Like last night, I laid awake for hours again because my tinnitus was literally as loud as 2 conflicting ambulance sirens, reverberating around my head, so eventually, I got up and started making little story pockets to cheer myself up. The tactile nature of the felt and the concentration needed, takes my mind away from the tinnitus. I enjoy making them so much, that having the ambulances in my head, doesn't seem quite so bad. So, although writing stories and publishing books is my career, hand-making books and story pockets is my therapy, it saves me.

The 4 Fallen Tree Story Pockets from today are now finished and ready to go to new homes. They are just £5 each to cover my material costs (plus p&p) so that my creative therapy is self funded. Each pocket includes the story printed on recycled paper, a mini talking stick made from the very bones of Fallen Tree (as stated in the story) with a little acorn or pine cone charm and then on the outside, there is a tree of life charm.

My story pockets really would make beautifully quirky Christmas gifts (Yes, I know it's early, sorry).

If you would like to buy them, please drop me a line on facebook. I'd love to hear from you and it really will give me so much joy to wrap them up and post them to you. Thanks for your  loving support.

Memorial Cycle: Say it in Sand: Waterford, Ireland

I am so humbled to share with you this beautiful memorial by Sean Corcoran of The Art Hand, who has used my handpan improvisation as the background music for this Campaign to Prevent Suicide. We have had two young men in our family who have committed suicide, so this is a cause very close to our heart. I am posting here a statement from Sean & Mags, to explain the campaign and how you can get involved ... 

Statement from Sean Corcoran

I’m so very proud of Mags O’Riordan for her determination to help others despite the tragedies in her life. Her mother Breda and herself showed great courage in facing up to so many mixed emotions while creating this sand art memorial to Donal and Nen. I’m sure that dealing with the consequences of suicide is never easy. Losing a partner, a brother, a son, a friend, leaves a vacuum that must be very difficult to fill with so many unanswered questions tangled into the anguish and grief.

Mags is the founder of the Donal O Connor Memorial Cycle, now in its 7th year. Joe Lonergan and I were approached by Natalie Garland Cooke to come up with a concept for the launch of this years event. All kinds of ideas went through my head including celebrations of hope and unity through a group sand art event. The more I thought about it though I felt it was more appropriate to allow Mags a more intimate opportunity to express her own tribute. Since she has dedicated so much of her life to helping others I felt it was the least she deserved.

I have facilitated many memorials down through the years, from small private gatherings to larger public events and collaborative artworks. The process of sand art is very therapeutic and participants often feel a real inner peace and a connection to the surroundings. The temporary nature of what is made has its own poignancy. Whatever emotions surface during the process can be dealt with in an uncluttered way. There’s the chance to wipe the slate clean as the tide washes it all away in an uplifting way.

I’m so happy that Mags and her mother were able to confront their own feelings on the day but yet they were also able to celebrate Donal and Nen’s lives in a calm and fun way. I’d like to wish Mags and the crew all the best with the cycle on September 9th and congratulate them sincerely for making such a real difference in so many peoples lives. The memorial cycle page is HERE.

Thanks to Darryl and Lauren who helped out on the day. Thanks to Donal O’Flynn for his assistance on the campaign and thanks to Cheryl Beer for the soundtrack on the video.

  To follow is a statement released by Mags O'Riordan

Suicide steals peace. It takes your peace of mind leaving you filled with relentless questions and an overwhelming burden of guilt. That's why I was very surprised to feel a real sense of calm and peace today working on my sand art tribute to my boys. Thanks to the generosity of Sean and Joe of the Art Hand I had the privilege of creating a tribute in sand to Donal and Nen to launch the 7th Donal O Connor Memorial Cycle which takes place on Sunday 9th Sept on Waterford Greenway.

My little brother Nen should be 40 today, instead he's forever 32 so it was really special to create this piece with my mam. We spent a relaxing and fun day together in great company remembering the boys and gaining new skills - it was poignant and light hearted in equal measure. The day started with a trudge down a boreen to the beautiful and secluded Bridies Beach which is reached by a small climb down stones and rocks- the laughs started there! Sean and Joe sat us down and explained how the sand art is mapped out- their scale is based on paces and their instruments are sticks and rakes - it's quite incredible to watch them work.

We were joined by Darryl, who founded Waterford Marine Search & Rescue, and his lovely girlfriend Lauren for the raking of the art. The work is more physical than you might expect, I have guns of steel after it, but it's also incredibly peaceful, all you can hear is the sea and the lapping of the waves. I felt like I was in a dream, my mind stopped whirring and I was just watching the words take shape - it was a unique experience. When the work was over I went for a paddle in the sea and let the waves come in over my feet, it felt like a release. Like letting go. Sean encouraged me to write a few words in the sand so I started writing things as they came into my head, before I knew it there were tears coming down my face and I just started writing the things I wanted to lose - pain, worry, guilt - and the things I wanted to keep - friends, family, love - I don't know how much I wrote but the waves just kept coming and washing them all away.

When we finished I went up to the Greenway with mam to watch the tide wash away our creation. It was carthartic. I felt like I had the weight on my shoulders washed away. This process has shown me how the tide will always turn, no matter what's happening no matter how good or bad, it'll change, the tide will turn. There is great power in nature, there's such a sense of peace to be had from taking a walk beside the tide and just writing words and watching them wash away. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Joe and Sean for sharing this gift with me. I would urge everyone to go do the same - it's incredibly uplifting. So why not go to your local beach and say it in sand? You'll be delighted you did.

Wherever you are & however you feel today, know that I am sending you loving light to wrap around your heart. All love, dear ones, Cheryl.

10,000 Steps: The Wailing Old Mermaid

Those of you that read last night's post will be as excited as I am, to know that Sean not only loved the improvised piece we recorded for him, he edited his film footage to make a special film of it! I can't quite believe it.

... And here it is folks! My piece of improvised handpan and the voice of the wailing old mermaid, named 10,000 steps, after the Sand Art piece by my dear friend and artist collaborator, Sean Corcoran, when he was a resident Sand Artist at Spittal Festival last week. 

Sean lives on the Copper Coast in Ireland. You can see all his work at The Art Hand where he lives and works with his beautiful Artist wife, Miranda Cocoran and their two lovely children.

10,000 steps back to self

Today, my dear friend Sean Corcoran, posted a beautiful film about his work as a Sand Artist at Spittal Festival. He mentioned, should he put music with it (which I'm not sure he should because his voice is melody enough) but I offered to improvise some handpan for him and record it in our old studio tonight. I'm not sure why I offered, perhaps it was the first of many steps back to self on this healing path.

Truth is, it's a little dusty in our studio since I became deaf. But I figured, if I watched the film and played what I felt, we could record it. Jeff, my long suffering partner of 30 years, kindly offered to sound engineer, which these days means, be my ears.

Well, we've mixed the piece and already pinged it over to Sean. I'm not sure if he'll use it, it came out a bit trippy, especially because I could sense the wail of an aging mermaid, sat watching the 10,000 steps that Sean talks of in his piece and I think she was me, calling me back home ... so I put the vocals onto the track. I've said to Sean to edit it how he sees fit. Whatever happens, what a joy to make music again, to collaborate with such a fine artist and to feel myself tentatively climb back into the saddle.

Off course, it's not the first time Sean and I have worked together in this way ... here's a piece we did a few years back ...