Earth Day, an Eagle, and two spring poems!

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7dv4q-15f171b

Yesterday was National Tea Day, in Britain, but today is Earth Day and to celebrate I am sharing some nature work – an old African story, and two poems about spring from two amazing poets: Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes. Langston Hughes was born the same year as my grandfather!

I hope you enjoy the story and poem.

Peace,

Simon

The Leverites, and other rocks and stones!

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-sd4ta-1549186

When I first moved to the States, my wife (then fiancée) and I moved in with my cousin Heidi and her husband Ken, just outside of Portland, Oregon. It was a lot of fun living with them for the short time we were there before finding our own place. Heidi is brilliant, and Ken loves nature and has all sorts of ‘witticisms’, like drool whip for whipped cream, and ‘We’re here, because we’re not all there!’ The four of us used to hike and explore a lot. One time I saw some stones I wanted to bring home, and Ken told me I couldn’t because they were leverites. After he explained what leverites were, I wrote a story. This, is the story.

For pictures of the stones we, as a family painted, please visit my Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/simonbrooks

 

Bears, bears, everywhere!

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-w4r5g-1547c58

Today’s episode of Lindyline opens with a walk in the woods with Moe, and meeting three crows and a bear. This is followed by a folk tale from Punjab in India. The story is about a woodcutter and a chef and how a bear comes to dinner to share in a stew, or curry called chana masala.

If, afterwards, you are hungry, here is the recipe for how I make it! Obviously check the ingredients to make sure there is nothing you are allergic to before making this yourself! I don’t want you getting sick.

Chana Masala (serves 4+)

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee
  • 1 large or 2 small onions, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 inch ginger, minced
  • 1 serrano chili, minced
  • 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water/vegetable broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
  • 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Fresh cilantro for serving

 

Directions:

  1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet until it glistens, but if you don’t have a pan this large you might want to make a half recipe). Add diced onion, garlic, and ginger to the pan, and sauté until onion is transparent. Add minced serrano chili, crushed tomatoes and water, and bring to a simmer.
  2. Add cumin, salt, curry powder, coriander, and water to the pan, and stir. Then, add the chickpeas and coconut milk. Place lid on pan and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until chickpeas are warmed through and coconut milk is melted in.
  3. Finish by stirring in the lime juice and topping with cilantro. Serve hot over rice, cauliflower rice, etc.

I hope you enjoy the curry and the stories.

Peace,

Simon

A story from Japan about a girl and a bowl!

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-cjbdi-152468b

This episode needs a trigger warning, as it does mention that the child’s parents die at the beginning. But don’t worry, she makes it in the end.

I used to tell this story quite a bit, but stopped for some reason. I really like it, so I began to revisit the story. Here it is for your benefit and enjoyment, I hope. I am sure as I tell it more and more it will change over time. Already I am thinking about the ending! Stories are never finished!

The tale comes from Japan, and in some later versions there is a step-mother, and the girl is a princess, but in the older versions, there is no step-mother, and the girl is a girl, neither rich nor poor. Well, to start with!

In case you are interested in this sort of thing, here are my sources so you can find this all out for yourself.

Hachikazuki hime was first written in the Muromachi period (14th-16th centuries).An akahon (red book) with many drawings for children was published in the middle of the Edo period (18th century, circa 1735-45) by Urokogataya. You can find this on-line.

Mrs. T. H. James, The Wooden Bowl, Japanese Fairy Tale Series No. 16 (public domain)

Davis, Frederick Hadland; Paul, Evelyn. Myths & legends of Japan

Lang, Andrew. The Violet Fairy Book

Tale type: 510C

Have a wonderful winter holiday, however you celebrate it, and be safe on your travels, if traveling about (and don’t forget to take a few of my albums in the car with you, too)!

Peace,

Simon

When Beasts Come Out of the Fog & ”One Wish”

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-9kqxx-13d69ea

A new episode of Lindyline with a new retelling/recording of the Irish tale, One Wish! If you could have a wish, what would it be? Now be careful, with wishes there’s consequences! Maybe make a list of things, steps to make that wish happen!

I hope this warms you on this chilly (at least here in New London, NH) afternoon.

Peace,

Simon

The Butterfly’s Ball and Grasshopper’s Feast

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ajeyx-13cc931

I have always loved good illustrations in books for kids. Whether it’s Arthur Rackham, H. E. Shepard in The Wind in the Willows or Winnie-the-Pooh, ANYTHING by Trina Schart-Hyman, the work of Raymond Briggs, Li Ming, Gary Blythe, Laura Freeman, Paul Hess, Dave McKean, Uri Shulevitz, Avi, Shel Silverstein, A.G. Ford, Aaron Becker, Kadir Nelson (very yummy work), David Shannon, Christian Robinson, Marek Bennett, Rob Brookes, or Christopher Denise. I love good artwork!

When I was a kid, my mum bought my brother and me a book called The Butterfly Ball illustrated by Alan Aldridge. It was based on and expanded from a poem published in 1806, which is quite a long time ago. I loved the book and recently it’s been popping up in my head for no apparent reason. So, I dug the original poem out by William Roscoe and have shared it here. I hope you like it.

I might have to make a story length version of it!

More soon!

Simon

The Singing Squirrels, and The Magic Turban, the Whip and Flying Carpet – a story from Turkey

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-i76y4-135ef8a

Happy 2023!

It’s cold here in New Hampshire right now! -11 degrees C, which is about 10 degrees F. Moe and I took a very short walk this morning because it was so cold.

The main story I am telling today was collected in Turkey by Dr. by Dr. Ignácz Kunos and first published in 1896, before my grandad was born. It’s about a turban which can make people invisible, a whip and a flying carpet. This episode is a little longer than most at a little under 20 minutes.

I hope you like it.

Peace,

Simon

Annan and the Forest, an original story

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-mfybj-12dcdd2

As you know, I love the woods, as does Moe. I have always loved walking through trees and forests and have been known to occasionally hug trees! When I first read “The Giving Tree” I was horrified. I love Shel Silverstein and couldn’t believe he had written a book about a boy so selfish as the boy in that story. I wondered if I didn’t get it. I know it’s about total sacrifice, but it still didn’t sit well with me. So, I wrote a story about a boy and some trees. I understand that I am no Shel Silverstein. It’s changed and been edited a fair bit over the years, and I wanted to share it with you. I hope you like it. And I still love Shel’s books, just not “The Giving Tree” so much!

I hope you enjoy Annan and the Forest.

Fever and Speed and a Bookshop on the Moon!

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-5gidk-12a0db6

Hi Everyone!

It’s a new Lindyline, Bedtime Tales Episode. This episode contains a couple of things I have written; one I wrote a while back when my kids were small, and the other is a poem I wrote not long ago. Fever and Speed are two rabbits I once knew and they told me this tale. And a good friend of mine, Laura Simms, sent me some poems by her now late brother Norman. One of the poems was a list of stories and poems not written, and one of these was: Bookstores on the Moon. I loved the idea so much I wrote a poem myself.

There are a couple of suggested activities for you at the end of the episode. I hope you enjoy these musings and thoughts.

Peace,

Simon