#bookofdeer

The Book of Deer, possibly Scotland’s oldest surviving manuscript – is returning to the North East of Scotland for the first time in over 1000 years. The book itself will be exhibited at Aberdeen Art Gallery but the Book of Deer Project, who have been campaigning for many years to have the illuminated manuscript visit the area, have many events running in the North East this year - many focussing around Aden Country Park and Deer Abbey where an archaeological dig will be carried out. I'm chuffed to be doing a total of 6 sessions (3 on the 7th April and 3 on the 11th June) for families incorporating storytelling and living history - but I'm also going to be doing two adults only evening storytelling sessions with Derek Jennings from the Book of Deer Project. You can get your tickets for the first evening session on Eventbrite (details below) "Join Derek Jennings and Pauline Cordiner for an adults-only evening of scary stories from Aden and the North East of Scotland. Expect ghostly tales of the Monks of Aden, the cursed families of Buchan and the canny chiel who summoned Auld Nick himself!"

That’s me back to it after the New Year and I am strutting around like these Medieval Beasties – the reason being that it’s time to start working on a few new projects for 2022! It is Scotland’s Year of Stories and I just love a bit of research. So for the next couple of weeks I’m going to be researching – The Book of Deer which is coming home to the North East for a visit after a millennium – it has been at Cambridge University since 1715 and may have been stolen from the North East during the Scottish Wars of Independence. I’m looking forward to telling stories with the Book of Deer Project at Aden Country Park. – Crime stories for bairns at Granite Noire, Aberdeen’s Crime Writing Festival – Aberdeen’s Festival of Light, SPECTRA which returns just in time for my birthday!