On the evening of Tuesday 6th May, I was really looking forward to the storytelling adventure I would embark upon the following morning.

On the morning of Wednesday 7th, I cursed my alarm at a stupidly early hour and had ceased to look forward to anything. Nonetheless, I dragged myself out of bed sideways, and after more than one cup of coffee, felt almost human.

And so began my latest storytelling adventure!

This adventure was to take place at Strathclyde Country Park. The Teddy Bear's Picnic is an annual fundraising fun day for St. Andrew's Hospice, to which around 2000 children come from local schools, not forgetting their beloved teddy bears, to be entertained. Entertainment includes a mobile disco, a magician, interactive theatre with a fairytale theme (provided by some students in profoundly awesome costumes) and, last but not least (well, okay, probably least), storytelling!

I wished for good weather. I wished in vain! The weather in Scotland respects no one! So I did my storytelling in a portacabin rather than in the open air. Which worked out rather nicely, as it kept me dry and the acoustics are favourable. I also had for company a giant teddy, who enjoyed my stories immensely (as he told me later in Teddese) This provided some amusement when groups of children came with near-identical tiny teddies, who looked a lot like miniature versions of the big one, and could balance perfectly on the end of its nose... before being deftly returned to the child with a sneeze.

The orgainisers of this event were in every way entirely wonderful, deftly organising mayhem, and making me feel quite at ease and looked after.

Then the children started arriving. A group at a time, and one after the other, so I was feeling a bit storied out by the end! Most only stayed for one or two stories, which meant I was dealing with different children each time, so I could get away with sticking to a small handful of old favourites. Which, broad as my repertoire is, is always handy. There will always be a few special stories I particularly enjoy telling. I told the African folktale about Hare's house being taken over by some sort of scary monster, whom none of his friends - not Zebra, not Lion and not even Elephant! - could scare off. I like this one mostly because it gives me an excuse to do my elephant noise!

I told the Irish folktale about the king with the ears of a horse. I like this one because it's all about the importance of not taking yourself too seriously - a key skill in storytelling! I also like playing Chinese Whispers with the children as they take on the role of trees in the wind whispering secrets to each other.

I told the Perrault fairytale of the Three Wishes, which I always have a ball telling because it involves sausages getting stuck up someones nose! Can there be a better reason to love a story?

And I told the Chechen tale of three baby goats getting gobbled up by a Big Bad Wolf. But don't worry, that's not as serious a predicament in stories as it might be elsewhere. Especially not when Mummy Goat has your back!

So I went home with neither voice nor energy, but very happy nonetheless. A brilliant day's storytelling for an excellent cause, and I look forward to doing it again next year.