Lindyline

Lindyline - a story podcast - Foxes!

I love foxes, although not everyone does! They have a bad rap because they are pretty intelligent. Here some foxes make plans with the 'guard dogs' on how they can all benefit. Then the chickens, the resourceful chickens make a plan!
What are some of your favourite creatures?
I hope you enjoy the walk in the woods with Moe and the folk tale.
Stay safe, be well!
Simon

The Monkey's and the Moon

In this episode I share two versions of a short story from China. The first story is my own retelling of the circular story set within a frame story! It can be told for audience participation, which you can do here, if you want! The second telling is much shorter, is NOT a circular tale, but has some wonderful lessons in it!
I also talk a little about one of my favourite deities from India - Hanuman!
 
I hope this episode lightens your load today.
Peace,
Simon

Summer Solstice - Three Billy Goats Gruff and a couple of poems!

To celebrate the summer solstice I found a couple of old poems about joy and summer, and my favourite number - seven! The first poem is called "Laughing Song" ad was written by the incredible William Blake. The second poem was written by Jean Ingelow and is called Seven Times One. There are, in fact, seven poems called Seven Times by Jean Ingelow, each having another title. Seven Times One - Exultation, Seven Time Two - Romance, Seven Times Three - Love, Seven Times Four - Maternity, Seven Times Five - Widowhood, Seven Times Six - Giving in Marriage, and Seven Times Seven - Longing for Home. I am sure you sense a theme!
After the two poems (just Laughing Song and Seven Times One - Exultation) is the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. This episode is to celebrate the Summer Solstice and all things green and flowery!
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Peace,Simon

Jack and the Beanstalk

Hello story fans!
Sorry it's been a while. I had to go and visit my mum in England, and she is doing great.
My mum would read and tell my brother and me stories all the time when we were kids. Before our dad left he would also tell stories, and when he was visiting us when our son was little and my dad was reading to my son, I realized where I get my voices from!
I grew up hearing Jack and the Beanstalk told by parents, grandparents and other relatives, read at school, and saw it presented in plays just like as one does with The Pied Piper. These seemed, in England, when I was growing up, to be the go-to stories. There were others, but these were the heavy cream and they kept coming to the top!
The story never really sat with that well, as Jack would climb the beanstalk, steal everything from the giant who would then fall from said beanstalk to meet a grizzly end. It seemed that Jack was not a terribly nice person - giant or not! Then, when I was all grown up, or close to it, I found another version from close to when this tale was first recorded, but it didn't involve a nasty Jack, but a Jack who was reclaiming his family fortune. I have sometimes told this story, but recently, at the beginning of this year (2024), I began playing around with it some more. It's not a short story, hence the slightly longer episode today, but I hope you like it.
Are you a tree climber, or someone who likes scrambling over rocks and boulders? Me too!
I hope you enjoy this episode of Lindyline, a story podcast.
Peace,
Simon

Fly eagle Fly, andTwo Poems

After realizing (thanks to a friend) that I posted the wrong episode, I have corrected that. This is in fact the correct episode featuring Fly Eagle, Fly and the two poems as promised!
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!

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!

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:
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.
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.
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!

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”

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

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