Summer of 2015 Part 2

Part 2

Apart from working at Taran Eco Designs  this year, I have also managed to volunteer my services at the C.A.T. Bar as and when needed.

Two days after returning from Fire in the Mountain I was asked to run the bar while S4C hosted a week long program called Cariad@iaith where eight non Welsh speaking but Welsh born Celebrities undergo an intense week of Welsh learning.

Derek Brockway. Jamie Baulch, Tom Shanklin, Steve Spiers were joined by Rebecca Keatley, Chris Corcoran, Nicola Reynolds and Caroline Sheen for a week of lessons, games, fun and parties ................................. while I served them drinks every night in the bar!!

To be honest they learnt my name a lot faster than I learnt all theirs … if you want a drink it is always good to learn the barmaids name! 

With the book out at the end of the week I was keen to explore any and every avenue to get Ippy's Stories and Poems out into the world. On day one of their arrival, while they filmed from 8pm until 9pm, I wrote a poem called Learning Welsh. 

(I can't find the picture of that poem so here is one about Kris's Mouse that looks similar!)

After filming was finished on day two, as they all sat together having a wind down drink, I popped across and read it to them in private. 

Their reaction was more than I could have hoped for. Derek asked for a copy of the poem to keep and once I explained I was writing poems as part of my Trainee Story Telling experiment they began to ask me more and more questions about my work.

By day three we were all best friends. I wrote out positivity sayings as 'Thought of the Day' onto laminated sheets that I changed each day on the bar. I wrote 'hugs' - one line sayings - onto strips of laminated card for people to choose and keep or recycle.

I spent one night drinking until late with the crew and another drinking late with the Celebs. 

By day I had blocks of pyrography to write, by night I had poems to tell and guests to entertain.

I was getting exhausted!

In the shop my bright blue and purple hair complimented my famouse blue Ski suit and added to the excitement of the stories I told. 

Behind the bar it drew curious looks, was commented upon, admired and was a great conversation starter.

On Friday morning the box of books was delivered to my door.

One thousand copies of purple coated Poems and Stories, all written and owned by me.

Now all I had to do was get them out there!!

I packed up about fifteen copies and headed off to work at Taran Eco Designs.

It was also the last night of the Celebrities week at C.A.T.. 

Steve Spiers was born and bred in Merthyr and as soon as he found out I came from a favourite haunt of his, we became best buddies. We were the same age and at some point we had even studied under the same Drama teacher, Mr Burnel!

Of all the Celebrities who were supporting my plans for Story Telling Steve was my most avid fan so that evening, as they all came in for their pre filming drink, ten copies of Ippy's Stories and Poems sat on the bar! 

I had also made each of them a Thank You Stick.

As the week had progressed the filming of their every waking minute had taken its toil. Each of the Celebrities felt as if the world was taking more than its proverbial pound of flesh!

At the end of work in the shop that day I had made ten small sticks, each with the words “Thank You for being You” on one side and “You are …... amazing, awesome, fabulous, wonderful, perfect etc on the other. 

As each of the cast came to the bar for their now famous “One for the camera” drink, I told them to “Pick a Stick!” from the bunch until they were all gone.

I had meant it as just a tiny appreciation of all they had done all week, it was just meant to make them smile but to each of the Celebs it turned out to mean much more. 

They were tired, home sick, (and just slightly hung over) and this little offering suddenly lifted their spirits and put the laughter back into their voices. 

Tom Shanklin even asked for a Selfie with ME!!!

Filming that night was over by 9.30 and by 10pm I had sold the first TEN copies of my book!...... To Celebrities!!!!! I had even been asked to sign some of them!!

The first ten books were not just 'Out there' they were out there sitting on the shelves of real Celebrities, Celebrities who entertained guests, agents, famous friends!!!

Encouraged by such a positive out come to the 'Book Launch' I began to write my own poems onto the wood I sold at the shop.

Small illustrations like the ones in the book accompanied those that needed them and for the first time I began to sign my work.

Over the next week I designed a Web Page called ippy storyteller.com utilising all the knowledge I had gained making the Peter's Taxi page two years previously but this time adding features and colours and buttons galore!

This was MY dream, MY creation and I was flying!!

I redesigned the shop to make a Story Telling circle writing the first line of each poem onto a lolly stick which I placed in a jam jar next to a sign that read FREE STORY TELLING ON DEMAND to encouraged people to chose poems for me to tell them. 

The book began to sell in the shop!

I put news of the book onto Facebook and got great feed back from friends and family. I sent it out to friends and family living abroad. 

From one friend in particular came the most useful of ideas! “When I read your poems, it never sounds as good as you reading them” Faith wrote upon my Facebook page.

I knew what she meant. I had written them with a specific tune in my head but only I knew the true tune.

Baa baa black sheep will work to the tune of Tinkle twinkle but sung to its own tune it works so much better ….................. I needed a CD!!

It has been said many times yet I will say it again … It is not WHAT you know that counts in Wales, it is WHO you know!

A few days later following the few queries I had put out there for my friends on Facebook to slove, Ed Rees from my school years and I had a plan!!

Two weeks after that, having spent the day walking my old home of Porthcawl, Victoria, Jackie, Ed and myself were all sitting in his kitchen having dinner! 

With the dishes in the washer, the girls on their second glass of wine, Ed and I started the painstaking job of recording my Book in his sound proof recording studio in the middle of the house!!!

It took two days, a promise of some fire wood for Ed and Jackie, a bottle of whiskey for the mixer and editor and my Master Copy was on its way!

I returned to the shop to write more stories and to make more plans!!

............................. and of course to Storytell!!