I wrote a piece last year entitled "The Night of the Bard" about a night of storytelling by Steve Patterson, as a guest of Wicca Moon. Well, Steve returned to Wicca Moon last night and I was lucky enough to attend. Sadly, he left his lyre behind, but this did not detract from his storytelling.
This time the talk was centred on charms and Steve brought with him a lovely collection of items for us to view whilst he discussed various aspect of folk magic through the ages in Cornwall. There were only two tales this evening and, unfortunately, less attendees. I made the mistake of believing you had to book, and I passed this erroneous information to others, who obviously decided it was too much trouble. Alas, it was open to all.
Steve also had some items he had made himself available for purchase. One item of particular interest was made from the nails of a church floor and blackthorn. He had a lovely collection of bull-roarers, athames (one made from 40,000 year old bones retrieved from the North Sea), wands, labyrinth boxes, obsidian mirrors, hag stones, and various other charms for sale, too. I have not seen anything to match his work anywhere in the UK and its worth tracking him down if you can.
And, if you happen to hear he is in the area offering his bardic delights, make sure you go, as you are sure to be entertained.