Well actually quite tired nothing like feeling free (just thought we would have a Cream reference for the title!) This week it has been on the bike and old man’s cricket. So body aches! Made my debut for Glos Seniors this week. Took one catch and dropped a stinger-hand sore as I write!

Tomorrow morning I have an interesting gig for a group of schools based around Severn Vale I am running 2 hour-long workshops on story telling one with infants so that will be a challenge. So will involve me telling a story and the children having a go!

We are off to Cornwall for a three days on Sunday so no blog probably till the later part of next week but you never know! have to be back for Wednesday night because I am the quiz master for the Gloucestershire Wildlife Quiz final.

A good session of writing today. I’m working on a story with dreams playing an important part. I first wrote something about eighteen months ago and it was for children to be able to tell and I am going to see if it develops. Mind full of ideas but they may end up going down some dead ends, trying to develop some conflict between the main characters but it may be too contrived!

I’ve got another gig coming up later this week that I will need to plan it has a workshop part to it.

Well I am in one piece following my busy week. I think I have done well over 100 miles on my bike since Tuesday. Friday’s gig went well but I was tired after the 36 miles cycling (including Frocester Hill) on top of a fairly active all day performance. I was especially pleased with my telling of the Sleeping King to the older children. I think the Arthurian tales are among my better tellings. I do let the story do the work and try not to do too much jumping about. I am getting better with my pauses at dramatic bits.

My Peter is here for the weekend and has probably overdone his cycling today with three pretty big hills. He will sleep well tonight! We are supposed to be going out for a ride together tomorrow.

A busy week with two gigs and preparing for another. That with voluntary work HVV meeting and related jobs as well Wick Court with the children.

Thoroughly enjoyed my gig at Hartbury cycling there (33 miles round trip) and performing two stories. Lovely school and very responsive audience. Good to meet Tony Larner the Head who I taught when he was in Y6!!!! Tomorrow it is another long cycle to Tetbury (up Frocester Hill) and I doing a whole day at the school.

The interesting phone call I had yesterday was the BBC Natural History are looking to film Swallows nesting in rustic settings and maybe interested in Wick Court where there is at least one Swallow nest in the barn. David Attenborough (one of my heroes) is supposed to be coming as well. There are looking at another site so we may miss out but very excited!

Well a beach made out of sugar paper! I performed at Hartbury School today as a one-off for Tony Larner a former pupil of mine. Lovely school and the children were very responsive. The Anansi story with my tarantula puppet “Boris” is always a hit and I added some audience participation in today’s story that seemed to go down well.

I cycled to the gig today 33 miles round trip so I felt liked the Story Traveller I think this might be my longest cycle to a gig! I’ve done a few mid twenties trip before. Friday I’m hoping to ride to Tetbury so some decent hills before I get there!

A rather wet one! We had hoped to stroll round Frampton to look at the hidden gardens! So instead I am now sitting watching the cricket on the T.V. they are actually playing! Will have to work on my stories for next week later on. Hoping it is ok weather wise so I can cycle to my gigs both will be decent distances so I would rather arrive dry.

We won an important game of cricket yesterday although I was steaming over my dismissal given out LBW sweeping when the ball hit my glove and didn’t touch my pads! The umpire was our skipper Dave who manages this web site so I won’t say anymore but I am thinking of sending him for an eye test!

At Book Club we discussed Moby Dick. Good range of thoughts on the book and Melville’s ideas. We were full of praise for the quality of his writing. A super evening once again.

Wick Court Bird Watching in the mizzle was a delight with children from Hammersmith who were bubbling with enthusiasm.

A couple of last-minute bookings for gigs next week in schools. One is on the 21st so I am sure a midsummer theme might run through the day. At the moment I have a free hand so some old favourites may be resurrected, I’m sure I will touch on some Arthurian themes to go with the time because magic is sure to be in the air!

Tuesday I am giving the gift of a story to an old pupil of mine at his school. He is now a Head (how old does that make me – 365!) so I offered to come and tell some stories. Just had the suggestion could the stories be on a desert island theme-no pressure then! I can adapt a couple easily to fit round that but I was thinking what about the older children and what material I have. I did immediately think of Odysseus a real super hero of his time and his encounter with Polyphemus (has plenty of blood, gore and of course cunning). Circe or his return to Ithaca would all fit as well-will give Calypso a miss for obvious reasons!

I am starting my research on World War 1 want to include the Christmas Truce, my grandfather’s diary he went with BEF in 1914 so I need to find more about his war. I also want to include Ivor Gurney for the Gloucestershire connection. Poetry needs to be within it.

A wonderful cycle to Malvern today. The weather was great although we were cycling into a North Wind. We ended up at Peter Spargo’s daughter for cake who has wonderful house high on the hill. Legs were starting to feel the game of yesterday’s cricket! I got hit by a beamer on my elbow while batting-very swollen and sore!

We popped over to the Forest this week to the Nagshead Reserve. Bluebells and the Oaks were delightful.

Hoping to get Mike’s book this week as well. Very exciting!

A super few days with the sun shining! A couple of games of cricket and a decent cycle ride, Brother Mike’s book of poetry “A Wee bit of trouble” is now out looking forward to getting my copy!

A couple of bookings for performances as well.