Baton down the hatches!!!! Temperature falling fast!!!

I did go for a ride today and it wasn’t as bad as I expected although I had a couple of dodgy moments with ice riding through Uley. Hope to ride again on Wednesday but I will watch the weather carefully.

Lovely weekend with friends that included a friend’s significant birthday I am too much of a gentleman to say how old she now is! We managed to dance the night away-the first time in ages! Great fun.

Now really busy learning stories for the gigs over the next fortnight.

I will explain the title later in the blog.

Toads and Frogs – we only helped 5 amphibians across the road including one very large Toad. Not sure if there will be much activity for a while with this cold weather we are supposed to have over the next week.

I am trying to up my climbing legs on the bike, got close to my best time on Selsey this week.

We saw Birdsong on Thursday night a moving production of the Faulks book.

Busy going over stories for all the Gigs I am doing connected to World Book Day-I had to turn down some requests!

Yesterday we went across country to the funeral of one of my old college cricketing buddies in Maidstone. Dave was a true gentleman and a warm engaging friend. One of his specialities was sing Yarmouth Town when were all together. So in his honour we played a Bellowhead version on the journey back.

We are out as dusk swallows the daylight to help Toads and Frogs across the road in deepest Frampton! Should be fun! will blog later in the week.

Included a picture of a Red Kite below because I saw so many while at Pete and Nicola’s over the weekend. The whole Church tribe assembled for peter’s Christmas present to the family the six of us had to solve many clues to get us out of an Escape Room. Great team work and fun. We had an hour to get out, we managed with seven minutes to spare! Nobody lost their cool and everyone contributed.

Currently staying in Red Kite territory with our Pete and Nicola. Red Kites everywhere  what a wonderful story their reintroduction has been. Had a lovely lunch sitting out in the winter sunshine by the River Thames.

Had a good busy couple of days. Book Club was a good discussion on Confederacy of Dunces. An early Thursday morning bird survey was rewarded with a good view of a Barn Owl and 98 Curlews . Other birds spotted as well!

I was purring on Tuesday night watching the mighty Hatters playing some delightful football. It could of been 10! An emphatic return to our very best.

Pure escapism on Friday we went to see Aardman’s latest offering at Wotton Cinema. A pity we don’t have little ones to take but we thoroughly enjoyed it, with old fashion jokes both visual and daft puns. It was made doubly enjoyable when a young person’s lovely uninhibited chuckles at the front filled the air.

Clare and I went to do our Winter Square on Sunday. This is to record every bird in a random square we are allocated-we were lucky this was fairly close and by the river-I think we will be given a square in the Forest in November. A lovely cold morning with nothing surprising turning up but plenty of activity from small birds. I have my monthly survey for the Frampton Estate on Thursday-hope it is dry!

A busy spell coming up on the Story Telling front so I am busy finding a couple of new stories to tell.

Football was not great on Saturday a dismal draw on a difficult pitch and little football played by both teams. Still top, need to make sure we win tomorrow night.

A Muddy Waters title for today! Sums up the weather at this time of the year although the daylight is getting longer and more flowers are coming out!

On my feeders this morning a male Blackcap (saw a female with the children at Wick Court on Tuesday) and a lovely busy Goldcrest. Both birds put a smile on my face!

Good news we have now reached three figures plus with the Book sales. I had a lovely morning at my local village primary school promoting the book and looking at Story Writing. Then a rush to meet old friends for lunch.

New story continues to develop!

A different title today-it is from an album by Public Service Broadcasting about the mining industry and the decline particularly in Wales. I have been lent a few PSB albums by David my eldest, took me a while to get into them but have enjoyed listening to them.

Well where do I start recounting recent events in this blog? I suppose the Gig at Kingshill which went really well. Dan was his usual brilliant self and he really enhanced one of my stories with his guitar-we now have plans to develop this for future gigs. Our audience enjoyed the evening, as did both of us! The bar at Kingshill House had an intimate feel to perform in. I’m sorry but forgot to get some pictures that I promised!

Clare came to football with me on Saturday and we thoroughly enjoyed the day a lovely meal at the Highlander in Hitchin (a pub from my youth) and a superb display by the mighty Hatters although we only won 1-0 Exeter were lucky to get nil!

A wonderful ride today in the Winter sunshine to meet Clare for coffee and cake. Now really beginning to stretch those legs with some decent climbs.

I have started writing my Civil War Story based in Gloucester and has already taken me in a surprise direction. I will see how this develops and if it has an authentic feel about it.

Don’t forget folks Dan (wonderful musician) and I are performing at Kingshill House on Friday 2nd February we start at 7.30 p.m.. Hope you can join us there! It should be a good evening.

It has been a busy week and had something on every night apart from Thursday. Monday’s cricket which I was apprehensive about turned out to be a triumph my club won their first game. Yours truly who was the oldest player by a million years turned out to have a decisive impact on the whole game, two catches one at full stretch, two wickets and 14 runs. It was the bowling that surprised everyone including me! I was also very economical to go with the wickets, those of you who know my bowling will be surprised by all of that! Tuesday I went to football it was a pity our defence forgot to turn up!

Wednesday was a wonderful evening we went to see a talk by Helen McDonald author of the highly acclaimed H is for Hawk and in the second half she had a discussion with James Aldred an amazing camera man. We were transfixed by all of it.