Our Peter came back from a run this morning and was chuffed to have seen 3 Otters on the canal about a mile from our house. I’ve never seen an Otter locally but have seen their tracks in several places like the River and nearby Reed Bed. We went to look later but no sign. Means I will now do a couple of early morning walks to search! On the wild life front there have been a few sightings of Waxwings in Gloucestershire, so fingers crossed!
Early Floyd song for today’s title.
I hope everyone had a good Christmas. We certainly did and yes the bike has featured over the week. I mentioned I did cycle with Pete on Monday. Well we all had a family ride on Boxing Day that involved climbing over Selsey Common, and for Clare a first descent of Frocester Hill. Today I did a further 20 odd miles which took me to over four and half thousand miles for the year not bad for the old boy. Planning a big adventure for next year!
Busy writing my third story for our “Severn tour” and pleased with it so far. Hope to be close to finishing by the end of next week.
My football team continue to do well and I’m looking forward to Saturday’s game.
Almost there, Christmas Eve!
Lovely ride with our Peter today up and around Painswick. Have been working on writing the final story for our Severn Songs and Stories and encouraging so far!
Merry Christmas one and all!
A delightful old fashioned evening last night watching Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band doing their Christmas Carols and Capers. Wonderful talented musicians playing a wide variety of instruments with great enthusiasm. We saw them doing one of these evenings about fifteen years ago. It seemed to transport us back to another time that was what we thought a rural Christmas was all about but was probably an illusion. We left with a warm glowing feeling, catch them if you can.
Appropriate title for today! It was the monthly Bird Survey in Frampton. We start as soon as it gets light and what a start! I spotted a Ring-Tailed Hen Harrier near the sea wall. Hen Harriers are probably the most persecuted bird in England by game keepers etc. so it was a special moment!
It was a lovely morning and plenty of Curlew, Snipe and Redwings to view as well as Stonechat and Reed Buntings in a couple of places. The River Severn looked great in the morning sun but sadly there was more evidence of significant erosion by the river.
Seasonal football song title for today. Sorry to any Coventry fans reading this . I got a complete soaking walking back to the car on Saturday the weather was foul but what a fantastic footballing performance by the Hatters. Feel a nose bleed coming on if this continues!
Now finished with Story Telling till just into the New Year when I have a Gig with the local W.I. Need to start writing for Dan and I’s as “Two Severn Bores” Spring Tour on the River Severn. I have one modern day story to write based on the Saxons drowning in the River following the Battle of Dyrham in 577 as well as learning two other stories for this Tour. Dan has already written a couple of songs.
Had a super ride today with plenty of climbing. I decided to make the most of the decent weather.
Not quite an up to date song title-it is from Mumford and Sons 2009. I thought as it was a chilly wind today it was appropriate!
It was a busy spell up to my last blog and now things have calmed down but of course Christmas is looming-we finally acknowledged that today by doing some Christmas Shopping. Will think about decorations at the weekend. Last week was the last school at Wick Court and I finished with my Christmas Angels Story in the Roundhouse. I mentioned my lovely day in Swindon on Monday telling a few old favourites half of them my own stories. Hoping to settle to some writing over the next three weeks.
Great Book Club meal last night. It was Dutch themed as a precursor to next month’s book “The Last Painting of Sara De Vos” by Dominic Smith. As usual all the boys excelled in their cooking.
Finally I mentioned I played cricket on Monday night, wait for it I played football on Tuesday night. Not bad for an old un.
What a great song for today’s blog. You may of noticed my friend Gordon’s wonderful photo of a triple rainbow last week it featured on the national weather forecast. Apparently they were only really recognised scientifically in 2011.
Anyway a busy spell since last week’s gig in the pub. That went really well and all our performers excelled on a delightful and certainly diverse evening. On Thursday we travelled up the valleys to the Workers Gallery to see one of their regular Wham nights-it was a marvellous mixture of poetry, art and classic comedy.
Today I went to a lovely school in Swindon to do a full day’s Story Telling. That was followed with a game of indoor cricket, a close game but we came second! So I am tired tonight!
Don’t forget tonight in the Shoes! Beer and Books providing an entertaining and fun evening. Starts at 8!
Another clue to the story I am telling tonight. We will be going to frightening awful places, will we survive!
A cryptic clue in today’s title from the Jam to the story I will be telling on Wednesday night in the Three Horseshoes Frampton. Does anyone want to have a guess? A clue it is a well -known story that has had several versions! I am going away from what I usually do in the pub; normally I tell a story nobody has heard before. I do have musical accompaniment for the story which will be interesting, that could be another clue because music is a prominent part of the story! So all will be revealed on Wednesday. It is our Book Club entertainment and we have songs, poems, music and a story! So we have magical music from Dan Everett, poems that will make you laugh and cry from Mike Church, we have Brian Dimmock playing the mandolin and singing about the pub, a reading from Aussie Terry and a story from me. All for free although there will be a collection for Farms for City Children (Wick Court) if you want to contribute. We start at 8 p.m.