A power cut tonight in deepest Frampton hence the Oasis title-not that we were electric here!

With the turmoil in the news at the moment, I thought I would share an unusual gig I was asked to do linked to possibly  a historic moment in Bristol at the weekend. Bristol has always seemed to have contorted itself  reconciling it’s past.

In my first year of Story Telling I was asked to work highlighting the  Bristol Pound and tell a stories by The Nails in Corn Street to young people. The Nails was where business was conducted hence the expression “on the nail” I dressed as a 17th century merchant (picture below) and my stories highlighted doing business there and of course that had to include uncomfortable references to the slave trade.

Yesterday’s Quiz on bikes

a) Lanterne Rouge is last place in the Tour  b) Peloton is the group of cyclists  c)  Derailleur is the gear shifter  d) Egan Bernal won the Tour last year  e) There approximately one billion bikes in the world.

Haven’t had time to do a quiz tonight with the power cut.

Not a song title today but a book title! The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien has achieved legendary status in our Book Club partly because of the surreal humour and partly all the references to bikes. O’Brien talks about half man/half bike which tickled all of us regular bike riders. We often state what percentage bike each one of is!  I only chose this title because I promised a picture of Shadowfax my sturdy work horse of a bike.  So it the picture at the top minus the wheels. There is a picture of a Red Kite at the bottom of the blog because we saw many of them yesterday-beautiful birds! The re-introduction of Red Kites has been really successful.

I had a delightful ride today up and down the Cotswolds. This was on my super duper bike-not Shadowfax! I also made a lovely batch of wholemeal rolls today nearly put a picture of them in the blog-then we  would then be getting like Facebook!

Today’s Quiz Questions (mainly with a French theme)

a) What is the name given to last place in the Tour de France?    b) What French word commonly refers to a bunch or pack of cyclists?  c)  What French railway term refers to the gear shifting system between the chain between sprockets?   d) Who won the 2019 Tour de France?  e) How many bikes are there roughly in the world is it one million, or hundred million, or One hundred thousand million  or one billion?

Struggled to think beyond this song title today. I wanted a song about a picnic and couldn’t get beyond this one! We had a picnic today (socially distanced of course) with my Peter and Nicola-we didn’t take any teddies though! First in the flesh meeting for a long time because of circumstances of course. Good for all our well being!!!!!! Lots of Red Kites flying over in that part of the world.

On my evening stroll I caught a brief glimpse of a Stoat tonight.

I am aiming to tidy up my story this week. There are a couple of technical things to do.

Yesterday’s Garden Themed Quiz Answers

a) Mountain Ash is the other name for Rowan  b) Venus Fly Trap c) Lotus is the Buddhist flower  d) Tulips were used as currency   e) Saffron comes from the Crocus

No quiz on a Sunday.

Picked a Richard Thompson song for today’s title because as you may of guessed by the title we have spent some time in the garden this morning. We were worried because rain was forecast and were determined to get some new plants planted before it rained. As it was we hardly had any rain in the end!

Later I collected my bike “Shadowfax”  from it’s loving service. All my bikes have been serviced recently because I have been clocking up the miles this year especially since lockdown. I have already ridden over 2,300 miles already this year! “Shadowfax” is really my work horse and the bike I ride to my Story Telling Gigs. I have had for almost 26 years so I am very fond of it. You never know I might write properly about one of my many cycling exploits in a future blog. Those exploits  have been  varied from long distance rides in different parts of Britain and Ireland, to the mountains of the Alps and the Pyrenees,  Sportives, as well as many social rides sampling coffee and cakes in Gloucestershire.

Yesterday’s History Quiz Answers

a) The last Plantagenet King was Richard the Third  (“A Horse, a horse………”)  b) Caractacus  (Also known as Caradoc or Caradog) was the rebel king captured by the Romans.  c) Peterloo was the massacre in 1819   d) Emily Davison was killed by the King’s Horse   e) Mary Anning was a palaeontologist

Today’s Quiz is all on gardens

a) What is another name for the Rowan Tree?   b) Charles Darwin described this carnivorous plant  “the most wonderful plant in the world” What is the name of this plant?   c)   What is the sacred flower of the Buddhist religion?  d) Which garden plant in the 17th century was exchanged as a form of currency?  e) The spice, saffron, comes from which flower?

Dylan songs have been prominent for my blog title. It seems appropriate for what is happening at the moment. I’m sure like me you were shocked by the awful video that came out of America recently. American policemen I have always found to be frightening and it is doubly so for members of the Afro-Caribbean. Their egotistical president sadly just inflames matters.

Yesterday’s quiz answers on bird nicknames.

a) Treemouse is the Treecreeper     b) Osprey is the Fish Hawk   c) Pied Wagtail is the Polly Wash Dish (what a great name)   d) Arctic or Common Tern is the Sea Swallow   e) Green Woodpecker is Laughing Betsy  (there are many nicknames and of course those of you of a certain age will remember Professor Yaffle from Bagpus!)

Today’s Quiz is all on History

a) Who was the last Plantagenet king?   b) Which rebellious leader of the Catuvellauni  tribe was caught and taken to Rome in AD 50, then pardoned by Emperor Claudius?   c) In August 1819, around 60,000 peaceful pro-democracy protestors were attacked in an open square in Manchester. This event is known as…..?    d) In which year did Emily Wilding Davison die as a result of a collision with the King’s Horse during the Epsom Derby?   e) What was Mary Anning famous for?

One of the delights of living in Frampton is the many birds that are attracted to our diversity of habitat. We have an old gravel pit at the end of our road that has a variety of water fowl all year around, We have many wooded copses (sadly for pheasant rearing) that are good for woodland birds and of course the River with almost moorland on one bank and reed beds.  As I sit here writing this blog there are swifts and martins high over our  house. When I take children bird watching at Wick Court their mouths open in disbelief  when I tell them swifts don’t land for three years. Fabulous birds and aesthetically pleasing to watch their arrow shape bodies cutting through the air.

Quiz answers from yesterday on a rain theme which I hope most of you scored well.

a) The raven was the first bird sent out by Noah  b)  Venus has the acid rain   c)Golden   RaIn is Laburnum  d) Rain in Spain is from My Fair Lady e)  PrInce  of course sang Purple Rain

Today’s quiz is all about bird nicknames -can you work out the bird?

a) Treemouse ? b) Fish Hawk ?  c) Polly washdish ? -clue common in car parks and playgrounds d) sea swallow? e)  Laughing Betsy (the laugh is the clue)?

If you look back through my blogs during  the winter you may of noticed  I mentioned rain a fair few times! (Well it did rain a lot and I got a good few soakings on my bike!) I think we have all been fortunate that throughout lockdown the weather has been so good. However, the garden was getting thirsty. I spend some of the afternoon clearing the gutter that feeds one of our water butts to ensure that it refills a bit! Today’s rain is useful! I do hope it doesn’t portend rain when later hopefully some cricket resumes!

Picture at the bottom follows on from yesterday’s Pennine Way story of some young handsome bloke-doing a not particularly clever thing standing on Hadrian’s Wall (my excuse for this act  was that it was 1976 and attitudes were different then!)

Yesterdays answers for highest mountains

a) England-Scafell Pike     b) Scotland- Ben Nevis   c) Wales-Snowdon  d) N. Ireland-Slieve Donard   e) Republic of Ireland – Carrauntoohill

Today’s Quiz is all on rain

a) What was the first bird Noah sent out after the rain stopped (be careful)   b) Which planet in the solar system does it constantly rain acid?  c) The Golden Rain is the common name of which tree?   d) “The Rain in Spain” comes from which musical?   e) who made the classic  Purple Rain released in 1984?

Allegedly!!!! Title refers to my fifty-five mile socially distanced ride today with fellow ex Headteacher Martin! Mind you might think fifty-five miles in this heat that we might need our sanity tested. Although I kept drinking regularly I did feel quite dehydrated at the end. it was a marvellous ride down many lanes and byways of Gloucestershire (and South Glos).

Talking about feeling dehydrated reminds me of when I walked the Pennine Way. It was the summer of 1976 and for those of you too young to know it was a red-hot summer with a infamous drought. I walked for three weeks carrying my wet weather gear and only used on the last day when the drought broke! Wainwright the walker’s bible kept talking about rain! I can still remember vividly climbing the path by Malham Cove at 8.30 in the morning the temperature  was already in the mid 80s. That adventure is the only time I had to call the Mountain Rescue out.

I was walking the Pennine Way on my own and I met up with Rob and his sister Dot and a few others. On this day it had been  a real up and down day in the heat. When going over the top of Fountains Fell Rob collapsed. Someone had to decide what to do. As a young man in his first year of teaching I looked round at everyone and decided it had to be me! No mobile phones in those days! So we made Rob comfortable and plied him with water. I asked the others to stay with him and Dot while I would go for help, A look at the map for nearest road and farm house to decide where to go! Despite taking the lead I made one silly decision-I set off with my rucksack on my back instead of leaving it with the others! I set off at a jog descending quickly. As the rucksack bobbed up and down a few things fell out including my cutlery. I eventually reached the road and started to jog to the farm house a good distance away. I heard a car behind me so flagged it down dramatically by waving my arms and standing in the middle of the road like they do in films. A rather mature couple stopped and looked at me with alarm – I must of looked a rather unsavoury man dripping in sweat. This next bit might of become embellished with time! In a decisive Laurence Olivier voice.

“Take me to the nearest phone! There has been an accident!”

They did- we stuffed my rucksack in and set off. When I arrived at this isolated farm I could see telephone wires -phew! I asked them to wait in case no one was in. There was and I was soon ushered into the phone (there were always fixed to one point in those days). 999 was dialled.

“What service do you require Ambulance, Fire or Police?”

“Er, er er I need Mountain Rescue!)

“That will be the police.”

I managed to give details and more importantly grid reference. I then waited outside the farm expecting to be picked up. I wasn’t!  Later I heard sirens and could see blue lights in the distance  so when at last I trudged towards the action I could see a stretcher party coming down. Everything was OK and Rob was suffering from heat exhaustion. The Doctor told him to drink plenty and eat crisps!  So a happy ending except I didn’t have any cutlery any more! The picture below is at the end of the walk with Rob and Dot (apologies for the quality).

Yesterday’s Answers on Beer

a) The difference between beer and ale is really the fermentation process but you could say Beer uses Hops.  b)  Campaign For Real Ale   c) The Czech  Republic drink the most beer d) Biggest Beer Festival is the Oktoberfest in Munich  e) The Sumerians were the first brewers of beer.

Today’s Question is all on Mountains/Hills following the theme of the blog

Name the highest mountains in all four countries of the United Kingdom and the highest in the Republic of Ireland 

Just been listening to the Martin Simpson song of the title and it always catches me out! So thought we would use it for today’s blog.

This wonderful weather would be great for cricket both playing and watching. So it today was tinged with sadness when we were offered a refund on our Test Match tickets for this month.

To cheer me up I collected a mini-keg of Uley Bitter today and currently enjoying quaffing my thirst! As a public service I also collected three more for other people! You have to get your priorities right!

I am currently enjoying reading Cannery Row for Book Club next week. I last read it as a young man (I know it was a very,very, very long time ago!)

Yesterday’s answer to throwing the cricket ball was 140 yards and 2 feet! You can have 5 yards either way!

Today’s quiz is all on beer!

a) What does beer contain that traditionally ale does not?    b) What does CAMRA stand for?  c) Which country is supposed to drink more beer per person?    d) Which city is the world’s biggest beer festival held?  e) Which ancient civilisation is set to be the first to make beer?