Currently away with family. Enjoying playing with Owen. Planning a cycle with oldest son tomorrow proper blog at the weekend. Quite a bit to report.

It has been fairly quiet on the Story Telling front. I have a few gigs over the summer but until tonight little planned for the Autumn. I have spent the last 45 minutes responding to requests from schools so just like buses! I’m sure we are all hoping that our young people get some stability in their education and they will need their creative juices nurturing.

We are avid Tour de France watchers and fluctuate between watching the highlights and when it reaches the mountains watching live. France is beautiful country and the Tour showcases it well. Having cycled both in the Pyrenees and the Alps I am in awe of these riders who ride near non stop for the three weeks with plenty of amazing climbs.

Feeling like a hypochondriac today as I apply an ice pack to various parts of my ancient body. I have been asked to play league cricket again next Saturday where all my team mates will be half my age! So more ice-packs beckon!!!!!

I promised I would say something about our Book Club meeting on Wednesday. As previously mentioned we were talking about Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. Excellent discussion at a beautiful location. We were in a garden right by the River Severn and as we arrived the Bore came surging past Northwards, amazing witnessing the power of the incoming tide. It took about 20 minutes or so before the River was flowing in the opposite direction back to sea. All of us really enjoyed Under Milk Wood and we talked quite a bit on being exiled from the world you grew up in.

Spent some time going over the final, final proof. I had thought I had finished but was sent back the amended draft for approval. Fingers crossed I will have a publication date soon.

I have managed to play club cricket today and actually opened the batting and helped put om 79 for the first wicket – I am feeling it now! Nearly every part of my body now aches!

Thursday morning’s Bird Watch went well. We did have a sprinkling of rain and we saw the Avocet parents seeing off Gulls and Crows. we had  noisy Redshank and a squadron of Oystercatchers overhead. Plenty of young Whitethroat and Reed Warblers by the reed bed.

Well he has been busy! It has been an action packed week for me. two games of cricket, a Book Club and a bird survey plus much more. I am actually playing club cricket tomorrow as well!

Contrasting fortunes on the cricket field. I played for Gloucestershire old men on Tuesday against Oxfordshire at a beautiful setting , the River Windrush flowed by the ground. sadly we game second. Yesterday I captained our extras XI against Warwickshire and we won a really enjoyable game. Tomorrow I when I play club cricket the rest of my team may be half my age! Just hope the body lasts!

I will blog about about Books and Birds sometime over the weekend.

Finally the picture below is from the WWT at Slimbridge. I mentioned the Avocet story in an earlier blog. Below is a picture of the Fox that caused the mayhem with the Avocets in the background (not my picture!)

The title says it all. At the bottom is a link to click on of the whole cover (includes the blurb on the back) of my soon to be published book Pig The Legend -still waiting for a publication date.

On a book theme our Book Club are meeting on Wednesday to discuss Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas, I listened to the Richard Burton broadcast yesterday. His voice is wonderful to listen to, and almost musical in this broadcast.

On a sporting theme it was disappointing weekend with the anti-climax of the England football team on Friday- interesting to see one of Scotland’s effective players was deemed not good enough for my football team when in League 2 (Div4). I had hoped  to be enthralled by the Cricket’s  World Test Championship between New Zealand and India but that has been ruined by the weather. I am also supposed to play two games of cricket this week. I am hoping the body holds up, I am currently nursing a slight groin strain, so fingers crossed.

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We had a lovely visit to the Forest of Dean to the Nagshead RSPB Reserve in the hope of seeing Pied Flycatchers. We did catch some fleeting glimpses but sadly unable to get a picture. Also saw one of my all time favourite birds the Spotted Flycatcher sadly it is probably 15 to 20 years since we had them in the garden. I would spend ages watching these birds acrobatically fly up in the garden catching insects. One real highlight was watching a Treecreeper close by scuttling up the tree. No bird pictures today!

We saw a single Avocet today on the scrapes at Splatt Bridge. Apparently there were two adults and two chicks but we couldn’t see them. Interesting story about these birds from the WWT at Slimbridge. There were many birds and chicks out on the Dumbles at Slimbridge when a Fox appeared.  The birds shot for cover and many chicks were predated, one family made it to the river but were washed away by the incoming Tide. Martin from the WWT thinks it is that family that has appeared here in Frampton so it quite remarkable they survived to get here. Just hope they are not vulnerable where they are now.I am hoping the other adult and chicks were in the long grass nearby.

Sitting down now waiting for the football!

The title says everything about the blog today!

Pig The Legend – I have just signed off the final proof for the book. Really pleased with it. I actually enjoyed reading it through again and I must of read many, many times! The cover looks good including the blurb on the back. Sadly the publication date is likely to be put back two or three weeks, I was quoted mid July today. I will keep you posted about the date. It does mean that when I arrange the launch hopefully all the Covid restrictions will then be lifted-fingers crossed!

Web site has been updated but more changes will happen over the next fortnight. We had a really good meeting about further changes tonight so look out for the River Severn Podcast being added in the near future.

Finally yesterday’s cricket where I captained an assortment of Gloucestershire Seniors against Worcestershire. Although I didn’t score the runs I had planned to, my number three scored a hard hitting hundred instead and we did win the game. It was touch and go and the result was in the balance till the final couple of overs! An enjoyable afternoon!

Short morning blog before I set off to play cricket. I was 12th man yesterday but am captain today so shall I open the batting and the bowling? Will be hot!

Encouraging news my the final proof of book is arriving this afternoon! Very Excited! More news on this tomorrow.