The title sounds like I was with the author! I was actually telling stories to the Charles Dickens School Southwark last night at Wick Court. The picture of Mollie in the back of my first book is with young people from the school. The Mollie story now takes on a life of its own with audience participation!

Apologies for a missing a couple days on the blog front!

Yesterday we said Goodbye to one of our oldest friends Dorothy. She was a special person, a talented teacher and Headteacher but more importantly a wonderful optimistic  human being. I learnt much from her especially on dealing with others which she always did positively.  It was a very emotional day.

Two special moments today to cheer us up. We had a Goldcrest; a lovely small bird being busy in a Rosemary Bush outside our kitchen window (picture of one below not mine). We saw one frequently in the Autumn but the first one this year! Later Clare and I were out cycling and unexpectedly got close to two Brown Hares, one shot across the road in front of us. (a pity I didn’t have a camera handy as it was so close. (so not my picture below)

I did watch my football team on Tuesday night. Not a great game and the Mighty Hatters scrapped a win. I have a logistical nightmare coming up in March with the FA Cup tie against Chelsea and World Book Day the following day where I am telling stories in Leicestershire.

Went for a long ride with my cycling buddies today and it was lovely to see blankets of snowdrops interspersed with colourful crocuses. An early sign that Spring is around the corner. It does give you that lovely warm glow when you spot another batch of these flowers. Another sign was hearing Song Thrushes singing from the tree tops and Great Spotted Woodpeckers  drumming for territory.

Spending time searching for stories for up and coming gigs. Always good to find new stories and finding ones that I had forgotten!!! Looking again at my Cedric the Dragon story and aiming to tweak it for a telling.

Heard today that 10 of my first book were sold at Wick Court on Friday to the young people who stayed that week. It does help I told the Mollie story the night before.

Funny sort of day! Ended up planning for a couple of gigs sorting out what stories I might tell. Managed to get some writing done as well.

We also planned a couple of trips for later in the year.

Delighted by the FA Cup Draw. Just waiting to know what day it will be played as it is in the week of World Book Day!

An odd sort of day for me and good part taken up by football. We spent the morning cleaning out a greenhouse ready for Spring seeds.

It was FA Cup day so watched the first half of the lunch time kick off and then set off to Forest Green where two of us were guests of my friend Phil in the Directors Box. Not prawn sandwiches because it is only vegan food at Forest Green!!!! The wind made football difficult but good to catch up with some old friends including our former MP. Forest Green were by far the better team and won comfortably. I rushed home to watch the Mighty Hatters win on TV – we rested a lot of players because of our busy schedule. We didn’t play well not surprising after we made 8 changes, still we can dream about Wembley!!!

Ended up Story Telling in the Round House at Wick Court so got covered in wood smoke. It does get into your clothes and the little hair I’ve got left.As it was dark difficult to see the faces of my audience.

Rushed off to for one of our Quiz matches for our team. We had our first win of the season (first match where we had a full complement and it makes a difference!

Did a Winter Square this morning where I record every bird in a map square that I am asked to survey. We enjoy doing these because we end of in places you wouldn’t expect to Bird Watch. One surprise was an Oystercatcher and six Grey Herons! 

Had a lovely time today with the young people from St Philomenas Orpington birding around Wick Court. I was fully stretched with searching questions that I couldn’t answer off the top of my head. e.g.

What is the longest named bird? The best answer I have come up with is North Western Yellow-billed Sapsucker (33 letters). Anyone got a better one?

The best British Bird I came up with is Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (23)

Can you name any Legendary Birds? I managed that one there and then with Phoenix and The Roc (From One Thousand and One Nights). Of course there are many others and things like The Harpy half human/half bird.

What was the last bird to become extinct? Could be several different answers to this one but I know The Ivory Billed Woodpecker was recently declared extinct. Interestingly in my old school I had a Peter Scott sketch of one of these that he drew when he visited the school while talking to parents.

None of the above have I been asked before and makes a refreshing change from asking me my favourite bird or what is the rarest bird?

We also saw some great birds including a Deceit of Lapwings!

Delighted to watch my team (on the computer) get a deserved win tonight without three of our top players. We have come back surprisingly well from our enforced break.

We had a lovely walk on Uley Bury Fort this afternoon some great views from the top.

Back with children bird watching at Wick Court tomorrow -weather looks promising.