Thought Don Henly’s song would be a good choice for today’s title. It has been a gorgeous summer day. I thoroughly enjoyed my  cycle ride especially as there was no wind! I am running out of different places to ride-so today I went up to Painswick from Upton St Leonards because I knew the road wouldn’t be that busy (wouldn’t normally try it)and I found a different route from there to the Slad Valley (those of you not familiar with Gloucestershire Geography was made  famous by the book Cider with Rosie).

Talking of Cider with Rosie when I first came to Gloucestershire I stayed with the school secretary for a fortnight till I got somewhere and she was at school with Laurie Lee -I did ask her if she was Rosie-she if I remember gave an enigmatic answer! When I first lived in Stroud and I didn’t know anyone in those early months so on a Sunday I would often walk in the Slad Valley and frequently saw Laurie in the Woolpack.

Yesterday’s Quiz answers on Climbers -all answers have connections with the Himalayas.

a) Tenzing Norgay accompanied Edmund Hillary to the summit of Everest   b) Reinhold Messner did the first solo of Everest without oxygen  c) George Mallory and “Sandy” Irvine disappeared on the 1924 expedition (Into the Silence is an excellent book on that expedition)   d) Joe Brown died this year    e) Sherpas are the Nepalese people famed for living in the Himalayas.

Today’s questions are all connected with Laurie Lee or Gloucestershire

a) What instrument did he take with him when he left Gloucestershire?   b) What organisation did he join in Spain in 1937 ?  c)  “As I walked out………………”(fill in the missing three words for one of his books   d) What seven (old style counties) border Gloucestershire ?   e) What actor who starred in Hot Fuzz grew up in Gloucestershire?