A Short blog today! I am in the middle of a three days performing for Gloucestershire Libraries Special Half Term Activity Days  . I have been in Cheltenham the last couple of days and tomorrow it is Matson (Gloucester) tomorrow. Quite tired tonight!!!

I used to regularly use a song title for the blog (till I ran out of ideas!)- so I thought the Rolling Stones song might be appropriate today. It is my birthday and also two friends in the village as well. So we wore all invited to friends for a super lunch. Picture of the collective birthday cake below. I had a my granddaughter Ellen sing me a birthday greeting and then asked for a picture of her Dad as a baby. So i sent a few including the one below of “Gramps” with her Dad. Her comment was “Gramps” looks different – he is wearing a different coat!!!

Busy week ahead with story telling – I am doing work for the library service over the next three days!

Look at that hair!!!!

Had a wonderful Friday night at Gloucester Cathedral. We went to see Luke Jerram’s Mars: War and Peace – it was in the nave and was fascinating to look at. I then went on a tour to the top of the tower – brilliant at night. Some pictures below.

I won’t mention the football – we were awful and now in trouble. I really thought we would be near the top of the table not the bottom!

Had a lovely time with our two grandsons yesterday- delightful company!

Nothing like a bit of Henry Vth for a title! Today is the date of the Battle of Agincourt. Interestingly as part of the Gloucester History Festival I listened to modern perspective on Henry (very different slant to the Shakespeare perspective.)

I did do story telling last night but not where I originally  expected to be! I had been booked at Five Acres and it was called a Punkie Night but after all the rain the carpark had been flooded so it was cancelled. So I went to my usual Thursday night slot at Wick Court (where I am story teller in residence)

Disappointed with the football result on Wednesday night. However, The Mighty Hatters were really unlucky and had Sunderland pinned in the half most of the game. Hopefully we can continue to replicate this form and should move up the league.

I have an interesting visit to Gloucester Cathedral tonight – so will blog about it about over the weekend.

It has been a while since I did the Boudicca Revolt as a story telling. had a lovely morning in Highnam Primary School revisiting it. The paint came on, a red wig came out (and a dress and a cloak!) I also did a story writing workshop with the older age groups.

Back to Wick Court this morning for bird watching with young people from Gloucester! Saw plenty and one eagle eyed lad spotted meadow pipits on the wire (we should see them more often here but are surprisingly rare. ( a picture below -not one of mine!)

Often to watch the Mighty Hatters wondering if I should take my boots we are so short of defenders!

Well after a lovely week away (we didn’t get back until 3 on Friday morning so it meant it was a non-day as we were so tired (we did manage to get our covid and flu jabs out of the way!) I thoroughly enjoyed the football yesterday – it was the first time this season the Mighty Hatters had played with an effective high press – was worried we might be disrupted by the four injuries but everyone responded well. It is baffling that once again we have many centre backs injured. Until yesterday it has been a disappointing start to the season,

I mentioned yesterday I have a busy time coming up with story telling in the next fortnight- starting with me doing the Boudicca revolt on Tuesday (so the wig and dress come out again- I tell the story as her!)

Finally good news one of my regular readers of this blog Colin is back home after a traumatic fortnight in hospital = hope you can now read this Colin!)

Some more pictures from Italy including a Mediterranean gull in flight and a gecko!

The title is because my football team the Mighty Hatters had a convincing win today against our local rivals. Fantastic hostile atmosphere which you expect for a derby game. hopefully we can now kick on but injuries are mounting once again. Still we all went home happy!

Will do a proper blog tomorrow with some photos. I have a busy fortnight coming up on the Story Telling front!

We have had unreliable internet so the previous post took a couple of days to get it out there!. Some of the pictures below might remind you of the last James Bond film!!!

Greetings from Southern Italy! Weather is like an English summer day!! A few pictures below including the train that took us to Lecce ! Hopefully more in the next day or two! The sculpture is of an olive tree more on olives later!

The aftermath of yesterday’s rain has left loads of standing water everywhere. I ventured to Wick Court this morning and the moat was completely full covering the stones at the side completely so my grey wagtail we have seen the last two weeks has nowhere to go!

The cricket from Pakistan is a run fest (low scoring games are usually more interesting). You have to take your hat off to Joe Root now the highest scoring English Test batsman! Some of his cover drives and Harry Brook’s were exquisite to watch!

Blog maybe intermittent over the next few days as we will be in Southern Italy so I can only blog on my phone.