Gradually getting back to normal I went and did some voluntary work this morning for the first time for a while. The rest of the day I’ve gave over to sport. I watched the cricket and the mighty Hatters.  A good day both England and the Hatters won!

Yesterday’s Quiz on Gardens

a) Nebuchadnezzar 11 was responsible for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon   b) It was Garden Gnomes that came from Germany  c) Yellow is the colour of a Welsh Poppy  d) Belladonna was the plant with the Italian name for Beautiful Women  e)  Ovary is the part of the flower that produces the fruit.

One of the positive things from my gigs last week was the request for stories on different themes. I always enjoy the challenge of finding stories.  One infant class asked for a story with either the North Pole or South Pole in it. So I wrote one that had both poles  in it!  Although it was a simple story it was stimulating being creative and using my brain again. I did need something to motivate me. I have since sent them the story for the children to illustrate it.

Spent some time emptying a compost bin and I have to say I am chuffed with the outcome some lovely rich dark compost!

One thing I forgot to mention last weekend it was exactly a year since I attended a live sporting event watching the mighty Hatters at Wigan. I have got Test Match tickets for this summer so fingers crossed.

Quiz today as I mentioned compost it is on gardens!

a) Which King created the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?    b) What were brought to Britain  from Germany in 1847 by Sir Charles Isham?  c) What colour is the Welsh Poppy?  d) Which plant takes it’s name from the Italian phrase for “Beautiful women?”  e) Which part of a flower becomes the fruit?

Made the most of a predominantly dry day. We did our annual power wash of the path and patio-amazing how much comes off! I managed to get in a ride before the cricket-I think maybe I should of done a longer ride and missed the cricket!

Still feeling chuffed with being able to visit a school on Friday. It certainly gave me a real boost interacting with the children and their staff. You do realise how our lives have shrunk so much over the last year. Still onwards and upwards!

Yesterday’s Music Quiz

a) The Rolling Stones had 36 top ten albums in the US  b) Carousel was the musical where “Walk On” first appeared later adapted by Gerry and the Pacemakers and of course The Kop  c) Dvorak was Czech   d) February made me Shiver sand Don Mclean  e) Live Aid was 1985.

After feeling fed up watching my team unluckily lose today I ambled out for a walk. My ears were assailed by that wonderfully evocative sound that bubbly yet melancholic whistling cry of the Curlew. I feel really lucky to be able to live near the Severn and be able to see and hear the Curlew. Sadly these bird is endangered mainly because of habitat loss. The picture below was the only one close enough to photograph, also there is a poor picture of frog spawn in our pond (might have another go tomorrow!)

A quiz today I thought ought to be on music because of the Curlew.

a) Which English band has had a record 36 top ten albums in the US charts?    b) What musical does “Walk Alone” originate from?  c) In the song American Pie by Don Mclean what did February do to the singer?  d) What nationality was the composer Dvorak?  e) What year was the Live Aid concert?

It has been lovely this week seeing children going to school. Well today I went back to school for the first time in a year. I visited Avening Primary School this morning where the Head, Jane, is a former colleague of mine. I think I was probably more excited than the young people. I certainly enjoyed it and I think so did the young people. It was wonderful being able to think on my feet again. The online performances are very different for me although I put the same effort into both types  I think I am much more inventive in my “live” performances.

This afternoon I attempted to finish off the online performance where technology had failed yesterday. I logged and I saw the lovely Year 1 children that I had written a special story for and would you believe the camera started playing up! I rushed to get my phone so ended up finishing the story on that format. I was amazed at the patience of the young people. I am aiming to tidy the story up and send it to them so they can illustrate it and make their own book!

I have just been question master for our quiz league because our team had tonight off. I was warned that I needed to set some testing questions! It turned out that it stretched every team! I wasn’t the most popular man! Still you live and learn! I’ve decided not to do a quiz tonight!

I had a lovely afternoon telling stories online to my local primary school. More stories to tell tomorrow but this time as I have mentioned previously I am actually going into a school (first time for a year!)

A hiccup today with my online story telling I got everything ready props, puppets and camera etc. About an hour before I was true but when I tried clicking on the link I couldn’t get on. After much scrabbling around we got there! All went well apart from the story I was doing with the  Year 1 class when the screen in school froze with me in mid flow, I carried on oblivious! They apparently did pictures and writing on how they thought the story would end! Trying that one again Friday p.m.

Another delightful Book Club tonight discussing we were discussing Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami.

Monday’s Quiz on Books

a) Holmes lived at 221b Baker Street   b) Joe was in Great Expectations   c) The Last of the Mohicans was written by James Fenimore Cooper  d) Jim Hawkins was the hero from Treasure Island  e) Jane Eyre was the book where Mr Rochester gets married to the heroine.

Hopefully another quiz tomorrow or Friday.

Well BUSY is a word I haven’t used for a long time. I had almost forgotten the palaver I have to go through to learn stories. I am doing some stories for the next two afternoons online and then in person actually in a school on Friday morning. Apart from the story I finished writing this morning for a Y1 class tomorrow all the other stories are ones I have told before. Even so I have forgotten much. I found talking to people we are all forgetting things since we endured lock down. I am worried that my vocabulary has diminished over this last year. So it is good to start having a bit of cut and thrust again! My blogs might be a little sporadic over the next couple of days! especially as I have Book Club on Wednesday night and I am question master for a quiz on Thursday night! See what I mean it like buses nothing happens and ……………….!

I did a marvellous ride yesterday and was actually wearing shorts again! Unlikely to be able to ride much more this week with the awful weather forecast!

Both Blackcaps are still active in our garden!

Quiz Questions on Well Known  Books and Stories

a) Where did Sherlock Holmes live?   b) Which Dickens’ story does Joe the Blacksmith appear?   c) Who wrote “Last of the Mohicans”?   d) Who is the young hero in Treasure Island?  e) In which novel does the heroine eventually marry Mr Rochester?

Well despite the sunshine it still seemed cold today! Had a lovely walk by the River Frome looking for Dippers. No Dippers but plenty of perky Wrens and a Chiffchaff. Chiffchaffs are migrants although some stay here for the winter so maybe a migrant also heard one singing!

Yesterday’s Quiz on Herbs and Spices

a) Paprika  is the national spice of Hungary   b) Parsley is a biennial plant  c) Rosemary is the herb Shakespeare had for remembrance in Hamlet  d) sage used  for medicinal purposes  in the Middle Ages  e) The curry plant’s flower is yellow

The title is because I spent time today getting an old woody rosemary bush out. As I was grabbling with the branches I was covered in the needles so had that lovely distinctive rosemary smell wafting all around.

I mentioned earlier in the week we were seeing the female Blackcap in the garden. Well all week we have had regular sightings of both the male and female. So we are keeping our fingers crossed that we may get a nest nearby. We have only had Blackcaps in the garden in Winter!

My Quiz team had a narrow win on Thursday! Like my football team we are in mid table! I am setting the questions for next Thursday’s quiz.

Today’s Quiz is on Herbs and Spices

a) What is the national spice of Hungary?   b) Is parsley an annual, biennial  or perennial plant?   c) In Shakespeare’s Hamlet which herb is  said to be “for remembrance?”  d) Sage is now a familiar herb in the kitchen. What was its main purpose in the Middle Ages? e) The curry plant has a very spicy aroma and silvery leaves. What colour are the flowers of the plant?

Pictures below I took yesterday. It is the female Blackcap on the feeder, Song Thrush in the grass and a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the tree.