I have decided the Tom Waits song is right for today’s title. Perhaps it should be broken chain because today I went riding with two pals and one of them ended up breaking his chain when he got a gear change wrong. Having experienced that before with our David memorably when we cycling from Exeter to Frampton I always carry a spare link. My pals were suitably impressed and we were able to continue our delightful ride.

I have mixed feelings about football starting again next week. part of me looking forward to it but empty stadiums will be bizarre. As I am a season ticket holder I will be able to watch all of the last nine games online. Fingers crossed there will no gremlins in the internet.

Yesterday’s answers all about the Beatles

a) Their last performance was on the roof top of their Savile Row HQ in Jan 69 and their last concert with an audience was in San Francisco in August 66    b) The first satellite broadcast was in June 67 and they sang “All You Need is Love   c) Pete Best was the drummer before Ringo  d) 13 albums made    e) Paul famously had no shoes on!

Today’s Quiz on drink

a) From what is the Japanese drink Saki made from?   b) What name is given to a bottle of champagne equivalent to eight ordinary bottles?   c)  Which spirit’s name derives from a Dutch word meaning “burnt wine?   d) How many cups of tea are drunk in Britain daily (will give you five million either side)?  e) Along which river is most of France’s Sauvignon Blanc cultivated?

I thought the John Lennon classic would be a good title. It is a sad and angry world at the moment so I wanted something optimistic and about a better world! I am really just a hopeless sentimental romantic!!!

Good news I’ve finished my initial tidy up of my story so getting close to doing the next stage. So momentum will slow now for a while. The other bit of good news from Dan the other half of Two Severn Bores is the podcast is getting closer to being finished-surprised me to hear that because I thought I had to re-record a section! He tells me it can be sorted by technological wizardry! So watch this space-I will post a link when it is ready so I hope dear reader you will listen to it and perhaps share it with friends!

I hope you managed to see the Golden Valley near Stroud on Springwatch-a beautiful valley.

Yesterday’s Roman Quiz

a) Britannia (Roman name for British Isles)   b) Boudicca’s tribe is the Iceni (one of my favourite stories to tell and I upgraded my telling earlier in the year.) c)  Eboracum  is the Roman name for York  d) Fosse Way goes from Exeter to Lincoln  e)  Claudius of Robert Graves fame was the emperor who invaded Britain.

Today’s Quiz on the Beatles

a) Two parts to this question where was their final live performance and where was their concert with an audience?    b) The Beatles did the first world wide live satellite broadcast what year did it take place?  c) Who was the drummer before Ringo?  d) How many albums did they release not compilations?  e) Who wasn’t wearing shoes on the Abbey Road cover?

I was going for a bookish song title today and I came across the Frank Zappa number and I know I haven’t done a Zappa title before!!!! You hope libraries will open soon there are such a valuable resource. We had a good virtual Book Club last night although we all said we miss doing it in the flesh. We universally enjoyed Cannery Row for it’s humour and humanity. There was much praise for Steinbeck’s writing and several people wanted to read out phrases.

Lovely walk this morning from Wotton Under Edge to the Tyndale Monument at North Nibley. I took the picture of the Whitethroat below on our walk.

Still working on tidying up my story at the moment the title is Pig the Legend but that may change. Still wondering about the next step.

Yesterday’s Quiz on Children’s Classics

a) Max played with the Wild Things (a fabulous timeless book!)   b) James the res engine was Number 5   c) Witches can be recognised by the fact they always wear gloves, they are bald (they wear wigs), have large nose holes, their eyes change colour, they have no toes, they have blue spit! That is my public service broadcast d) Ratty is a Water Vole when I first came to Gloucestershire I used to see them regularly sadly it is a rarity to see one.  e) Pongo and Perdita  or Missus are from 101 Dalmatians

Today’s Quiz is on the Romans in the British Isles

a) What did the Romans call the British Isles?    b) What was Boudicca’s tribe the rebelled in AD61   c) What is the Roman name for York?  d) The Fosse Way went from Exeter to ?????????   e) Who was the Roman Emperor when the Romans invaded Britain in AD 43?

Went with one of my favourite bands The Kinks for today’s title. I wanted a song with book in the title because we have Book Club tonight via zoom. We are doing Steinbeck’s Cannery Row which is the second book of his we have discussed. Despite it dating a bit with time I really enjoyed it. The humour and ultimately the humanity shone throughout. I have since read that many of characters were drawn on real people who actually lived in the community. I look forward to the time we can all meet up in person to discuss the books.

My garden is full of young birds at the moment -it could be Springwatch! Over the last fortnight we have had young Blue Tits, Great Tits, Starlings, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Blackbird, Robin, Jackdaws, Dunnock, and also heard young Great Spotted Woodpecker calling to the parent bird. I’m sure we probably have others as well. talking about Springwatch I have enjoyed the lock down version this year.

Today’s quiz is all on  Classic Children’s Books

a) Who played with the Wild ThIngs?     b) What number train was James from Thomas the Tank Engine  c)  How can you recognise a witch in Roald Dahl’s book?   d) What type of creature is Ratty from Wind in the Willows?   e)  Who are the pair of Dalmatians living with Mr and Mrs Dearly in 101 Dalmatians?

A power cut tonight in deepest Frampton hence the Oasis title-not that we were electric here!

With the turmoil in the news at the moment, I thought I would share an unusual gig I was asked to do linked to possibly  a historic moment in Bristol at the weekend. Bristol has always seemed to have contorted itself  reconciling it’s past.

In my first year of Story Telling I was asked to work highlighting the  Bristol Pound and tell a stories by The Nails in Corn Street to young people. The Nails was where business was conducted hence the expression “on the nail” I dressed as a 17th century merchant (picture below) and my stories highlighted doing business there and of course that had to include uncomfortable references to the slave trade.

Yesterday’s Quiz on bikes

a) Lanterne Rouge is last place in the Tour  b) Peloton is the group of cyclists  c)  Derailleur is the gear shifter  d) Egan Bernal won the Tour last year  e) There approximately one billion bikes in the world.

Haven’t had time to do a quiz tonight with the power cut.

Not a song title today but a book title! The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien has achieved legendary status in our Book Club partly because of the surreal humour and partly all the references to bikes. O’Brien talks about half man/half bike which tickled all of us regular bike riders. We often state what percentage bike each one of is!  I only chose this title because I promised a picture of Shadowfax my sturdy work horse of a bike.  So it the picture at the top minus the wheels. There is a picture of a Red Kite at the bottom of the blog because we saw many of them yesterday-beautiful birds! The re-introduction of Red Kites has been really successful.

I had a delightful ride today up and down the Cotswolds. This was on my super duper bike-not Shadowfax! I also made a lovely batch of wholemeal rolls today nearly put a picture of them in the blog-then we  would then be getting like Facebook!

Today’s Quiz Questions (mainly with a French theme)

a) What is the name given to last place in the Tour de France?    b) What French word commonly refers to a bunch or pack of cyclists?  c)  What French railway term refers to the gear shifting system between the chain between sprockets?   d) Who won the 2019 Tour de France?  e) How many bikes are there roughly in the world is it one million, or hundred million, or One hundred thousand million  or one billion?

Struggled to think beyond this song title today. I wanted a song about a picnic and couldn’t get beyond this one! We had a picnic today (socially distanced of course) with my Peter and Nicola-we didn’t take any teddies though! First in the flesh meeting for a long time because of circumstances of course. Good for all our well being!!!!!! Lots of Red Kites flying over in that part of the world.

On my evening stroll I caught a brief glimpse of a Stoat tonight.

I am aiming to tidy up my story this week. There are a couple of technical things to do.

Yesterday’s Garden Themed Quiz Answers

a) Mountain Ash is the other name for Rowan  b) Venus Fly Trap c) Lotus is the Buddhist flower  d) Tulips were used as currency   e) Saffron comes from the Crocus

No quiz on a Sunday.

Picked a Richard Thompson song for today’s title because as you may of guessed by the title we have spent some time in the garden this morning. We were worried because rain was forecast and were determined to get some new plants planted before it rained. As it was we hardly had any rain in the end!

Later I collected my bike “Shadowfax”  from it’s loving service. All my bikes have been serviced recently because I have been clocking up the miles this year especially since lockdown. I have already ridden over 2,300 miles already this year! “Shadowfax” is really my work horse and the bike I ride to my Story Telling Gigs. I have had for almost 26 years so I am very fond of it. You never know I might write properly about one of my many cycling exploits in a future blog. Those exploits  have been  varied from long distance rides in different parts of Britain and Ireland, to the mountains of the Alps and the Pyrenees,  Sportives, as well as many social rides sampling coffee and cakes in Gloucestershire.

Yesterday’s History Quiz Answers

a) The last Plantagenet King was Richard the Third  (“A Horse, a horse………”)  b) Caractacus  (Also known as Caradoc or Caradog) was the rebel king captured by the Romans.  c) Peterloo was the massacre in 1819   d) Emily Davison was killed by the King’s Horse   e) Mary Anning was a palaeontologist

Today’s Quiz is all on gardens

a) What is another name for the Rowan Tree?   b) Charles Darwin described this carnivorous plant  “the most wonderful plant in the world” What is the name of this plant?   c)   What is the sacred flower of the Buddhist religion?  d) Which garden plant in the 17th century was exchanged as a form of currency?  e) The spice, saffron, comes from which flower?

Dylan songs have been prominent for my blog title. It seems appropriate for what is happening at the moment. I’m sure like me you were shocked by the awful video that came out of America recently. American policemen I have always found to be frightening and it is doubly so for members of the Afro-Caribbean. Their egotistical president sadly just inflames matters.

Yesterday’s quiz answers on bird nicknames.

a) Treemouse is the Treecreeper     b) Osprey is the Fish Hawk   c) Pied Wagtail is the Polly Wash Dish (what a great name)   d) Arctic or Common Tern is the Sea Swallow   e) Green Woodpecker is Laughing Betsy  (there are many nicknames and of course those of you of a certain age will remember Professor Yaffle from Bagpus!)

Today’s Quiz is all on History

a) Who was the last Plantagenet king?   b) Which rebellious leader of the Catuvellauni  tribe was caught and taken to Rome in AD 50, then pardoned by Emperor Claudius?   c) In August 1819, around 60,000 peaceful pro-democracy protestors were attacked in an open square in Manchester. This event is known as…..?    d) In which year did Emily Wilding Davison die as a result of a collision with the King’s Horse during the Epsom Derby?   e) What was Mary Anning famous for?

One of the delights of living in Frampton is the many birds that are attracted to our diversity of habitat. We have an old gravel pit at the end of our road that has a variety of water fowl all year around, We have many wooded copses (sadly for pheasant rearing) that are good for woodland birds and of course the River with almost moorland on one bank and reed beds.  As I sit here writing this blog there are swifts and martins high over our  house. When I take children bird watching at Wick Court their mouths open in disbelief  when I tell them swifts don’t land for three years. Fabulous birds and aesthetically pleasing to watch their arrow shape bodies cutting through the air.

Quiz answers from yesterday on a rain theme which I hope most of you scored well.

a) The raven was the first bird sent out by Noah  b)  Venus has the acid rain   c)Golden   RaIn is Laburnum  d) Rain in Spain is from My Fair Lady e)  PrInce  of course sang Purple Rain

Today’s quiz is all about bird nicknames -can you work out the bird?

a) Treemouse ? b) Fish Hawk ?  c) Polly washdish ? -clue common in car parks and playgrounds d) sea swallow? e)  Laughing Betsy (the laugh is the clue)?