I did promise a picture of Bluebells a couple of days ago so  here  below is one I took a couple of years ago.  On my daily exercise ride today I saw plenty of Bluebells and they were beginning to carpet  the woodland floor.  It does make the heart sing! For those of you unable to get out enjoy the picture and think of those walks next year!

Apologies for yesterday’s quiz I was tired and lacking inspiration! No quiz today but yesterday’s answers below.

a)  Napoleon of course came back from Elba     b)  Henry 11  married Eleanor of Aquitaine  their sons were King Richard 1st and King John   c)   Steve Davis lost to Dennis Taylor      d) Joe Simpson’s story was called Touching the Void (a remarkable story)

It feels like a fairly decadent day in deepest Gloucestershire. A lovely walk in the sunshine followed by a little gardening. I spent the whole afternoon watching that marvellous cricket from last summer Headingly Test when “Superman” Ben Stokes produced that magical innings! It was still  tense watching it even when I knew that outcome!

Yesterday’s quiz answers on flowers (I have to admit I had to do research for this one).

a) Daffodil was Spring/New life   b) Gladiolus -sword   c) Heather – brush/clean    d) Iris – Rainbow e) Tulip- gause/turban

Today’s questions are inspired by Ben Stokes is all about comebacks

a) Napoleon came back from exile from what island?    b)  Eleanor of Aquitaine was married twice her first husband was King Louis V11 who was her second husband   c)  Snooker player Dennis Taylor was down 7 frames to nil in the 1985 World Championship final and he eventually beat who?  d) Joe Simpson made a remarkable come back in the Andes in 1985 what was the name of the book/film of that come back?

Writing this blog often prompts hidden/lost  memories and that was certainly true of a couple of days ago when I set questions on children’s books. It reminded me of my happy days as a primary school class teacher. It was one of the most precious times both for me and the children was the class book we were reading. I vividly remember children desperate for the next chapter of a story. That was obviously where the Story Teller started to evolve. Many times I have met ex pupils who waxed lyrically about those times. Recently met someone from my first ever class!

Today’s exercise ride was delightful because of the weather and as I went through woodland seeing the wonderful Bluebells. There are to me a quintessentially British flower of our woodland (I know they can be seen in other countries). I may well put a picture I took last year in tomorrow’s blog.

Yesterday’s answers

a) Hippocrates is the father of medicine      b) Vitamin A helps to prevent night blindness     c)  Athlete’s Foot is timea pedis      d) Femur is the largest bone  e) Aneurin Bevan

Flower theme for today! What flowers are supposed to be linked to the following meanings?

a) Symbolises Birth/new beginning (Greek Mythology might help you)    b) sword (latin might help)   c) clean or brush   d)   rainbow (Greek mythology again)   e) Love and passion (should be easy)  e) gauze (Turkish word connected to turbans)

Enjoy your Easter Weekend !

The 1945 government was probably the most visionary government we have ever had and were determined that things would improve for everybody. In 1948 the NHS came into being and thank goodness we have it at this awful time. It is the jewel in the crown of this country that unites us all. So keep making sure our rulers don’t allow it to me neglected. Quiz questions follow a medical theme today.

More House Martins today and I also heard the explosive burst of song of a Cetti’s Warbler.

Yesterday’s answers to Books aimed at young people. I used to love reading books like Stig to my class as a young teacher and I loved the way Ted Hughes introduced the Iron Man’s adversary!

a) The Hungry Caterpillar ate 5 oranges on Friday  b) Axel Scheffler illustrated the Gruffalo    c) Barney was Stig’s friend   d) Joey was War Horse and the Albert who was his friend    e) The Space-Bat-Angel- dragon fought the Iron Man.

Medical Questions

a) What ancient Greek is known as the father of medicine?        b) Which vitamin is known to prevent night blindness?     c) What’s the itchy skin tinea pedis better known as?    d) Which is the largest bone in the human body?   e) Who was the Health Secretary who introduced the NHS ?

On a roll with themes for the quiz-I was worried I was drying up. Today’s title will give you a clue for the quiz at the end of the blog.

Had a wonderful ride for today’s exercise got me thinking what is the collective noun for Primroses possibly a profusion? Saw a few Bluebells as well I hope we will still be allowed out when they really explode everywhere.

Garden Bird update-Chiffchaff, two Sparrowhawks up high possibly male and female and House Martin briefly over.

Yesterday’s small, tiny miniscule little answers were

a) Vatican City is the smallest country   b) Mercury is the smallest planet   c) Rhode Island the smallest US State  d) The Bee Humming Bird is the smallest bird it is only found on Cuba–you had to get Bee because there are many species of Hummingbird !  e) Dwarf Sperm Whale is the smallest Whale (I had to look that one up!)

To mark our first  Beer and Books virtual meeting tonight I thought we ought to have a literary theme! Literary themes may  pop up from time to time so today’s quiz is all on Children’s Literature I don’t think it is that hard!

a) What did the Very Hungry Caterpillar eat on Friday?    b) Who illustrated the Gruffalo?  c) Who befriended Stig of the Dump?  d) What is the name of War Horse and who was his human friend? e) Who did the Iron Man by Ted Hughes have to fight?

I was initially struggling for today’s title and theme. However, the “exercise” slot has previously given me inspiration and today is no exception! Delightful walk around our beautiful village and I was dropping off the Wren biography ( I have just finished reading) to a friend when the idea came to me. The Wren is of course a tiny bird (not the smallest UK bird of course) so today’s quiz at the end of this blog is the Smallest!

I have at last managed to knuckle down to some writing over the last couple of days. I am currently working on a story based on a Gloucestershire Legend, it is fairly raw at the moment and will need several redrafts  but it has potential and it is  developing. Watch this space! I also need to start rewriting last year’s Two Severn Bores script on the River Severn.

Yesterday’s quiz answers

a) Ford Transit came out in 1965    b) Van Morrison was born in Bloomfield, Belfast   c) Dracula was written by Bram Stoker and was first published in 1897  d) Starry, Starry Night came out in 1971   e) Van Dijk’s first club was Groningen and Celtic was his first UK club.

Today’s “Small” Quiz

!) What is the smallest country in the world?     2) What is the smallest planet in our solar system   3) What is the smallest US state     4) What is the smallest bird in the world? (I often tell the young people at Wick Court this fact)   5) What is the smallest whale in the world?   Good Luck!!!!

Just to finish I have to mention the sad death of Raddy Antic. Raddy (a Serbian) was an outstanding footballer and manager (the only person to manage the three big giants of Spanish football). For all Luton Town  fans he will always be remembered for “that goal” at Manchester City one of our legendary moments! COYH!

Everybody is at it finding those jobs they have avoided for ever! I managed to reorganise my tool box last week that has been a mess since the Norman Conquest! Today it was up and down the step ladder as I gave “Cedric” our wonderful camper van a well deserved wash. It may be a little while before he is used properly. He was named after a Dragon that lived with me in our loft and caused us a few problems that featured in many of my stories. Cedric managed to send burnt letters to my old school from places like St Helena, Iceland and Peru! There is a picture of sparkling clean Cedric the van below (Cedric the Dragon has photo phobia!)

So today’s quiz is rather tenuous it is on Vans!!!!

a) When was the Ford Transit Van first introduced 1965, 1969 or 1975?      b) Where was singer Van Morrison born?     c) Van Helsing first appears in the novel Dracula when was it first published (I’ll give you 5 years either side) and who wrote it?   d) Van Gogh’s painting Starry Night was painted in 1869 how many years afterwards did the song Starry Starry Night come out by Don Maclean? e) What was  Virgil van Dijk Liverpool’s centre back first club in Holland and then in Britain?

Well we all know the saying “One Swallow doesn’t make a Summer…..”  Today for our exercise we walked around the lake in Frampton and my target was to see my first Swallow of the 2020. Lovely walk and I saw a Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Great Spotted Woodpecker some good water birds but still no Swallow. I went up to Splatt Bridge and Bingo there was a Swallow and also a Willow Warbler. So I was very happy but irony of ironies as I walked back into our house two Swallows flew over the house!

No quiz today (it is Sunday after all). Yesterday’s answer to the 6 species of Deer you can see in the UK are     a) Red Deer   b) Roe Deer  c) Fallow Deer d) Sika Deer e) Muntjac     f) Chinese Water Deer . Four of these species have been introduced the only true indigenous species are Red Deer and Roe Deer. Fallow Deer were introduced by the Normans the Romans had introduced them but they had died out.       Sika, Water Deer and Muntjac were introduced in the 19th and 20th century.

Onto today’s exercise I was cycling over Selsey Common and a Roe Deer came hurtling across in front of me. It appeared for a moment to be blind to me hence today’s title-boom boom!

So today’s quiz is inspired by that -there are six species of deer living wild in Britain. I have given you the one that nearly hit me can you name the other five?

Yesterday’s cheese answers

a) The smelly cheese that revived Wallace was Stinking Bishop b) Roquefort Cheese is made from Sheep’s milk c) The German stinky cheese is Limburger  d) The people were injured in the Cheese Rolling on Cooper’s Hill Gloucestershire e) Cheshire Cheese is the crumbly cheese (I gave you plenty of clues!)

Short blog today. Today’s title is taken from our exercise for today! I know you are thinking has the lock down got to him, how can cheese be related to exercise! Well possibly;  we cycled to Stroud to the wonderful cheese stall in the Shambles Market (still open with strict distancing guidelines). So we stocked up with some wonderful diverse cheeses-guess what today’s quiz is about?

First yesterday’s answers-they were all well known poems and you probably encountered them at school so I hope it wasn’t that taxing-depending on how long ago school was!

a) Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll      b) Adlestrop by Edward Thomas  c) The Soldier by Rupert Brooke     d) The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes    e) The Eagle by Alfred Tennyson 

Cheese Quiz

a) Which odourous British cheese had a demand increase of 500% after it was seen to revive Wallace in the 2005 movie “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit?

b) What is unusual about the milk to make Roquefort Cheese?     c) A stinky German Cheese?   d) In which cheese related event were 25 people hurt in May 2005?  e) Dense and crumbly cheese that should be named by fans of Lewis Carroll? (and stop grinning!)