Today’s title is courtesy of the Foo Fighters. It sums up how the body is after a really tiring week shooting all over the place to perform. The whole days are exhausting especially with several stories that are physically taxing (well the way I tell them)!  Voice just held up. It has been an enjoyable few days.

To finish off my week I’ve cycled 20 miles today and done a two hour cricket net-yes head is being examined later.

Heading North tomorrow and combining seeing family and watching the mighty Hatters!

Another short blog today as I am between gigs. Just back from the Bath area where I spent the morning at the delightful Roundhill Primary School. I am going back in a fortnight to tell a story for parents. Today’s title reflects my whole school story and took my amazing puppet to assist!  Later tonight we are travelling up to Leicestershire-I am telling stories at Syston (it will be my third visit to the school-are they gluttons for punishment). I have to  shoot back to Gloucestershire to tell stories at Wick Court in the evening.

Between gigs I managed to do my Bird Watching with the young people from near Pimlico at Wick Court. We did really well and spotted 28 species which equalled our school record. Highlight was 70+ Golden Plovers flying over. This was even with part of our usual route closed off.

Will blog again at the end of the week.

Lovely day at Upton St Leonards today to kick off their Literature Festival. I managed to recover my props beforehand which was a relief. Body is feeling the effect of two full on days with telling many different stories!  Really enjoyed the two schools and the response of the delightful young people.

Back at Wick Court tomorrow for Bird Watching and onto Bath and Leicestershire later this week.

I called myself the Story Traveller because I envisaged I would mainly travel to my gigs on my bike! have mentioned previously it is my busiest time of the year so you would of thought I would be on the bike quite a bit. Sadly because of the geography  involved I was only going to cycle to one school and that was supposed to be tomorrow with a 28 mile round trip. Just packing my panniers today with bits and pieces and I discovered I left a vital bag of props at Shurdington (near Cheltenham) on Friday!  They are vital and I need them! So no cycling tomorrow instead a dash round the Gloucestershire countryside! It could of been worse it could of been London or Leicestershire where I have gigs!

An old Irish ballad for today’s title as we seem to have had nonstop  wind for a while now! You really notice it on your bike-it is really hard work! I hope to cycle to Monday’s gig because after all I am supposed to be The Story Traveller. I will check the weather forecast!!!!! The only downside of cycling to a gig is all the stuff you cram into your panniers and I can’t take my fedora hat that I often wear for my gigs. Full day tomorrow so just going over my stories for the last time. Last couple of days have been preparation for future gigs.

My sporting week has been mixed. My bowling got a real mauling on Monday night for the first time indoors! Yet Tuesday I watched a really plucky display by my favourite football team -it is now getting tense -it is the Hope that gets you!

I have had so many soakings over the last month either on my bike or doing bird surveys that I have noticed my feet are now webbed! Seriously it does seem to be the wettest Winter ever!

I am entering my busiest time of the year with World Book Day looming. I am visiting quite a few schools all over the country to tell stories, as well as another Two Severn Bores Gig in Bristol at the end of the month (this one is at Folk Tales). The days in schools are full on as I tell stories to every year group as well as a whole school story so it often 8 plus stories to tell during a day. By the end of the month I would have told at least 30 different stories during March. I have to be careful to manage my voice through this time. I have had a good spell writing in the last fortnight but that is going to slow down with the Story Telling with all the preparation etc.

I slipped and slid my way on the slopes near Dursley on Saturday morning to do my last Winter Bird Square Survey. I was exhausted afterwards!

Tonight I am playing indoor cricket maybe to get an early taste of summer?

An appropriate play on words for the Doors classic song for today’s title! Got battered by the wind and rain today on our monthly bird survey. As mentioned in the previous posts birds are unlikely to be out in the open in this weather. Plenty of Curlew on the river, 50+ Snipe, a couple of Stonechats. many Meadow Pipits a few Skylarks, Reed Bunting and a few common hedge birds. No Raptors didn’t expect to see any with the weather. Despite the soaking we do enjoy these mornings out by the River Severn.

Last night we went to a wonderful talk by the T.V. presenter Iolo Williams  on Birds of Prey. He was a superb speaker and was hard hitting on persecution by game keepers across the country. It is dreadful what these big estates do to a wide variety of majestic birds. It seems that laws need tightening up but vested interests prevent this.

We headed North with trepidation on Friday as we considered the weather and also the away record of my favourite football team. Our planned stop at the Fairburn Ings  a RSPB reserve was under water. So we moved on to Rievaulx Abbey on the edge of the North York Moors-our breath was taken away by the stunning ruins in a beautiful wooded valley. Saturday saw us visit RSPB Saltholme -an impressive reserve and lovely helpful staff. Obviously the weather made it difficult for any self respecting bird to be out in the open but we were rewarded by great views of a Water Rail and a reed Bunting from the shelter of a Hide. Later I spotted a female Goldeneye.

Saturday afternoon was at Middlesborough Football Club and I know this hard to believe but surprisingly we won! Up the Hatters!!!!!! Now hope is kindled which is dangerous!

Visited Hardwick Hall a National Trust property.

Finally been working on my “Pig the Legend” story set in Gloucester (a time shifting story)- not sure about that title-will work on it!

Last night as we sat down having arrived back home after a great weekend the news came on. Imagine our shock to see my brother’s road in Nantgarw under water with cars floating! It was really quick at 4 in the morning and Faye my niece was in the house who’s first thought was to go round to an elderly neighbour and was just in time. Really proud of her selfless action. Sadly this awful flooding has been replicated all over the country for some people it has been all to frequent.  When will Trump, Morrison and Johnson wake up and start to lead on climate change!

I will blog again tomorrow to talk about stories and our weekend-doesn’t seem appropriate with what I have mentioned above.

The title refers to last night’s football more of that towards the end of the blog!

Had a busy week and have even managed some writing on a story I haven’t touched for a while. Hope to get some more done next week.

Lovely Bird watch with the young people from Charles Dickens Primary School on Tuesday, they got really good at spotting small birds like a Wren. Today I told them stories and they were joined by their friends from nearby Eastington Primary School-these two schools have had a link for several years and it was lovely to see them together.

Yesterday was all go. I took out my pal’s Terry dog Jake for a walk first thing, later met up with old friends (all retired Headteachers) for an enjoyable lunch. Later went to watch the Mighty Hatters  win with an excellent team performance. Yes!!!!!!!!!!Fingers crossed for Saturday’s Northern Sojourn – we are off to watch them!

Even managed to cycle against the wind on Monday really hard climbing into the gale. Today we got a good soaking on our bikes! (I might need to have my head tested after trying riding in this challenging weather!)