My goodness what a day!!!!! Everywhere has taken a battering-roads round here are strewn with bits of tree and we have plenty of deep puddles to surf through! Ironically I did venture out to go to cricket nets, I know I should know better! Really a day for being tucked up in the warm!

Talking of battles the Two Severn Bores performed their first “Walking the Tightrope” show on Friday night. Dan the musical half of the duo was struggling with the after effects of flu and had to coax his voice through it. Really impressed with the songs he has written for this show and hope he records them in the near future. Our changeovers went reasonably smoothly so onto Bristol next month. We are looking for other venues to perform so please let us know if you can help. Pictures below are from Friday-the red hair was for my telling of the Warrior Queen!

I won’t mention football very disappointing yesterday!

Birds before Friday’s reminder! had two very different days on the bird front. Yesterday was my weekly volunteering slot at Wick Court with young people from Orpington (I did visit their school nearly four years ago!) Thoroughly enjoyable day and pleased it was dry, we saw a good many birds but the children enjoyed me showing them a Vole Nest near our Hide. Our Hide is a great success and is now almost two years old.

Today Clare and I went to do one of our Winter Bird survey squares (OS map squares) and once again was well away from home in a place you wouldn’t normally visit. A delightful morning and we had a wonderful view of a Greenfinch at the top of a tree.

Finally last shout for The Two Severn Bores gig on Friday  starting at 7.30 at Kingshill House Dursley. Please join us if you can. Our next one is in Bristol at Folk Tales on the last Wednesday in March.

Forgot to mention we saw this film last week at the wonderful independent cinema at Wotton.

It was certainly an immersive film and highlighted what a futile war the First World War was without being preachy! I was totally gripped and it was no surprise when it won the BAFTA yesterday for best film.

Had a lovely session on Thursday telling some old favourites at Wick Court to our friends from Surrey Square. Following up with a delightful Sunday at Kingshill House for the start of National Story Telling Week. I enjoyed telling my Pirate Pete story again. I really must get down to tidying up the story for possible publication especially if it had a good illustrator. The whole day at Kingshill was a delight with puppets, a theatre group, story dice making as well as an old bloke telling stories!

Now have to work hard on getting ready for Friday’s Two Severn Bores gig at Kingshill House on Friday. We had to cancel our rehearsal on Friday and we do need to be sure our changeovers between music and stories work properly.

Finally a bit of sport to finish with. Great result earlier in the week by the English Cricket Team really encouraging to see a young team do well. We went to see the Hatters at West Brom yesterday hoping to build on Tuesday’s great result. Sadly we lost but gave a decent account of ourselves and could of done with VAR yesterday and the result may of been different. Having said that I would hate to be in a ground when VAR is being used!

This is pure advertising for two events connected to National Story Telling Week at Kingshill House, Dursley.

On Sunday there is a wonderful family event starting at 10.45 a.m. it includes Story Telling (me), Puppet Theatre and Drama if you go to the Kingshill House website you can get all the details. Weather looks iffy so those of you with families it should be a good event.

The second event is a World Premiere !

It is on Friday 7th February –The Two Severn Bores (Dan the magical musician and myself) with our new show “Walking The Tightrope” a mixture of stories and songs. We are performing in the bar it is free (a hat will go round for contributions)

Hope to see you at one of the above.

Woe is me! Went for a long ride with a pal today trying to beat the rain. Excellent first part with lots of climbing. Martin got a puncture about eleven miles from home. We struggled to sort it with a new tube but failed. It was agreed I would pedal home and come back to rescue. Believe it not I got one five miles from the end and I couldn’t sort it so the cavalry came to the rescue.

The Two Severn Bores had a good rehearsal at the weekend. Another one booked for this weekend. We are planning a couple of changes to try out. Don’t forget our first performance is on the 7th February at Kingshill House, Dursley at 7.30, please join us it should be fun.

Just a reminder that Two Severn Bores are performing at Kingshill House on 7th February with a “Walking the Tightrope” show. There is a good poster on the Kingshill House website with drawings of Dan and I on a tightrope. No we are not walking a tightrope! In the blurb I wrote I put …..

“Life is often in the balance. The Two Severn Bores explore this theme in a mix of stories and songs from the Warrior Queen, to a princess facing up to the God of Death. Everything is closing in on Sarah can she escape the blanket grip of social media? Will a chance meeting on a bridge help?

Hope that has got your interest and we see you at 7.30 on the 7th.

Enjoying the frosty weather but sadly for those of us near the River we have had a blanket following the valley. Yesterday on my ride the difference was palpable, lights and balaclava for in the fog-sunglasses and open jacket out in the sunshine! I had great views of the fog hanging in the valley from the high up in Painswick.

Busy on the writing front -mainly for the Two Severn Bores. I am trying to write a different angle on the story of Boudicca.

I am going to be busy over the next couple of months, several whole day school bookings as well as the Two Severn Bores gigs through the winter and spring.

Mainly a sporting blog today and a little bit about Story Telling at the end! I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this young vibrant England cricket team in South Africa over the last couple of Test Matches. Have done really well coping with sickness and injuries. Ollie Pope looks a top class batsmen and looks to have a promising career ahead of him. I am hoping the football for my beloved Hatters will turn around soon, confidence is low at the moment we could do with a bit of luck for a change.

Slowly upping the miles on the bike when it isn’t pouring with rain. Today I loved climbing over the Cotswolds on a beautiful frosty morning. Have to cherish these mornings after the persistent rain.

The Two Severn Bores had our first rehearsal of our new collaboration  “Walking the Tightrope” last night even though we haven’t finished writing the whole show! Our first performance is three weeks away at Kingshill House on Friday 7th February starting at 7.30 all welcome!

No not the wizard (or one of my bikes) but the bird for today’s title. Just completed the monthly bird survey out by the River Severn and a female Merlin was the highlight -one of my favourite birds. Surprisingly we didn’t see that many species on our patch although we saw there were thousands of birds up at Slimbridge.

First Story Telling session of 2020 is later this afternoon at Wick Court.