As life on one level appears to be on hold it does mean we can look back. So I thought I would give you little snippets of my past that may or may not of contributed to me becoming a Story Teller.

I mentioned a couple of days ago Laurie Lee so I thought I would give you an insight to events leading up to me getting a teaching job in Gloucestershire. As I left college in the mid seventies the country was struggling with its finances (it was just after the three day week and the world had an oil crisis) so public spending was being squeezed. Teaching jobs were like gold dust and often there were a 100 plus applications for one job. I was struggling to find employment and was prepared to go anywhere in the country that would have me! I was rather arrogant about some of the jobs I saw in the Times Educational Supplement and the summer was dragging on and I hadn’t got a job. I saw the job in Stroud and I had never ever been there before but I had read Cider with Rosie so I thought why not it sounds an interesting place and my parents were nagging me about jobs.

I was called for interview in early August (you can tell time was running out for me and there were of course no children in school), First dilemma was how to get there for first thing on a Tuesday-I wasn’t keen on an overnight stay my parents said they would have a day out and drive me there and pick me up later (remember there were no mobile phones then or Sat Navs ). So an early morning drive with a few arguments over directions the nerves jangling frequent glances at my watch soon the distinctive Cotswold Stone buildings loomed either side of us a real contrast to North Hertfordshire we were used to.

I was deposited just in time in the Church Street public car park opposite the school. Wearing my tight fitting suit and tie neatly in position (thanks Mum) I entered. I was met by the ball of energy that was Madge the Headteacher, there were six all male candidates in those days you were all there at the same time not necessarily any gender balance. Interview and presentation  went OK. Lunch was Steak and Kidney pie  (I wasn’t a vegetarian then) and I was hungry following my early start and I tucked in. We were asked did we want seconds all my fellow interviewees declined politely so I said “Yes Please!” I was full of praise for the pie I hadn’t realised it was Madge’s own cooking. I got the job and later my parents who were waiting in the car park were invited in to see the school. The joke for the years afterwards was that I only got the job because I asked for seconds of the Head’s cooking!

I think the above illustrates that era but also the idiosyncratic Headteacher that I first worked for but who taught me so much. It certainly was a different world I was moving to!

Yesterday’s answers

a) 5th July 1948 the NHS came into being  b) 19th January 1944 was the Butler Education Act which meant free secondary education for all pupils  c) There were the two times Jenner first administered his Smallpox Vaccine  d) Penicillin was invented in 1928  e) 3rd Dec 1967 was the first heart transplant.

Today’s question is all on transport

a) where did the Wright Brothers make the first powered flight?  b) where is the first ever train station?   c) Who designed the first helicopter?   d) Who is recognised as designing the first car?  e) which city is Fiat based?

We had a small street party today (with physical distancing)-not sure our singing would win any prizes! However, it was a quintessentially British celebration and we all enjoyed it. Ironically we see more of our neighbours to chat to (from a distance) than we did when life was normal.

Yesterday’s Quiz on Laurie Lee/Gloucestershire

a) Laurie took a violin with him when he left home   b) He joined the International Brigade  c) As I walked Out One Midsummer Morning  d) Counties that border Gloucestershire (old version) Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Wiltshire, Monmouthshire and Bristol/Somerset e) Actor Simon Pegg grew up in Gloucestershire

I decided to pick significant dates in History that are not connected with war/battles (I seem to know so many of those ) so these dates have been for the greater good.

a) What came into being on the 5th July 1948?  b) What significant act of parliament was passed on the 19th Jan 1944  c) What was significant for health by the  two dates May14th and July 1st 1796?  d) What year was penicillin discovered?  e) What first took place on the 3rd December 1967?

Thought Don Henly’s song would be a good choice for today’s title. It has been a gorgeous summer day. I thoroughly enjoyed my  cycle ride especially as there was no wind! I am running out of different places to ride-so today I went up to Painswick from Upton St Leonards because I knew the road wouldn’t be that busy (wouldn’t normally try it)and I found a different route from there to the Slad Valley (those of you not familiar with Gloucestershire Geography was made  famous by the book Cider with Rosie).

Talking of Cider with Rosie when I first came to Gloucestershire I stayed with the school secretary for a fortnight till I got somewhere and she was at school with Laurie Lee -I did ask her if she was Rosie-she if I remember gave an enigmatic answer! When I first lived in Stroud and I didn’t know anyone in those early months so on a Sunday I would often walk in the Slad Valley and frequently saw Laurie in the Woolpack.

Yesterday’s Quiz answers on Climbers -all answers have connections with the Himalayas.

a) Tenzing Norgay accompanied Edmund Hillary to the summit of Everest   b) Reinhold Messner did the first solo of Everest without oxygen  c) George Mallory and “Sandy” Irvine disappeared on the 1924 expedition (Into the Silence is an excellent book on that expedition)   d) Joe Brown died this year    e) Sherpas are the Nepalese people famed for living in the Himalayas.

Today’s questions are all connected with Laurie Lee or Gloucestershire

a) What instrument did he take with him when he left Gloucestershire?   b) What organisation did he join in Spain in 1937 ?  c)  “As I walked out………………”(fill in the missing three words for one of his books   d) What seven (old style counties) border Gloucestershire ?   e) What actor who starred in Hot Fuzz grew up in Gloucestershire?

Another snippet from my St Helenian adventure is all about how one spent the leisure hours on a small island in the middle of the South Atlantic. The great thing when I was there was that my working day really did finish by 4 p.m. (all preparation for our work with teachers had been done back in the UK so it wasn’t like being at home where I would invariably be in school to some ridiculous hour). I managed plenty of reading while I was there as well as the ship! Weekends on the island were also free-no planning to do etc. With the nature of the isolation you had to find things to do -I did have an ambition to play cricket on the island but their season had finished-so dashing my hope of being an international cricketer-that came later! I obviously visited all the historical sites on the island sometimes two or three times. I took part in a couple of Hash Trails-this involves  running following a trail marked by flour but with many false ones and dead ends. You end up drinking beer at the end it has been called by people  “a drinking club with a running problem”. This was good fun and a great social activity.

We often joined a group that did hikes across to various parts of the island and had a picnic.  We followed old fishing paths that were not marked on the map. It was on one of these walks where we met JJ a charismatic Geordie (he was engineer) who liked to make the walks more adventurous by carrying some ropes with him so we could climb. Some snippets from my journal

“………the six of us walked along a precarious and slippery ridge till we reached the end of the peninsula. We took it turns to go down to a rock platform fractionally above sea level. Great fun dropping down and climbing back up. Stetson suggested we go back over the top. Slightly apprehensive I followed closely up a steep incline that involved some serious scrambling. Soaking with sweat and aching limbs  we eventually met up with the others…………..An exhilarating day, I felt I had rediscovered a missing fragment of my youth!”

“………we had walked out and around Turks Cap (a rock formation that looked like a gigantic hat-I did have a picture of it in a past blog)…. we slid down on the rope to the beach and spent time climbing the rocks as the sea would crash around you. We made our way out to Barnes Rock but even JJ thought it was too dangerous to proceed because the waves were so large (No RNLI or mountain rescue here). There had been one precarious moment when I dangled precariously over the foaming ocean below …….”  The pictures below between the quiz questions is JJ by the sea and me on High Hill!

Yesterday’s Cake Quiz Answers

a) Ice cream is the filling in Baked Alaska  b) The ancient Greeks started the tradition of candles on birthday cakes    c) Marie  Antoinette allegedly said “Let them eat cake”   d) Miss Havisham  let the wedding cake to decay  e) Easter is the time for Simnel cake

Today’s Quiz (thought we would do famous mountaineers as I mentioned climbing in the blog)

a) Who accompanied Edmund Hillary to the summit of Everest in 1953?  b) Who made the first solo climb of Everest without oxygen?   c) Who disappeared on Everest in 1924? (there are two answers-one will do!)   d) Which well known British climber died this year- he was 89?   e) What is the name given to the Nepalese group of famed climbers? 

One of my favourite choices of food from a coffee shop when on a ride is a tasty cheese scone. I made a batch at the weekend (a National Trust recipe-sometimes do Felicity  Cloake recipe). Obviously I can’t stop for a cake or scone at the moment so have to eat at home. So you can guess what the quiz is going to be today!

Before we do quizzes I was pleased to see a couple of Hobbies flying. it was my third attempt to see one! Picture below (not mine!)

Yesterday’s Answers on Trains

a) Cairngorm Mountain Railway .is the highest in the UK   b) Hogwarts Express leaves from Platform 9 and three quarters   c) The National Railway Museum is in York  d) Charles Dickens wrote the Signal Man  e) The train that was robbed in 1963 was coming from Glasgow and was held up in Buckinghamshire

Cake Quiz Questions

a) What is the filling in a Baked Alaska?     b) Which ancient civilization started the tradition of putting candles on a birthday cake?  c) Who is alleged to of said “Let them eat cake!”   d) What well known Dickens character had a wedding cake seeming to grow like a “black fungus”   e) What time of the year might you eat a Simnel Cake?

Today’s title is from the Duckworth Lewis Method their amusing song about “the ball of the century” from Shane Warne in 1993. I thought we should have a song about cricket as we are now in May! I’ve also included a proud parental picture -it was the first time I had ever played men’s cricket with both my boys David and Peter (I think Peter was 9 at the time). Cricket is a special sport because it does give the opportunity for parents and children to play together-that was a friendly game, later we did manage to play a few league games together.

Another touch of summer today, well sound of summer! Four swifts came screaming over my head this morning. I did see my first swifts a couple of weeks ago but that sound is to me so evocative of summer.

Today’s Quiz was inspired by today’s Exercise Ride. I saw a train as I pedalled over a bridge. So all the questions have a train theme. I hope you are all impressed by the diverse thematic questions! If you look back through the blogs you will be able to see all those questions-it is always a challenge for me thinking of a theme.

a) Opened in 2001 name the highest railway in the U.K.   b) Which platform at Kings Cross did the Hogwarts Express leave from?     c) What city is the National Railway Museum in?   d) Who wrote the Signal Man?    e) The train involved in the Great Train Robbery in 1963 was travelling from what city? And which county was it stopped by the robbers?

Spent this afternoon recording with Dan (observing  physical distancing) for out first Two Severn Bores podcast. Dan is hoping to do an initial edit this week. Hopefully we might be able to have some news on this later this month.

Latest migrants that I’ve seen update. Common Terns have returned to the lake near home-always a delight to see.  I did going looking for Hobbies but didn’t see any although I saw a Sedge Warbler with nesting material in it’s beak.

Yesterday’s Quiz answers on characters from Literature  (remember I don’t set questions on a Sunday)

a) Flashman was from Tom Brown’s Schooldays  b) Joe Gargery was Pip’s uncle   c) Philip Marlowe was created by Raymond Chandler  d) Lyra Silvertongue is Philip Pullman’s main character in His Dark Materials  e)  Michael Henchard is better known as Mayor of Casterbridge 

See the end of the blog to get today’s title!

Short blog today because believe it or not I’ve been fairly busy. Gardening a bit of housework and a cycle. Tried a new recipe today for a flan that ended up looking like a dog’s dinner (tasted OK!) It is an irony that I am probably my fittest on the bike as I get older- might be because I am clocking many miles each week! I set several PBs on my ride today.

I’ve also been relearning my stories for the River Severn-we are aiming to record tomorrow!

Yesterday’s weather answers

a) Anemometer measures wind   b) Chinook wind is associated with the Rocky Mountains   c) Thor is god of Thunder  (love telling his stories)  d)Kansas was home for Dorothy  e)  Atacama Desert is the driest.

Today’s quiz is on well known characters from literature

a) What book did Flashman first appear?    b) Who was Pip’s uncle (a blacksmith) in Great Expectations?  c) What is the name of the detective  crated by Raymond Chandler?   d) Who is the heroine in His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman?   e) Michael Henchard is better known as …………..?

Finally a picture recently surfaced from a friend -it is  Hitchin Boys Grammar School Sixth Form from possibly Victorian Times! My goodness we were a rum lot – no wonder the country went down hill! Yes I did have hair once! Can you spot me?

Today’s weather update-we looked at the forecast and it looked a dry day. So we cycled to Stroud to visit the wonderful cheese stall (still open). Just imagine the language when a hail storm hit us on the way back! Thank goodness it only lasted ten minutes!

No new migrants sighted here but yesterday we had a resplendent Greenfinch in our back garden (I haven’t seen one in the garden for a while). The Great Spotted Woodpecker has also been around the garden quite a bit so I am hopeful there is a nest nearby.

As I mentioned the weather all the decent weather we had in April would of been great for cricket. Picture below is of some old bloke who should have a straighter  bat! Unlikely if I will be playing any cricket this year!

Yesterday’s Disguise Quiz answers

a) The Greek hero who was dressed as a woman was of course Achilles his mother knew the prophesy of his demise. If anyone wants a good read “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller I would recommend highly    b) Toad from Wind in the Willows dressed up as a washer woman.  c) Sir Percy Blakeney was the Scarlet Pimpernel (novel by Baroness Orczy)   d) Sydney Carton took the place of Charles Darnley in tale of Two Cities  e) Clark Kent is Superman

Today’s Quiz (weather is today’s theme)

a) What does anemometer measure?     b) A Chinook is a wind that is particularly associated with which Mountain Range?  c) Who was the Norse God of Thunder?  d) Dorothy in the wizard of Oz was taken to Oz by a tornado from her home, where was her home?  e) What is the driest desert in the world?

Today’s title says it all. I attempted to go for my exercise ride at lunchtime thinking there was a window of dry weather-there wasn’t!!!!! A good soaking resulted!

Apologies there was no blog yesterday!

I have been writing quite a bit because I can’t do much in the garden with the rain. It is surprising when you sit down and graft how new ideas develop-had one today for my story that came out of the blue!

I feel I should make some time to learn some new stories over the next fortnight-however, we may attempt to do some more recording for the pod cast this weekend so I have to re-learn the stories for our River Severn show.  Need to watch the weather forecast -it has to be dry so we can social distance ourselves doing it!

I’ve decided to put two different pictures on today -this follows on from my comment on my dressing up a couple of days ago. The pictures are from my first World Book Day at Dursley Primary School the one with the children and my colleagues featured in the local press. The “baby” on my lap is actually a good friend of my Peter’s and is now a civil servant playing a key role in the current crisis! I was supposed to be Mrs Doubtfire! I hope the pictures and the poem make you smile!

Tuesday’s Quiz Answers loosely based on fruit.

a)  Tomato is called the Love Apple   b)  Chinese Gooseberry is Kiwi Fruit  c) Flower of Kent is the apple that may of landed on Isaac Newton’s head (poem at the end of blog)  d) The Beatles set up the Apple label  e) Fleegle and friends were the Banana Splits!

The poem at the end is my take on the Isaac’s apple!

Today’s Quiz is all on disguise as I have mentioned my attempts to be someone else-I don’t think it is that hard-I did all from my head!

a) Which Greek hero was dressed as a girl by his mother to avoid him going to war? b) Which well known  fictional character dresses up as a washer woman to escape from jail?  c) The fictional Sir Percy Blakeney is better known as………? d) Who’s place did Sydney Carton take?  e) Who is Superman?

A REALLY “GREAT” APPLE

Picture the idyllic scene of sixteen sixty-six
An orchard bulging with branches of great worth
A wigged man pondering-his thought all of a mix
As to, “Why it is we don’t fall of the earth?”

Eyes transfixed on the heavily laden trees
A solitary apple stirs, begins to tremble, shiver
Ruffled by a flicker of a gentle breeze,
Isaac excitedly anticipating, his whole body a quiver.

A maggot ridden, wrinkled apple starts to drop
Descending under Isaac’s scientific scrutiny
A violent bruising impact…………plop!
That moment, that idea…….Isaac’s destiny.

Isaac Newton’s Law of Gravity is now a fact
But what was the unknown apple, responsible for that?