Don’t think I’ve had this Buddy Holly title before but needed rain somewhere in the title! It has been disruptive and certainly marring the Cricket World Cup, stopping getting on with things in the garden. It is hard on the bike do I wear a proper rain jacket or not? I have curtailed my longer rides over the last few days but planning a long one tomorrow. My cricket has been washed out as well.

We had a wide range of views at Book Club on Wednesday night. Always interesting to see how different our perceptions are.

Enjoyed Story Telling with old friends from Granton Primary School Streatham on Thursday afternoon. I did a couple of old favourites; one, the Russian Folk Tale I haven’t done for a while but I always enjoy telling it.

Advance notice of another “Two Severn Bores” Gig on our River Severn theme. We are at Quedgeley Library on Thursday June 27th starting at 7 p.m. it is free! It is at the moment our last Gig on this theme, we are now thinking about what we will do next year!

Finally on the 30th June we have an open afternoon at Wick Court from 3 p.m. (I will be telling stories in the Round House). From 5 the wonderful “Handlebards” will be doing the Tempest, their performances are always great fun (Shakespeare like you have never seen before!)

I will keep repeating the above events in the next few blogs!

No not my dancing but that delightful tasty cheese for today’s title as I finished off my run of three gigs in Hereford with the National Literacy Trust. Today I told a couple of folk tales from Japan and North America that I know well.

Book Club later tonight to discuss Mr Golightly’s Holiday by Sally Vickers, a book I enjoyed reading so look forward to seeing what the chaps thought of it.

Oh my goodness we have seen plenty of rain over the last couple of days. I was doing my volunteering taking young people bird watching at Wick Court today and ended up wet and cold! It is almost the middle of June!!!!! Obviously our bird count was down although we had some good spots. Delightful young people who asked some great questions.

Off to Hereford for Story Telling with the National Literacy Trust. I perform in the Odeon Cinema and last week while I was mid story the screen came on behind me! It certainly tests your versatility as we had to move eventually.

Lovely weekend meeting many old friends in Birmingham. Enjoyed seeing the Staffordshire Hoard at the museum it was breath-taking. What a wonderful find!

I had been looking forward to a day at the Cricket World Cup with my Dave and Pete in Bristol. We knew the forecast was pretty awful. It was! We had all arrived armed with brollies and waterproof we did need them! A lovely cosmopolitan feel with Sri Lankan and Pakistan supporters and plenty of others from around the world. Sadly for the people who travelled half way around the world there was no play. We spent a Father and Sons bonding in the pub where we were joined by a friend. Fingers crossed for our next one!

My week was busy with 3 Story Telling sessions with two in Hereford with the National Literacy Trust. Enjoyed performing to delightful enthusiastic young people. Back in Hereford on Wednesday. Working on learning a new story to tell.

Today’s title is not a song title (well there might be one that I don’t know) nor a homage to the only creature that has delayed a space launch but to the delightful noisy creatures in my garden today. At one time we had three birds in the garden; a mother, a very hungry youngster and possibly the male as well. The pictures at the end of the blog are what I took today of mother feeding the well fledged chick.

Only got one game of cricket in and we came second!

This week sees me working with the National Literacy Trust in Hereford on two mornings. I think this might be my 7th year of doing this. The NLT do a wonderful job often in neglected areas of the country. Their web site is a useful resource for those of you working in schools. I did point a couple of schools to Free Writing Fridays (on the web site) earlier in the year.                     

Using the Roy Harper song for today’s title. Did you know it is the only pop song that features the phrase “Silly Mid Off”!

Great sport going on at the moment, I’ve enjoyed watching the Giro d’italia a much more interesting and unpredictable race than the Tour de France The Cricket World Cup got off to a great start yesterday, did you see that catch? Lovely to see how the whole crowd reacted to the Ben Stokes stupendous catch.

Talking of sport once again I am playing two games of cricket this weekend hence today’s title. I’ve done a couple of big rides on the bike over the last couple of days.

More on next week’s Story Telling in the next couple of days.

Currently reading Napoleon’s Last Island by Thomas Keneally so memories are flooding back to my time on St. Helena twenty years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed being on the island especially the isolation from the world it was a real adventure. You could really touch History it was all around you. Of course you walked in Napoleon’s footsteps literally! Keneally has done some excellent research for his book and obviously spent time on the island.

I did survive my second game of cricket in two days and actually bowled a wicket maiden! That is a rarity for me!

Not a flying one! I have seen a few around the house and plenty on the canal when I cycled back at night. Yesterday I actually opened the batting for my club on a lively pitch and was pleasantly surprised with my touch. Another game today-will the body last?

A break from Story Telling this week but the first week of June looks busy.

Have a couple of decent rides planned for this week, I am still clocking up the miles and I am ahead of where I was this time last year and that was my best ever.

Doing a story I haven’t done for a while this afternoon at Wick Court it is a Swahili story. This was after talking to one of the children on Tuesday’s Bird Watch about stories. Need to go over it a couple of times so I am not too rusty!

We had a couple of firsts at Wick Court on Tuesday with a school; we saw an Oystercatcher on the River and some Linnets. I aim to update the bird records for the farm over the next few weeks.

Enjoying the bike in this lovely weather and have started to clock up a few hills.

DNB stands for Did Not Bat!!! I played two games of cricket this week once for Gloucestershire Old Men and a game for my club where apart from me no one is over 35! As a batsman you usually expect to get a knock but we won comfortably against Worcestershire on Tuesday chasing a low score and yesterday we got off to a super start so the hitters were promoted above me. Possibly opening the batting next week.

Lovely Story Telling session on Thursday where I did King of the Birds especially for our lovely visitors from Ashmead School. Currently researching for some new stories to tell.

Of course we should of been in the Hebrides now but sadly we had to pull the plug on the holiday because Clare has been struggling with a real sore hip and knee for the past three weeks. She is slowly progressing but can’t walk very far.