Only the beginning of December and I had to assist Father Christmas in Berkeley last night. My cricket club do it every year, the man in red on his sledge being pulled by a tractor with Christmas music being blasted out. We knock on doors with charity buckets. The club get a donation from the Round Table for supporting this. Young people come out in their droves and it is lovely to see. Of course I cycled there!

As I write I am getting depressed listening to the cricket, at least it is raining there now!

I am Story Telling later today at a party! This evening I am off to see Martin Simpson perform. I first saw him when both he and I of course were young men!

Looking forward to the pub gig on Wednesday night hopefully with the book to sell. Don’t forget 8 p.m. at The Three Horseshoes Frampton.

As the publication of the Book nears I thought I would mention the second story in the book. Although as a writer I feel more satisfied with the first story “Don’t Look at Me Like That”, Mollie has been told by me to hundreds of young people and she has attained celebrity status. Mollie is an idiosyncratic sheep who performs a heroic act which surprises everyone concerned. I have to tell this story every Thursday as part of my residency at Wick Court.

If you want to order the book please contact me either by my web site or phone me. Should have it next week!!!

Don’t forget our pub gig at the Three Horseshoes Frampton starting at 8 p.m. on Wednesday 6th December. It is a mixture of music, poems and of course stories and it should be fun!

I have been pleased with Clare’s progress-our house is turning into a flower shop!

A lovely bird watch with young people from Grimsby today, it was cold!

A Neil Young song for today’s title because it sums up my week. I have done my usual volunteering work and my Story Telling residency. I have also been Nurse Bill and will be for a while looking after Clare who had an op this week. The good news is she came home this morning! I also attempted to keep up with the first two days of the Ashes-managed to get a log in on my lap top so watched the first session of the match and part of Day 2. It plays havoc with your sleep patterns.

I am also learning two Gloucestershire Stories for the pub gig on the 6th December. I feel I need to develop the vocabulary for one of the stories so will be working with a Thesaurus this weekend. All are welcome to the Three Horseshoes in Frampton we will be starting around 8 p.m. ish and I will keep reminding people in each blog!

Excuse the rather pedestrian alliteration in the title- not sure about a hot hurricane. However, I can’t let Saturday’s wonderful performance pass without a mention. For those of you who don’t follow football my team set a football league record on Saturday by being the first team to score 7 or more goals 3 times before Christmas! Amazing stuff. Two of the goals were stupendous, one from nearly 70 yards! So I have been waxing lyrically all weekend.

Storytelling Blog will be resumed later this week as the antidote to the Budget!

A busy week on the entertainment and social front. Also been involved in three bird surveys this week, one was my usual at Wick Court with the children. The children saw a record number of species including Golden Plover and Lapwing from our Hide overlooking the river. The other two surveys was my monthly one in Frampton and a Winter Survey for the BTO in Cam. Highlight being a Short Eared Owl having a dust up with a Buzzard in Frampton.

We went to the Everyman this week to see the Wipers Times a delightful story about producing a newspaper that poked fun at authority and especially the idiotic top brass running the war. (It was set in Flanders during WW1.) It was written by Ian Hislop.

I also went to Cheltenham yesterday to see Ned Boulting one of ITVs presenters of the Tour de France. A sideways look at Bikes, bike people and racing! Good fun.

The late lamented Janis Joplin gives us today’s title. I feel it is an ode to the wonderful pub in Cheltenham called the Kemble Brewery. Many of us packed into the pub on Saturday lunch time to lubricate our throats before the football. Still wondering how we didn’t win by 3 clear goals the number of chances squandered in the game. A last-minute undeserved equalizer for the home side left us feeling numb!

Lovely meet up with all the family on Sunday. both my sons inform me they are coming to the Three Horseshoes gig on Wednesday 6th December- no pressure then! Anyone reading this it is a wonderful old fashion evening with poems, music and of course a story from yours truly so please join us from 8 p.m. in Frampton. I am currently learning two stories for the evening.

I have had some exciting bookings come in for 2018 in the last week or so.

Only using the Bob Marley title for today’s blog because on Tuesday when I was Bird Watching with children from Peckham in the pouring rain one child pointed to the telegraph wire and said look “Three Little Birds” and it was the cue for the rest of us to burst into song. The birds were Goldfinches. I was drenched by the time I came home. It was a surprise we saw 24 species during the day as it never once relented.

Good discussion last night at Book Club. The book was Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler. First time I had read one of her books and thought she has much to offer and will read more.

Story Telling in the Round House at Wick Court mainly sticking with some old favourites.

We were underwhelmed by last Sunday’s gig apart from the fantastic fiddle playing, felt the band fell between two stools. Next week have the theatre (Wipers Times) and a humorous talk on cycling to look forward to.

I have just read through the draft of my talented brother Mike’s next book of poems. Excellent! Will write some more about this when it is published.

Off tonight to watch an Irish Folk/Rock Band in Cheltenham, it is a bit of a punt because we are not sure what to expect. Do like a good live gig! Will blog about it later.

Had an encouraging meeting about a booking for National Story Telling Week at Kingshill House in Dursley. I will be performing to young people at one end of the week and adults at the other end! Details at the start of next year!

I saw a pulsating game of F.A. Cup football yesterday. The score was 1-0 but it had wonderful saves  by both keepers, the woodwork hit by both teams. The winner was a gem as well. I hope we can make it to the Third Round and have a good day out at one of the big boys. Finger crossed.

Today’s title is to mark that the book’s proofs have now gone to the printers. That is the title of the story! Very exciting to see it all coming together!

I have a publication date. I should have the book in my hand on Wednesday December 6th. That evening is our Pub entertainment in the village where I will be performing and the books will be on sale for the first time! I will investigate postal costs after book arrives so I can send them to anyone who wants to can order through the web site.

I have been busy since we got back from Madeira and have been on the bike quite a bit clocking up 100 miles this week. Had a couple of encouraging meetings as well for future gigs. The photo below is from the football last week the warm up at Maritimo! Well it is footie abroad!!!

Opening lyric from Neil Young seems appropriate for the day after my birthday! The second year running I’ve been abroad on my birthday. I had a delightful day in the sunshine. We had gone for an early breakfast because I was off birding. Suddenly the whole hotel staff came out singing to our table with a bottle of champagne. It is a lovely family run hotel right in the centre of Funchal old town.

Birding was good it was only me with the guide and driver. Had good spots of the endemics of Maderia. I also enjoyed seeing their Firecrest and the charismatic Waxbills. This was followed by watching Martimo who play in the Portuguese top flight. I got very hot sitting in the sun. The only blemish on that was the Luton result  came through and we lost.

Clare and I had a wonderful meal to finish a great day. She had given me Neil Gaiman’s book the retelling of the Norse Myths which I am really looking forward to reading and hopefully extending my telling repertoire.

I’ll maybe add a picture when I get home.