Saturday! A busy social week and sadly no cricket today the opposition couldn’t raise a team, I’m sure I would have scored a century (in my dreams).

Body is a mess after playing cricket on Thursday with that troublesome Achilles and a niggly hamstring! I know, it is probably it is connected with old age! Sadly we came second against Devon!

Currently learning a new story may be able to try it on Wednesday night. This one is from Wales and has possibilities to develop. I am hoping to get some writing done this week but the diary looks busy!

No connection with today’s title with anything in the blog but was listening to Seth Lakeman  yesterday and I had forgotten what a fabulous piece of music Kitty Jay is!

At last a few days without showers! A glorious day at Wick Court Bird watching, the children were chuffed to see both Sparrowhawk, Raven  and a Buzzard over at the same time. I spent Sunday  morning helping at the Open Day at the farm and we had many visitors. To complete my hat trick of visits have a Story Telling Evening Session there tomorrow night.

I am actually playing cricket on Thursday my appearances this summer have been hampered by both injury and work. Fingers crossed!

Finally had a glorious ride on Saturday over the hills around Stroud.

Very moved by the events of yesterday’s 100th anniversary of  the start of the Battle of the Somme. It is beyond my understanding as to why the battle and how those poor men  had the courage to go over the top. The people dressed as soldiers all over the country giving out a card with the name of a soldier plus his age who died on that first was particularly poignant .We still don’t appear to have learnt the lessons of a hundred years ago. Listen to June Tabor singing the above song to remind you of the appalling waste!

I thoroughly enjoyed my Story Telling on Wednesday night.

I had a lovely family history day accompanied by my Peter on Thursday. It was a gathering of cousins and my sister from my Mum’s side of the family tracing our line back. My cousin Josephine had done comprehensive research which she shared with us.

Just back from our final Shakespeare Gig. It has worked well, Brain and I performing as a duo. We think we might call ourselves “Blunderbirds” the dynamic duo may not be strictly accurate! Some great thoughtful questions afterwards from the children of Meadowside Primary. We go on tour as a duo in September to London for a week although we are not quite sure what our material will be as yet!

I am off to Wick Court this evening for another Story Telling tonight-I will be doing my own story “Don’t Look at Me Like That!” I told this a couple of weeks ago and went down well as an evening story.

Finally last comment about the football that I heard “We made Iceland look like Waitrose!”

What a shambles! Beaten by a shop! My beloved Luton would have beaten England last night. Disorganised lacking heart and that is being polite. The premier league was set up all those years ago supposedly to help the England team and it hasn’t but has ruined grassroots football.

Well done to Iceland.

A title from “The Boss” for today but if you change City for Country you will guess my thoughts about last week’s traumatic news. I do worry for the young people in this country because I’m sure we will become more inward looking and probably fairly irrelevant in the wider world. Enough of the doom and gloom but I am just settling down for the football. Surely we can beat Iceland, we can’t lose to a shop can we?

I had three lovely days Story Telling in Hereford last week for the National Literacy Trust. The Japanese story “The Man who loved Stories” is now firmly fixed in my repertoire.   I do enjoy finding and learning new stories.

I watched my David do the Dartmoor Challenge yesterday. We stood on Haytor  and cheered hundreds of bikes up! Proud Dad!

Today I did a 40 mile ride with quite a bit of climbing.

Good old  Christy Moore and Moving Hearts for today’s title! We have a deluge or two in recent weeks!

I’m sitting taking it easy after a morning Story Telling in Hereford and cutting the cricket square this afternoon, I’ve also cycled a fair bit over the last couple of days. So I think I deserve the sit down and a beer! I am in Hereford tomorrow and Friday.

I was surprised how one story developed today. It is one I’ve told a few times but now I think it has grown and takes far longer to tell. That is what I love about performing and how the story changes both emphasis and how the characters behave!

Finally I had to miss the monthly bird survey last week on the River. I was miffed to hear a Stork, a Short Eared Owl and a Spoonbill were seen-typical!!!!!

A short update from Chester where we are meeting up with  a group of old friends.

I didn’t mention in my last blog the awful news of Jo Cox’s’ tragic killing on Thursday. I was listening to the news as I travelled back from Newport as the dreadful story developed. To hear and then read about what a talented caring and compassionate MP who championed the cause of the most vulnerable in the world to be so brutally murdered is incomprehensible. It is also heartbreaking to think of her family and friends. I hope that those who spew hateful and negative bile from the pages of newspapers and the lips of so-called politicians maybe reflect on their impact.

I have had three great days in Newport Story Telling in a lovely school tucked in by the M4. I also managed to do my weekly Gig at Wick Court. So the body is feeling fairly tired. I had wondered about what would happen this afternoon and the clash with the football. I needn’t have worried! I sat in a classroom full of enthusiastic children. It was certainly a different experience! It was lovely to see the children enjoying the game; the room was echoing with cheers (when Wales were attacking and groans when England attacked.) They had to go home before the end. I returned to a couple old stories that I hadn’t told for a couple of years.

Will blog again at the weekend.

Thanks Buddy for today’s title! It is because Friday’s night gig was altered because of heavy torrential rain (stopped me cycling there-what a wimp I am!) The Gig was supposed to be outside but was rearranged inside and the parents (a PTA event) had set up fairy lights inside. I had to be adaptable for my second half because it was a younger audience than I expected.

The Achilles has gradually improved and I even played league cricket on Saturday. I was just getting myself into some sort of nick when I was given out-like all batsmen I felt aggrieved with the decision but as I often say to young players “Look in the Scorebook!” Great to be playing again even if not quite fully fit.

Busy week ahead 3 days in a school in Newport plus an evening Story Telling at Wick Court. So learning my stories this afternoon.