Only chose that title because I managed to slice a chunk of my finger while gardening! Yes I know silly old fool!!!!!

Now I have a break from Story Telling for a couple of weeks or so. It has been a real busy time for me and I am encouraged by the responses to my many performances. I have learnt much and have extended by repertoire of stories.

We are currently waiting for Peter our youngest son come home to run 3 marathons in 3 days along the Cotswold Way; he doesn’t choose the easy option! He is raising money for Southmead Children’s Hospital with his good friend Luke Sellers (they are on Facebook.) It means we are logistical support; we know how to live! Will blog about the adventure next week.

Big news I have a new bike coming with Peter an all carbon frame! A long story why I have added yet another bike to my collection! I have been clocking up the miles and the hills this week!

Today’s title is because for some strange reason I seem to have that old song from my own primary school days as an earworm at the moment!

I had a lovely day yesterday doing poetry at school which was outside of my comfort zone. I worked hard on doing story poems and also read a good selection of poems many of them old favourites.

Today I was at Wick Court doing my voluntary Bird Watching. The children really immersed themselves in the activity and for quite young children did really well at spotting birds. They got great views of a Nuthatch!

What a cracking Spring Day! I am hoping the weather is good for tomorrow too because I want to cycle to my Gig (not far away) but not have to bother with cycling kit (so I don’t have to carry too much.) I am being fairly ambitious tomorrow-Poetry is the theme so I am doing both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as well as various poems.

Nothing special on the Bird Survey on Thursday looking forward to seeing my first summer migrants could be any time now!

On Friday I met our MP on behalf of our local Children’s Centres trying to point out to him the devastation the cuts are making to the vulnerable families in the area. It is hard work and he doesn’t really understand the impact but we have to keep reminding him.

The rest of the blog is sport related. What a fantastic game of cricket on Friday between England and South Africa. The shots are both amazing and unbelievable! We do need to improve our bowling now.

Yesterday I went with my David to watch the mighty Hatters win again away at Plymouth. We do look a well organised now and we have a group of talented players. I think it is too late for the Play Offs but you never know we have just had 5 wins out of 6. We did look comfortable yesterday and really should have scored more than one.

A short midweek blog. I was going to say it was a quieter week but apart from sitting watching the cricket this afternoon it has been fairly busy. That is with only one Story telling this week.

Hot press news I’ve just purchased a new bike! A long story but it was a great offer via my Peter that I couldn’t refuse. Need to look at the garage before it arrives!!!!!

Last Saturday I went to watch the Hatters and despite the result was really encouraged by the football we played. We was robbed!!!! If continue to play like this the club will start to climb back to where we should be.

An early start tomorrow for the Bird Survey out by the River.

Well I made it to Friday after a busy fortnight of Gigs and as I sit listlessly watching the football My voice is in tatters a combination of asthma, exhaustion and of course over use! I finished today at the delightful New Hall Primary School in Sutton Coldfield. The children were full of enthusiasm and listened well.

Book Club on Wednesday was another fine feast although we seemed to have a proliferation of starters! The boys once again excelled themselves with their cooking.

Off tomorrow to the Theatre of Comedic Dreams, fingers crossed!

Another busy week for the Story Teller although only 3 Gigs this week! I told a new story yesterday and I was pleased with the Telling. I am telling another story for the first time on Friday.

Can you believe it  I am starting to think cricket! I’ve been to two nets so far. I also watched the Hatters win last week that is now four on the trot. Until this recent run I was resigned to mid table mediocrity and now hope is slowly creeping into the equation! It is the hope that gets you! Keeping up the sporting theme the old men had a good cycle on Sunday with some steep hills.

I am hosting the Book Club meal tomorrow so I will be putting my apron on soon!

I have just got home from my final Gig of the week. It has been a super week sharing in so many World Book Days. What a great event World Book Day is;  encouraging  people to focus on the power of books. I am absolutely exhausted from my cavorting around telling stories but I am still smiling! I was pleasantly surprised how well some stories went and how my telling has developed. I need to learn next week’s stories now! A big thank you to all the young people I performed to this week for their great questions about stories and how to tell them.

I am offering my Shakespeare story free to schools around the weekend of the 23rd April the 400th anniversary of his death. My pal Brian is going to accompany me with a couple of songs. All we are asking is a donation for Farms For City Children towards the bird hides we are going to build for the children. If you are interested get in touch!

I mentioned I had a busy spell coming up. I am Story Telling every day this week (I’m lucky that all the Gigs are in Gloucestershire and I am hoping to cycle to a few of them.) I have just packed my trusty mount “Shadowfax” with all my many props. The panniers are bulging! The following week will involve more travelling.

I did manage to get a few miles on the bike clocked up at the end of last week including some hills.

On Thursday I went up to London to see a special showing of War Horse for the Farm for City Children charity I volunteer for. The charity had booked out the whole theatre and many London Schools who send children to the 3 farms were there. It was a privilege to be there with such an enthusiastic audience. So it was a very different experience from when I saw it last year with a mainly adult audience. Many children recognised us and I had a moment I want as my epitaph. If you are a regular reader of the blog you will know my volunteering is taking children bird watching at Wick Court. One young man (Y6) greeted me with a twinkle in his eye with the following comment.

“You’re the man who told us about Great Tits!”

Back home feeling a little jet lagged!

Most of this blog is about Cuba. There is a Story Telling footnote at the end but a proper Story Telling Blog later this week. So if you don’t want to hear about Cuba and our mini birding trip stop reading now!

We went on a tour called Hemingway’s Cuba which included in keeping with the man quite a bit of consummation of Rum especially in the legendary Mojitos (Cubans do add liberal doses of Rum to their cocktails). I thoroughly enjoyed travelling about Cuba and touching recent History. The Guevara museum and Che’s sculpture I found particularly interesting. The country is in a state of flux with the impending changes in allowing Americans to visit legally. The country’s infrastructure is not ready and already under strain from the developing tourist industry. Towns like Santa Clara, Cienfuego, Trinidad all had their attractions. Havana’s faded colonial charm was appealing but the traffic was often choked and the diesel fumes ever-present. I can certainly understand why Graham Greene’s famous novel was set here!

The political system is gradually changing particularly because of the impact of tourism and as a result there are many contradictions resulting. The rationing system was fascinating, the two currency’s confusing! Getting hold of money often needs planning around bank opening hours, ATMs are few. Petrol stations are also scattered so if driving you need to watch your fuel gauge as well as the numerous horse and carts and the many cyclists carrying things. The impact of the revolution is positive in the way literacy improved and of course its outstanding health system which sees Cubans leading the fight in the world against many of the diseases. However it restricts innovation particularly for ordinary Cubans engaging outside the country e.g. the internet is not accessible in homes-the embargo has held back the country’s development significantly.

At the end of the tour we did four days birding with our wonderful guide Tania and briefly Ernesto. We saw 99 species with them so with birds seen earlier in the trip well over 100! So many highlights. The smallest bird in the world the Bee Hummingbird was something special. The colours and the sounds will stay with me for a long time. I will keep mentioning some of the birds in future blogs but we couldn’t believe the close views we had of the beautiful Cuban Tody  and the Cuban Trogon. A bit more on the birds in my next couple of blogs.

Finally changing the subject a busy time coming up on the Story Telling front with a full week next week and a busy March. so much so I have had to turn down several gigs because of clashes. More later this week!

Now finished the cultural part of our jaunt relaxing by the sea for a couple of days. On Thursday we are off birding so an early morning start! Flight  home leaves Monday night and we are back on Tuesday.

Found the history of the revolution fascinating. Will write more when home. The museum for Che was good. Interesting character.