Could be a song about football but actually it is a Show of Hands song about the First World War. I said in my previous blog I couldn’t comment on the set until the concert began (it is happening as I write)! There were a couple of songs and a Sassoon poem read by Jim Carter that featured the War, very moving. They have such a wonderful collection of songs you are never quite sure what songs you will hear. I suppose there was a theme running around exile and the final encore with backing of a choir of Santiago made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Had a lovely couple of days with my brother Mike who stayed with us. We did go to the football on Friday and we visited some of old haunts in Hitchin the town we grew up in. Sadly the not so mighty Hatters spluttered to a draw against the bottom club!

I am now in training for our Pyrenees trip at the end of next month. I am cycling with my boys so I have to work on my climbing. Went for a good ride today.

Just finished re-writing the pages of the web site. Hopefully it will be revamped soon!

We went last night to the wonderful venue of St. Georges in Bristol to see Show of Hands warming up for their Albert Hall Gig this Sunday. It was superb can’t do details of the show till after Sunday.

Had a good ride with old friends yesterday.

Plenty happening on the Story Telling front with bookings building up for the next two months.

Happy Easter!

A tenuous link today with an obscure Jefferson Airplane song for the title. We spent the weekend in Dorset mainly Bird Watching so I was looking for bird titles!

The weather was stunning and we camped in our lovely camper van “Cedric”. We saw a mixture of sea birds at the coast on Friday and then had a wonderful day at the RSPB Arne Reserve. We went looking for Dartford Warblers and we had a marvellous view of two in the gorse. It is one of favourite places and we took our time ambling and looking. Sunday saw us on Brownsea Island looking for red squirrels but didn’t see any but saw some lovely birds in the lagoon including Sandwich Terns my picture included on the blog!

Never had a Joan Armatrading song for a title so a first for everything!

I had plans for a busy week in the garden, on my bike and tramping off with telescope on my back looking out for migrants. Best plans thwarted yesterday when I hurt my back in the usual stupid way lifting heavy things and stretching across at the same time! Idiot!!!!! So the 30+ mile ride planned for yesterday with some decent climbs never happened! Can’t do anything in the garden. Idiot!!!!!!! Taking things carefully and slowly things are getting easier. May try a gentle ride tomorrow.

So it means I am writing more of the Ming story. I am also researching some new stories to learn. I have an adult Gig in Bristol later this month so re-learning an old Scottish Folk Tale I’ve told before where gender changes!

Don’t think I’ve had a Madness song title before so it almost fits with being back at home. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip; good company, decent weather and of course some cricket! The walks were good as well especially getting away from the coastal sprawl. A picture of the rock I climbed off Calpe below.

I was straight back into Story Telling on Thursday at Wick Court. A delightful school from Kilburn and a super day, the Round House was a fitting setting. I did the “Golden Apple” the story of Paris having to choose which goddess “The fairest” to give the Golden Apple to. I was pleased with how I have tailored this story to my audience.

Currently writing up the story I wrote a year ago in Cuba about “Ming the Dragon”. Still haven’t quite worked out how to conclude it so it can still go off at tangents!

Went to an enjoyable game yesterday and we won! The quality of football from both sides was a credit to the 4th Division. Out on the bike tomorrow!

Last full day today and we fly home Wednesday.

Body is wrecked after cricket and some very late evenings. We won a thriller on Sunday, a game that ebbed and flowed, and we had a ball to spare at the end.

Managed to see a few birds here. Lovely views of a Sardinian Warbler and a Serin. Went on the train to Calpe yesterday. A busy tourist resort with this great rock looming out into the sea. Got to the top quite a scramble and difficult coming down. An early night followed.

Last game today. I’m not playing which is a good thing!

Well I am actually here not that hot although the sun shone for our first game yesterday. We lost narrowly on the last ball. Body a little stiff today I did a fair amount of running. Rest day today so off for a walk soon with my binoculars, there were swifts flying over yesterday. More cricket tomorrow and Sunday I am playing the Sunday game.

Old Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song for today’s title not the Carry On film titles! Although maybe it should of been. Today’s title is because today a group of us took part in the Malvern Sportive. 53 miles and over 3,000 feet of climbing. It was a stunning ride through the beautiful Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire Countryside. I am now taking it easy!!!

My blogging might be hit and miss over the next 10 days. I am off to sunny Spain to play cricket-yes cricket in Spain! It is with Gloucestershire Seniors, I went two years ago. I am hoping the body will cope!

I am working on a couple of ideas for stories to tell later in the year.

Well a bit of mist first thing on the water! I was doing the monthly bird survey by the Severn. Sadly no migrants although I heard a Chiffchaff. With the children at Wick Court on Tuesday we saw a small flock of Golden Plover fly over which was a first for a school. I had a lovely Story Telling with the same children on Wednesday night. They insisted I told them the Mollie the Sheep story even though I had told it at their school in September.

Had to choose that title after yesterday’s disappointment at football. More about that at the end of the blog for those of you not interested in football.

This last week has been busy on the Story Telling Front and other things. I had a lovely Gig in the Welsh Valleys on Thursday at a Special School. As a Story Teller who feeds off his audience this was an interesting experience. I had full participation with some groups and for one group I was struggling for a reaction as I told “Pirate Pete”, however, midway through one young man starting singing “15 men on a dead man’s chest”, I think that moment made my day!

Our Book Club meal this week was based on “The Martian” and if you know the book or film potatoes play a significant part. Every dish had to have potato in it and once again the chaps surpassed themselves with their offerings. It was hard getting up at the crack of dawn the next day for my Gig.

I had a Trustees meeting of the charity that runs Children Centres in the area on Monday night. I do feel angry about how  public services are being allowed wither on the vine and our Prime Minister’s words about a government for everybody sound very hollow. It is still the poor and the vulnerable that seem to be shouldering the burden for the country’s difficulties and I fear will get worse in the coming years.

I had a lovely cycle round Herefordshire with my Old Groynes cycling companions on Friday. Also caught up with many old pals from local schools in the evening over a beer.

Now the footie. I watched us lose at home yesterday. We didn’t play well although you could say the whole game hinged on goal keepers. Our goalie didn’t make a save and was at fault for the first goal in the second minute! The Stevenage keeper pulled off 4 top notch saves and had defenders clearing off the line when he was beaten. We do need to cope better with teams that press us high up the pitch.