A quick post!

OK she didn’t sing yesterday, she had to leave the stage for a comfort break! Yes I know I shouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch! On the plus side saw my first swallow but before anyone says it one swallow doesn’t make a summer! Yesterday’s match means we wait for summer!

Had a great ride this morning, best time up Frocester Hill and then did Stouts Hill all part of my training for my ride in the Alps. 27 miles today in wonderful sunshine. Stouts Hill is a grind of a hill! Trying to build up endurance so my next big ride will have 3 decent hills!

Sorry folks this post has little to do with Story Telling! It has everything to do with football! Although maybe I will fashion a story of sorts from it, you never know!

The proverbial fat lady is about to sing! She has been gargling for a week or more! She is on stage poised and ready at the piano! It has been a long ordeal getting her here! Several near heartbreaking misses. Tomorrow, all being well,  if the Mighty Hatters win we will be back to where we belong!  The vindictive 30 points injustice inflicted on us almost avenged! It has been a long painful journey through footballing purgatory. The only down side about tomorrow is it is on T.V. (silly kick off time as well ) and we haven’t performed well this season on T.V. Could be a sore head tomorrow night!

COYH!!!!!!!!!!

A quick blog before I start today’s writing. First thing to say is it seems to be feedback week. I have had quite a bit of encouraging feedback on recent gigs over the last few days which has quite surprised me. Thank you!

I am now spending a few days working on developing new stories for telling. I want to add a new one for adult audiences and I feel I need another one for the  younger children around Reception/Pre School age. Also hoping to spend some time on my various writing projects.

Finally the mighty Hatters are almost back to where they rightfully belong and I feel quite emotional about it. It has taken 5 years for that gross injustice to be righted and yet still the Football authorities show double standards when dealing with small clubs (Alfreton) and the big clubs (Sunderland)!!!!!! I am aiming at perhaps a couple of poems and possibly an article to mark the occasion!

Currently sitting having a cuppa after an action packed few days. Phew! The good news is our David is back but off work for a while.

I have been telling stories the last two mornings at a local school. Children were delightful and engaged fully with the stories. Fairs Fair for the Victorian topic went well although I did miss a segment! I did an adapted Jack and the Beanstalk with movements for the Reception class, I adapted to fit their healthy eating and growing topic! I combined my cycling to these events to wish two of my former colleagues Ian and Catherine good luck as they both leave their respective schools.

I have cycled many miles this week both for the gigs, Wick Court and for training! I am likely to be over 100 miles for the week when I complete tomorrow’s ride to Forest Green up the hill) for the HVV InSet Day. One ride (my training one) was up Haresfield Beacon it is a brute of a hill! Despite almost pedalling to a stop I was pleased to make it to the top.

Our Book Club discussed my choice of book “Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller. Some really interesting thoughts cropped up during the night’s debate. Consensus was it was a good read!

Back from three lovely days in Dorset. Yesterday was a beautiful spring day and we spent it on Brownsea Island. Lovely view of a red squirrel on a tree trunk,they are beautiful animals. We do enjoy Brownsea and the views from the hides are great.

Both of my lads have been under the weather recently and poor David has been ill out in the States. Hopefully he will be well enough to fly back Monday night.

Working hard on learning stories for Wednesday and Thursday.  I am going to attempt to tell Fair’s Fair for the first time to one class, they wanted a Victorian story and I think it is a delightful story that captures the era well. I am also re-learning my evacuee story for another class.

Quick blog from Dorset. Currently sitting in a pub in Corfe Castle. Managed to avoid the showers and enjoyed some good birding. We were at Arne today, no Dartford Warblers but Chiff Chaff. Saw my first Wheatear yesterday.

Busy with Children’s Centre stuff earlier in the week.

Busy learning a Victorian story for Wednesday.Need to work on my cockney accent when I tell this one!

Great win for the Hatters on Tuesday. Almost there! They have already sold out the last home game!

We are aiming to be away in Cedric our camper van later this week and I hope to learn a new story for telling while away. Might need to wrap up well at night!

Lovely afternoon yesterday celebrating our friend Robin’s 70th! Great food, good company.

I had a pleasant surprise by getting some good feedback from my storytelling earlier in the month from 3 different sources. I’ve just ordered new t-shirts (different colours) for performing because the original has been well used! I am still investigating getting cycling tops as well just to advertise the web site.

Just done a PB on Frocester Hill on my cycle ride (25 miles).

The Hatters got back on track on Saturday, fingers crossed for 3 hard away games over the next week.

Budget yesterday and surprise, surprise it appears to be a political budget not sure it will do much for those who really need help. Certainly not good for the environment.

Started to look for the first time at my Dream Story since I finished writing. Only looked at the last part which is probably a strange way to start! I do need to give it time to consider how the story hangs together. Hopefully will have read it through over the next week or so however I seem to be very busy over the next fortnight. A few gigs to plan.

Had a lovely day doing my voluntary Bird Watching at Wick Court on Tuesday. The children were delightful and were full of imaginative questions. The best was “If your favourite bird was a human being what sort of personality would they have?” You try answering that on the hoof!

Football was disappointing on Monday our first defeat for 27 games! We were poor and we were well beaten. Hopefully back to our winning ways on Saturday.

At last the fog has lifted down here by the Severn and we have had a super weekend. We spent Saturday helping our Pete move across London to Putney, so it is now a much easier drive up.

Pleased with cycling last week. On Wednesday did a PB on Frocester Hill and again on Friday. Did over 90 miles last week including 20+ on the mountain bike which means I have to work harder.

A bit of gap for gigs after the spurt around World Book Day. Some gigs booked for the end of term.

Off to football tonight.

Talking about pulling rabbits out of hats! Tuesday night at Cambridge we did! 1 down and not playing well and suddenly I was jigging around the room as we equalised at the death! It does look like the injustice of the 30 points might be soon laid to rest! I think all Luton Town fans will get very emotional when we finally leave the purgatory of the conference! Sorry if you are reading this and are not interested in football but my football team did suffer at the hands of the authorities when other clubs seem not to be treated the same way! Enough of that!

We had a wonderful book club meal last night that I hosted based on a Greek/Turkish theme because the book I choose is Song of Achilles. As always we had a some excellent offerings from everyone. We do have an innovative Book club we were suggesting we might look at films instead of books next year but that might be too radical!

Of to the theatre to see Life of Galileo later.

Next blog hopefully will contain some thoughts on stories!