My cricket unsurprisingly has been cancelled- it is my 5th game I have lost still haven’t played yet! I was even down to play for my club on Saturday where I certainly would of been the oldest player by a long way!

On the sporting front I went to watch the Mighty Hatters last league game of the season   today – it was a rather tepid affair as we approach the Play Offs (8 changes from the last game as we rested players). It has been a tremendous season and we are comfortably the third best team in the league we now face the lottery of the Play Offs- we have never ever won one- so fingers crossed for our luck to change.

A couple of pictures of Swifts I took this afternoon. Amazing birds and the young people I take bird watching can never get their heads around the fact they spend nearly all their time in the air apart from when they nest! Also a surreal picture of a Bat I saw flying in the middle of the afternoon! Also saw a Little Gull but couldn’t snap it!

It is bizarre that I have been bird watching quite a bit in the last few days and yet while I have been out on the bike I have seen some unexpected migrants. I have specifically looked for Wheatears and didn’t see them till I was on a bike ride. I saw a whole group while on a bike ride and quite close as well. Yesterday on a long bike ride I saw a splendid male Redstart by the side of the road (an old picture of one below), Plenty of Swifts and Swallows around as well. Heard  my first Cuckoo of the Spring as well.

Falco Subbuteo is of course the Latin name for the Hobby. It always tickles me to think the table football game of my youth was named after a bird!

I have just come back from watching three birds flying acrobatically over Court Lake in Frampton. I have mentioned before how entranced I am watching this bird. Added bonus was a Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and a Red Kite making it four different raptors in fifteen minutes! Also saw a Scream of Swifts – my first ones of the year. The only picture I took is of the Ross’s Goose which has been around for a while- see below.

Book Club later in the pub to discuss Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. 

It certainly has been! Lovely bird watching walk to see one of my favourite returning birds – the Hobby. Spent a lovely half hour watching two birds hunting. A picture below (not mine- will try during the summer) . My pictures are both distant  a Great White Egret and a Marsh Harrier.

Watched the Mighty Hatters on TV- which we were certainly in second gear for the second successive as we wait for the Play Offs. Only one more game before it starts in earnest!

My cricket is off tomorrow because of a mess up by our opponents!

Lovely drive in the Spring sunshine to Stratford yesterday. We went to see Hamnet in the Swan Theatre. I had read Maggie O’Farrell’s moving book last year and really enjoyed it. This production certainly played around with the structure of the story but was equally as moving as the written story. The set was effective and enhanced the story telling.

A few pictures today of our woodland walk in amongst the Bluebells and fresh Spring leaves. All good for the soul!

Finishing with my arty view!

I have thought of various song titles about dogs but had to go with this classic song title especially when you look at the picture of Shaun The Dog below from the recent community play! Looking at it perhaps I should  stick to the day job!

Busy day today! Bird Survey first thing followed by doing one bird session at Wick Court. Will blog about it tomorrow.

Apologies there has been no blog since the middle of Sunday. It has been a busy first part of the week. Thoroughly enjoyed the final talk at the History Festival on Tutankhamun really interesting as knowledge has developed since Carter’s discovery a hundred years ago.

Monday I went to watch the Mighty Hatters win again against Middlesborough who for quite a chunk of the game looked the better side. Team spirit and resilience saw us home.

I was supposed to be playing cricket on Tuesday (was supposed to be our first league match) – the persistent rain of previous days saw it cancelled. So we shot down to help look after our granddaughter Ellen who has been unwell.

Today I took the young people at Wick Court bird watching but birds were thin on the ground! Tomorrow morning I am out on the monthly bird survey here in Frampton.

We have enjoyed Gloucester Spring History Festival. Still one event to go  to this evening. We were really impressed by the Gloucester Archaeologist who presented a film on Friday night. Clare enjoyed Alice Roberts yesterday. I am off for a talk later on Tutankhamun 100 years On  by Janina Ramirez.