Normally Saturdays during the football season can be an anxious time! The Mighty Hatters are not playing till Monday night (it is on the telly!) so I will face an anxious Monday night instead! I will get back late on Monday and then have our first league game of cricket on the Tuesday weather permitting! So I may be exhausted by the time I get home on Tuesday!

Dan (Two Severn Bores) and I had a rehearsal/ planning meeting today. He has penned some great songs to go with the stories I am telling for our new show. We are calling it Destiny or Fate! We have one performance booked for Bristol in June and are currently negotiating with other venues. We are encouraged with how both the stories and the music are developing.

I walked up to Splatt Bridge last night and watched the two Marsh Harriers being very busy. Heard the wonderful sound of the Bittern booming. Magic!

It has been a busy 24 hours or so. Lovely day with the young people from Wyvil Primary School. We managed to see 23 species altogether.

Shot off afterwards to watch a rather bizarre game of football where my side once again looked very good despite being held to a draw. Just have to hope the Mighty Hatters keep it up in the Play Offs (something we have never won before.)

Had a delightful day with my two grandsons today. Thoroughly enjoyed reading the Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson 5 times to Owen!!!

Finished off with a Story Telling at Wick Court.

Had a busy day doing a cycle ride and a couple of jobs. I should of been playing cricket today but the ground was still damp. First league game next Tuesday!

On the Story Telling front hoping to publish a couple of Two Severn Bores dates in the near future. We are booked for Folk Tales in Bristol on the 7th June ( will give more details nearer the time. I already have a couple of bookings for me for the summer.

We have had a lot of interesting bird activity here in Frampton with Bitterns and Marsh Harriers being seen regularly. A birding friend sent me the Harrier pictures below from by the Severn. I am resuming my bird watching with young people at Wick Court tomorrow.

Finally off to watch the Mighty Hatters tomorrow night- fingers crossed!

It certainly has been a busy weekend! The play went really well especially the final performance on Saturday night! I was exhausted when I finally got home.

Spent yesterday and today down in Exeter with our lovely family down there. There is a picture of me, David and our delightful granddaughter Ellen in a forest this morning.

Another brilliant away win by the Mighty Hatters on Saturday. Off to watch them on Wednesday night.

We did our first performance last night of Arthur Penn-Rabbit. I was allowed a bit more licence as the dog so took it! Two more performances today.

I will have my fingers crossed for the Mighty Hatters at Rotherham- it is a difficult game!

Had a lovely morning bird watching near the Severn. Saw a couple of Marsh Harriers, my first House Martins of the year, plenty of Swallows, Skylarks and one Common Crane (not the best of pictures it was quite a long way away.

Had a good discussion about Lincoln Highway  by Amor Towles at Book Club last night after my rehearsal. Everyone enjoyed reading it. I thought it was excellent Story Telling.

Time ticks on. Only tonight’s rehearsal and tomorrow’s dress rehearsal before we perform. Last night most of the set had been constructed so it certainly felt different. Just like last year’s play Ann has conjured up an amazing stage for us to perform on.

If anyone reading this wants to come along to watch – Friday is just about full but there are spaces for Saturday’s matinee and a few for Saturday night.

Of course I am referring to the current position of my football team. We went yesterday  hope for some champagne football. Sadly we struggled with dealing with a capricious wind and plucky opposition. However the cliché goes “good teams win when not playing well” and we managed to win! So we now we have consolidated 3rd place and we can dream. Below is a picture of the aftermath of the second goal in the derby game on the 1st. Yours truly is in the picture below celebrating (the crowd not the pitch!) Look in the top right hand corner!

It is rehearsal for the play tonight (and every night this week until the first performance on Friday night.

The last 24 hours has seen me go for a long cycle ride in the Spring sunshine to being a full on Granddad. “Come on Gramps”! We have spent all Easter Sunday being with our two grandsons (and their parents!) Owen is certainly all action and was lovely to see him on his balance bike. Robin is now six weeks old and his eyes are now looking at lights and movement.

Tomorrow we are both off to football hoping the Mighty Hatters keep up their good form. Fingers crossed!

Heard the iconic sound of a Bittern booming from my bedroom this morning!  What a privilege it is to hear! We got excited a couple of years ago that we might have Bitterns breeding in our area but it didn’t happen. maybe this time! I watched a Marsh Harrier busy with nesting material yesterday so it is all happening!

Yesterday’s football was a poor game that ended up a physical battle. Nobody was allowed to play any sort of football. Hope if we make the Play Offs we avoid Millwall. Still the play offs look likely as the Mighty Hatters are currently sitting in third place. Maybe this year will be the year we end our Play Off hoodoo!

Long pedal today in the Spring Sunshine and a Stoat ran across the road in front of me.