Lovely to see some many signs of Spring now but sad it has been wet nearly all day! I did manage to venture out looking for Sand Martins  I managed a Chiffchaff there seem to be quite a few around at the moment. I heard a Swallow was sighted at the WWT yesterday. Blossom is out and the Willow trees are looking good. Pictures below are what I took last year it was too wet today to get my camera out!

I have been playing around with some ideas for a poem and looking at some of my stories for possible re-writing- didn’t get that far!

Had time to reflect on that penalty decision against the Mighty Hatters having watched it a few times. It was a shocker!!!!!!

I refer to today’s football where once again a debatable penalty was given against the Mighty Hatters. It is a mystery that when our players are manhandled/wrestled thrown to the floor in the penalty area that we don’t get anything given (one penalty all season). By all accounts we didn’t play that well today- a point is a point!

Spent time in the garden today- certainly a spring like feel!

Has it sprung???

We went to Dymock and Kempley to look at wild daffodils ahead of a trip Clare is organising next. These pictures I took when we cycled the “Daffodil Trail” about five years ago. This is a special area for wild daffodils. If I go next week expect more photos!

Good news a Chiffchaff was in our garden this morning! A very occasional visitor to our garden! I took young people at Wick Court bird watching on Wednesday and got wet yet again! I did my weekly Story Telling there last night.

Finally thoroughly enjoyed on Wednesday night watching the fluent attacking football in the first half from the Mighty Hatters we should of scored the proverbial hatful! Very difficult game tomorrow at Sunderland, I will keep my fingers firmly crossed but injuries are mounting at the moment.

Had a busy day working with Dan on our next collaboration. We seemed to be getting there and it was fascinating  to see him work out some tunes as we worked. My working title is Festival Fate because fate is a running thread through the stories and Glastonbury features! I think we will come up with something better in the next couple of weeks!

Feeling exhausted with my efforts now! Back at Wick Court tomorrow for some birding with the young people- I think it will be a cold one again!

Well after the hiccup of the weekend I am now feeling almost back to normal! I even managed to finish off the story I have written for the Two Severn Bores. It does need some tweaking but I have sent it to my fellow “Bore” to see what he thinks. We are meeting tomorrow for an initial rehearsal. I will post dates for performances in the near future.

As I was under the weather at the weekend I have decided not to travel to football on Wednesday night so I will watch it from armchair (not quite prawn sandwiches!) I am “Over The Moon Brian!” with the way my football team are performing. Fingers crossed we can go all the way but we have 10 hard games ahead of us.

WelI it has certainly been an exhausting fortnight for the Story Traveller!! I finished my run of World Book Day gigs on Friday. I had an enjoyable time and have had some excellent feedback.

Since then I have been under the weather a combination of the soaking in the sleet on Wednesday, non stop story telling and some minor food poisoning! We also had our granddaughter Ellen staying with us on Saturday night. I had to opt out of some of the childcare as I needed some rest! I was compos mentis to keep abreast of the Mighty Hatters winning at Sheffield United. A stunning result- fingers crossed we can go all the way!

I spent yesterday with young people from Maidstone bird watching at Wick Court. It was something of an endurance test as we endured snow, sleet and later rain throughout. Any self respecting bird was hunkered down behind a hedge etc. Surprisingly we saw a Song Thrush which have been an increasingly rare sighting at Wick Court. The children were brilliant despite the wet and the cold. I of course got even wetter and colder pedalling home afterwards! Off later to Story Tell to these young people.

Tomorrow I am off to Wiltshire for another World Book Day gig, visiting a school just outside of Trowbridge for the first time.

Thought I would put the poster for the community play I have mentioned see below- click on the link! I need to learn my lines now!

Have managed to get out on the bike the last couple of days and it is cold!

Arthur_Penn_Rabbit_Final_Artwork

Well at the end of a busy week (as mentioned in previous blog) the weekend has been fairly full. Went to watch the Mighty Hatters win a hard fought game (it would help if we started taking our chances!) Some tough games coming up especially next Saturday- fingers crossed!

Today was a long rehearsal for the Community Play “Arthur Penn-Rabbit “. I have been added an extra  part——A Dog!!!!!! Not sure how much I am allowed to ham it up! A real contrast one minute I am Charles Dickens then a dog!

It has been a long week! I have had three Story Telling gigs this week. I pedalled to Thrupp Primary School on Tuesday to spend the morning telling stories for an early World Book Day.  I had a lovely morning and response from the young people. I didn’t travel up for the football that night because I knew I was going to have a hard week so watched the game on TV.

On Wednesday in the middle of my Story Telling I did my weekly volunteering at Wick Court taking young people bird from Churchill Gardens London bird watching. It was certainly a bitter wind! I rushed off afterwards to drive to Leicestershire to stay with old friends Alan and Liz. It was good to see them both and helpful they were close to my next gig.

Thursday saw me at old friends at St. Peter and St. Paul Primary Syston for a World Book Day gig. I have been visiting them for a good number of years- they keep asking me to go back! Managed to tell a couple of new stories I had learnt.  I thoroughly enjoyed my day and the young people asked me some great questions. It was then back to Gloucestershire to meet Clare and to go to a beer tasting at Stroud Brewery followed by a meal. Wonderful!!!

I finished off the week with a final Story Telling at Wick Court today.