A few pictures from the WWT Slimbridge today. We had a tour of Scott House which was really interesting- I will add an anecdote it reminded me of in a future blog in the next few days. For today some pictures from being on the reserve on a really cold day!
Bewick Swan
Water Rail on the Ice!
Pair of Pintails
Male Mandarin Duck
Struggling for a snappy title today! I have had a busy three days so haven’t been able to contemplate the January Blues!
Saturday saw me travel to the Theatre of Tattered Dreams to watch the Mighty Hatters. A good competitive game of football and through my gritted teeth have to say the best team won. I would go as far as saying that West Brom are the best team I have seen us play this season and I have seen all the top teams!
Yesterday afternoon I went to rehearsal of the Community Play that we are performing here in Frampton in April. We went through our songs which may come as a surprise for those of you who have heard my singing! More on the play in future blogs!
Last night I travelled to spend the night at my grandson’s Owen helping out his Mum and Dad who need someone to do the lifting etc! We are going back this afternoon to pick him up from Nursery ( a first for us!)
What a contrast to the drought of the summer we now seem to have non-stop rain and there seems to be water everywhere. So the pictures below are the Bore on the River Severn and a flood between the River and Canal a couple of years ago- the last picture is of the reed bed where I do regular bird watches! We are fortunate where we are because the River has a natural flood plain. At least today has been dry so far so I managed a decent bike ride but still plenty of puddles everywhere and I was often riding into a brutal unforgiving wind.
Tomorrow off to the Theatre of tattered dreams to watch the Mighty Hatters! Fingers crossed!
For the second year running I led the Wassail at Wick Court. Also like last year it was in my own inimitable style! I started by explaining what a Wassail beforehand to the delightful young people from Ravenstone Primary School. I also had to fill in for 15 minutes so ended up telling Mollie The Sheep to them. Luckily the rain held off so we were able to give our toast and apple juice to the tree! If I get any pictures I will include them in future blogs. Afterwards I raced off to Gloucester to meet Clare and friends to attend a talk on Goshawks by James Aldred a well known wild life cameraman. He showed some great action clips and great photos.
Today it was looking after our wonderful grandson Owen which included going to “Tiny Tots Art!”
Just like the proverbial saying of the title you have spells when you have gaps on the Story Telling front then a ridiculous busy spell The early Autumn was quiet for me and then November/ December was like many buses all arriving at once. January has been quiet so far but I have just had a spurt of bookings for later winter/ early spring. Tomorrow I am leading the Wassail at Wick Court which will be done in my usual idiosyncratic style! Also my first bird watching of the year group with young people before the Wassail.
Looking beyond gloomy January I have my AGM tonight for the Gloucestershire Seniors Cricket– will be good to meet up again with my cricketing chums.
Just back from Exeter where we have been on grandparent duty helping with the lovely Ellen (15 months old). We put her to bed for the first time and we were successful! This was a rehearsal for looking after her on our own. We are thoroughly enjoying being grandparents! We are with Owen (25 months old) on Thursday!
Have been struggling on the writing front and it is getting urgent as I am supposed to meeting up with Dan (the musical half of Two Severn Bores) to discuss our Spring shows imminently!
Currently listening to my team playing in the FA Cup – COYH!!!!!
Some pictures from Splatt Bridge this afternoon. Saw several Deceits of Lapwings over the river- about 2,000 birds my picture is one Deceit! A Kestrel hunting (couldn’t get a decent picture of a Marsh Harrier).
Title sums up my day! We ventured out early morning to do some jobs one of which was buying a child seat for the car! We now can be independent of our children and be able to take Owen and Ellen out in our own car! I think I might be compos mentis enough to be able to take it out and put it in again! Big step forward for us!
I have been writing family poems for years but with two young grandchildren I have tried to write a poem about them around their birthday. So the folders are especially for both grandchildren so there is a progressive record of their growing up.
Finally I went to Wick Court where I volunteer for the first time since we last had children visit in November to sort out the bird feeders so we are ready for our first school next week!
I posted a few days ago a picture of a male Blackcap in the feeder in the garden. Took this one today of the female Blackcap through the window and the rain in the same feeder! The Blackcaps that turn up in our garden in Winter are probably migrants from Europe possibly Germany. The Blackcaps we see in summer our resident birds it seems that the species has two distinct groups now.
I have been busy playing around with a possible story to tell for our next Two Severn Bores show. It is a well known legend that I am setting in the present day.
