Welcome back to the Cheltenham Literature Festival we missed you last year! It has been a regular fixture for us for at least 3+ decades. We have seen many authors from different genres and performers over the years. Today we saw an impressive and positive Ed Miliband talking about his book Big Ideas. Much of the focus was Climate Change and the way forward. Good to hear an intelligent politician looking for solutions and not indulging in Ya Boo politics! We are back at the festival Tuesday and Wednesday.

This followed a delightful Autumn ride that included a coffee stop in Nailsworth and an ice cream up on Rodborough Common,

We had a wonderful day yesterday visiting our Maidenhead part of the family and playing with our charismatic Grandson Owen ! He is now 10 months old and in to everything!

An action packed day. A journey up to Colwall to tell stories at a sort of Dementia/Elderly support cafe. I also took my tarantula puppet and it went down well. My multi-coloured waistcoat that Clare made some time ago was much admired.

Then it was out for a ride with my friend Peter into deepest Herefordshire.  Delightful ride exploring country lanes with quite a bit of steep climbing.

A Rolling Stones number for today’s blog title. I went on a ride this morning calling on old friends David and Judy. I threatened David his picture would be in today’s blog. So the two pictures below are from a visit to see David and Judy I think it is either 1985 or 86. First picture is David with my David (who become a Dad himself last week), you might recognise someone in the back of the trailer!

I’m off Story Telling tomorrow so I will blog about it Thursday night.

Delightful visit to see our new Granddaughter. As any grandparent says she is beautiful! It is good for the soul to see your children being lovely parents. Clare of course has excelled herself by making bunting, knitting cardigans, and making a wonderful play mat. I might put a photo in a future blog!

I went to football on Saturday and the weather was awful and it meant the ball skidded off quickly making control difficult. It show how far my football team have gone in the Championship when the opposition sit back and try and stop us playing.

I may of had the Dire Straits song before as a title but couldn’t think of anything else for this topic (could of been Sisters as well as Brothers in Arms). Those of you who are regular readers of this blog will know I am a keen cyclist and clock up many miles in a year on the road. One rather touching thing that happens when you are out on the road is the greeting fellow cyclists give each other. There is a variety of greetings – a hand raised, slight flick of the hand on the handlebars, a nod , a cheery “Good Morning or Afternoon”, “Hi “ or when you overtake someone or get overtaken a full discussion can take place. We all stop for each other if we see someone with a puncture or a mechanical when we are out. Maybe one day there will be a song called “Comrades on the Road” that I could use as a song title.

Picture is of three cycling comrades well above the famous Alpe d’Huez climb- one is much older than the other two!

Will blog on stories, football and other stuff tomorrow!

I’ve decided to use the David Bowie song title for today because I wanted a song with Five in the title. If any of you saw the football results last night you might understand where I am coming from! There isn’t a song title Five Goals which is what my team scored in a wonderful fluent performance last night. They don’t come along very often so one has to savour them when they happen! Brilliant!!!!!! The picture below is my self indulgent moment! football shirts were much more interesting before they became advertising billboards!

I will stop this now after all it is supposed to be a Story Telling Blog! Bookings are creeping in so I do need to develop some new stories to tell.

Had a lovely day Bird Watching with the young people at Wick Court yesterday. Also got a soaking this morning doing the Bird Survey out on the River Severn. 200 Curlews and plenty of different waders.

My goodness after a fairly dry September it is certainly making up for it today! I managed to get in a ride this morning before the rain.

My one day old Granddaughter is called Ellen Rose and everyone is well. Hopefully we will be able to visit them all soon.

Looking forward to seeing my old friends from St Peter and St Paul Academy Syston tomorrow at Wick Court. There are a school I have visited regularly with my Story Telling and Author hat on. Weather forecast looks OK thank goodness!

Two bits of news today! We now have another Grandchild born tonight in Exeter! It is like buses from no Grandchildren to now we have two within a year!

Vicky had a little girl weighing in at 7lb 6ozs we are waiting for a name.

Changing the subject following book sales I paid over £300 to Alzheimer’s Society today!

I did tell you all we were heading Southwards to Dorset for part of the weekend. We camped just outside Wareham (a regular site for us) within striking distance of RSPB Arne. We normally try and visit in early Spring so we can see Dartford Warblers so we knew this would be a different experience. Stonechats kept popping up everywhere and saw a Charm of 100+ Goldfinches.. We were really impressed by the design of the new hide on the reserve. Plenty of impressive waders including Avocets and one Great White Egret (we saw plenty of Little Egrets as well).

Sadly my team the Mighty Hatters paid the penalty for several missed chances against top of the table Bournemouth.  We are playing some good attacking football despite a significant injury list. We need to win our games this week.

This afternoon took part in a play reading of my friend Brian’s dark play heavily influenced by Under Milk Wood but based on our part of the Severn. The plan is do a Community Plan next Easter time Watch this space!

I think the title of the Laura Marling song is an appropriate title for my blog (probably all of them!) As many of you appear to read them I feel I must continue to Ramble On  (as Led Zeppelin once sang) You may of noticed I didn’t write much yesterday so playing catch up today!

I enjoyed my Story Telling visit to Ledbury on Tuesday. It is so much better performing in front of an audience rather than being online. I certainly respond and adapt to my audience reaction which is harder online. I am busy playing around with story ideas for future gigs.

Gradually getting back into the routine at Wick Court taking the young people bird watching, it was our third school visiting after nearly eighteen months of the farm being sort of mothballed!

We are off South tomorrow for some birdwatching and football (not feeling that optimistic of my team’s chances!)