Thought the Don Henley song might be a good one for today even if the weather has been indifferent. I think Mark Cavendish is the boy of this summer-what an amazing  comeback!!! I certainly didn’t see that coming did anyone? For those of you who don’t know who is he is a cyclist and is closing in on the all time Stage Wins in the Tour de France. The picture above is one that has been in my blog before- I took it a few years ago on Caerphilly Mountain during the Tour of Britain.

More photos at the bottom from my garden. We have been pleased we have seen both male and female Blackcaps this week . Female below taken from an upstairs window.

An old Neil Young song title for today.

Thought it appropriate after listening to the news about the proposed end of lockdown. I do feel the message is muddled and can only see cases rising. Of course I am looking forward to going back to normal, especially to being able to perform live gigs regularly again. Can’t help but think the government has got wedded to July 19th so are blind to the data. Get more young people vaccinated before we open up! I hope I am wrong!

On a positive note I have a few outdoor gigs coming up in libraries and arts venues over the next month. So I will have to knuckle down and relearn stories and how I perform them.

I will attempt in the near future to finish off my Peru musings I wrote about before with our Inca Trail adventures. to whet your appetite the two pictures below are of sunrise  at Machu Picchu taken from the Sun Gate.

Got home from Bristol absolutely dripping this evening, we had been at the cricket and it got rained off (torrential rain) but the soaking came from waiting in the queue for the Park and Ride for twenty minutes. My goodness did I get wet, I now have rucksack, hat, shoes and other stuff all drying around the house! It is a long time since I have been that wet. The cricket was underwhelming only forty odd overs. It remains a mystery that cricket  a game for warm dry climates was developed in this country with its frequent weather systems coming across from the Atlantic!

A shower and a steaming mug of tea with wonderful home made flapjack soon restores your well being! As I was sipping my tea a distant memory came drifting back- of it was coming off the Pennine hill wet and cold and visiting the cafe at Horton in Ribblesdale. Their pint mugs of tea were legendary!

Have to start with tonight’s footie. That was certainly a comprehensive performance. I don’t normally get excited by England, certainly I get more involved following my team. However I find Southgate a really impressive man and how he has molded this diverse group of players. How it he has supported the players taking the knee is exemplary has shamed our prime minister with his divide and rule comments. Now looking forward to Wednesday.

I was supposed to play cricket today but sadly it was called off and I’m not that optimistic for my visit to Bristol for the One Day International- forecast isn’t great.

We have had a delightful few days away with the family in Somerset. I have fully enjoyed playing being an active grandparent, crawling on the floor, making silly noises and singing daft songs! I even managed a cycle with my David through the beautiful countryside near Stourhead.

Will have an update on the book on Monday. I have to decide if the cover has a matt or gloss finish! We are not far away!

Story Telling is gradually picking up with some library gigs in the holidays and one at Kingshill House.

Currently away with family. Enjoying playing with Owen. Planning a cycle with oldest son tomorrow proper blog at the weekend. Quite a bit to report.

It has been fairly quiet on the Story Telling front. I have a few gigs over the summer but until tonight little planned for the Autumn. I have spent the last 45 minutes responding to requests from schools so just like buses! I’m sure we are all hoping that our young people get some stability in their education and they will need their creative juices nurturing.

We are avid Tour de France watchers and fluctuate between watching the highlights and when it reaches the mountains watching live. France is beautiful country and the Tour showcases it well. Having cycled both in the Pyrenees and the Alps I am in awe of these riders who ride near non stop for the three weeks with plenty of amazing climbs.

Feeling like a hypochondriac today as I apply an ice pack to various parts of my ancient body. I have been asked to play league cricket again next Saturday where all my team mates will be half my age! So more ice-packs beckon!!!!!

I promised I would say something about our Book Club meeting on Wednesday. As previously mentioned we were talking about Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. Excellent discussion at a beautiful location. We were in a garden right by the River Severn and as we arrived the Bore came surging past Northwards, amazing witnessing the power of the incoming tide. It took about 20 minutes or so before the River was flowing in the opposite direction back to sea. All of us really enjoyed Under Milk Wood and we talked quite a bit on being exiled from the world you grew up in.

Spent some time going over the final, final proof. I had thought I had finished but was sent back the amended draft for approval. Fingers crossed I will have a publication date soon.

I have managed to play club cricket today and actually opened the batting and helped put om 79 for the first wicket – I am feeling it now! Nearly every part of my body now aches!

Thursday morning’s Bird Watch went well. We did have a sprinkling of rain and we saw the Avocet parents seeing off Gulls and Crows. we had  noisy Redshank and a squadron of Oystercatchers overhead. Plenty of young Whitethroat and Reed Warblers by the reed bed.

Well he has been busy! It has been an action packed week for me. two games of cricket, a Book Club and a bird survey plus much more. I am actually playing club cricket tomorrow as well!

Contrasting fortunes on the cricket field. I played for Gloucestershire old men on Tuesday against Oxfordshire at a beautiful setting , the River Windrush flowed by the ground. sadly we game second. Yesterday I captained our extras XI against Warwickshire and we won a really enjoyable game. Tomorrow I when I play club cricket the rest of my team may be half my age! Just hope the body lasts!

I will blog about about Books and Birds sometime over the weekend.

Finally the picture below is from the WWT at Slimbridge. I mentioned the Avocet story in an earlier blog. Below is a picture of the Fox that caused the mayhem with the Avocets in the background (not my picture!)