We had another walk on Rodborough late afternoon today. Beautiful although there was cold wind you felt in exposed places. So there are a few pictures below of Cowslips. They always make me quite nostalgic of my early days in Gloucestershire when on my solitary walks over the hills and commons I really first noticed them. Having said that many motorways now seem to be adorned with them on the embankments.

Enjoyed watching my football team recover from 2-0 down to win. Especially pleasing it was against one of the local ish teams Bristol City.  We don’t usually do that well at Ashton Gate.

Talk about packing things into a day, I am currently sitting exhausted as I write this shortish blog!

I woke early and unable to go back to sleep so I went out for a dawn bird watch. I thought early on I had made a mistake as I hardly saw anything. A fox then galloped past a reed warbler started singing, common terns were sighted. I walked to another part of the sailing lake to see little gulls (lovely birds), common sandpipers, swallows, whitethroat (3 or 4). To round it off I heard a grasshopper warbler reeling  just up from my house (a real treat)

We then drove up to Maidenhead to see my delightful grandson at a pub lunch! He is now 4 and half months. What a treat! We also had about 40 minutes solo!

Yesterday’s Quiz answers (you can tell I worked in primary schools)

a) The Gruffalo was illustrated by Axel Scheffler    b) Elmer was a patchwork coloured elephant  c) Spot was the Eric Hill’s creation  d) Flat Stanley was posted to America  (A book I read to the first class I taught!)  e) E.H. Shephard illustrated Winnie the Pooh

A lovely ride today with two pals and we stopped at Winstones Ice Cream Factory on Rodborough Common for an obligatory ice cream. If you don’t live in Gloucestershire you don’t know what you are missing!

I did meet with Dan last night (the other half of Two Severn Bores) to exchange ideas about our next project. Plenty to think about and we are both going away to see how our writing develops.

In other news I have approved the cover for the book. I aim to put it into a blog in the near future.

A couple of Spring pictures from our garden-our Bramley and Crab Apple below!

Today’s Quiz is on picture books and illustrations (well I have mentioned my book cover).

a) Who illustrated the Gruffalo?  b) What is different about Elmer the Elephant?   c) What is the name of Eric Hill’s dog in many of his books?   d) What is the name of the book by Jeff Brown about a boy who gets squashed and gets sent to America?  e) Who illustrated Winnie the Pooh books?

Just been watching my team again. Played well but couldn’t put the ball in the net so nil nil! I have just renewed my season ticket so hopefully we might be able to watch live football again and not a screen!

Two Severn Bores are meeting tomorrow night to plan so watch this space! We are hoping to put together a new show.

Picture of a Pied Wagtail I saw on the lake this afternoon.

Yesterday’s Song Lyrics

a) Mrs Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel   b) Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan  c) Bob the Builder (shows my wide cultural knowledge!) d) Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen (one of my heroes but the two times I’ve seen him he hasn’t played this) e) Common People by Pulp

Long time since I had a Bob Dylan song for my title! I used this classic today because I have detected that attitudes are gradually changing about entertainment. I have had two bookings come in for this summer over the last 24 hours. Oh for live gigs with an audience!!! I certainly haven’t enjoyed telling stories to a screen, hard to gauge how the audience is responding! Hope that there will be more coming in soon.

Just had notification for my second jab next week. It has been a brilliant effort by the NHS and volunteers. Thank Goodness we have the NHS doing this and not the government cronies who have squandered 37 billion so far! I still don’t understand why the government are waiting for Friday before India go on the red list for travel, we always seem so slow to react.

Thought we would have a song lyrics quiz today to go with blog title! Which songs do the following lyrics come from?

a) Jesus loves you more than you will know wo wo wo  b) Threw the bums a dime in your prime didn’t you?  c) Scoop, Muck and Dizzy and Rolly too, Lofty and Wendy join the crew.  d) Got in a little hometown jam, so they put a rifle in my hand  e) She studied sculpture at Saint Martin’s College 

I have spent some time of the last few days looking for Spring Migrants. I usually see Wheatears by the Severn -I’ve been five times now with no luck! I’ve also looked for Yellow Wagtails just up from our house- saw them regularly last Spring and again no luck! You never know might have an Osprey tomorrow!

Think I have made a decision on the cover for my book. Hoping to see another draft cover this week. Once it is confirmed I will share it on here.

Finally the sporting dreamland was completed today by Gloucestershire Cricket Club winning, two wins out of two now.

The only cloud on the sporting horizon is the greedy European football clubs who look like they want to wreck football as we know it completely.

Sorry folks it is a gloating sporting blog today. My wonderful football team the Mighty Hatters played our near neighbours (run by dodgy money from Italy) off the park with a superb footballing team performance. It feels like we have finally arrived back after the painful journey my club have been on. Still smiling five hours after the game! I am hoping that tomorrow Gloucestershire finish  my sporting weekend with a win in the West Country Cricket Derby!

I was still smiling on my ride this afternoon with my pal. The weather was perfect sun shining, no wind and the temperature was just right!

Punch lines to yesterday’s corny jokes!

a) A Pig’s favourite move is a pork chop!   b) The man who kept being knocked by a bike was in a vicious cycle!  c) “Break a leg” is said because every play needs a cast!  d) The photo was in jail because he had been framed!  e) A Witch’s favourite subject is Spelling!

Well possibly not. In a different life I used to love Friday night either because of the anticipation or just thank goodness it is the weekend! Since the virus struck it hard to notice that Friday has arrived!

We did go on Rodborough Common hoping to enjoy a blanket of Cowslips. Plenty of Cowslips but not quite out properly because it was quite cold so we will try again next week.

I asked a young Ned today for feedback on the draft cover for my book Pig the Legend. He also gave me a joke so instead of a quiz today complete the punch lines below (they are all corny)!

a) What is a pigs favourite move? (Ned’s joke)  b) Why did the man get hit by a bike every day?  c) Why do people say “break a leg” when you go on stage?  d) Why did the photo go to jail?  e) Which school subject was the witch’s favourite? 

A selection of recent pictures today and the answer to the Shakespeare Quiz below. Some flowers in the garden (cowslip and fritillaries)!

Pictures from yesterday’s bird watch, first picture is a female Black-tailed Godwit she was quite a long way from us and I didn’t get a decent picture of the male who was stunning in his breeding colours. The other picture is one of the Great White Egrets we saw.

We had a lively Book Club discussing Hamnet with some real differences of opinion on the merits of the book. Love a good debate!

Answers to the Shakespeare Characters from two days ago.

a) Macduff killed Macbeth after “Birnam Wood came to Dunsinane!”   b) Falstaff of course is the jovial braggart (a great role to play!)   c) Banquo’s ghost haunted Macbeth d) Romeo was a Montague  e) Calphurnia and Portia were the wives of Caesar and Brutus

Had a wonderful morning bird watching with a friend near the River where there are many scrapes for waders. The sun was shining and  birds kept appearing! The air was full of varied bird song, the highlight was the booming of a Bittern (just makes you smile to hear it) Several new migrant warblers were in the bushes, on the scrapes Lapwing, Redshank, several species of Duck, Great White Egrets and Little Egrets (the common one that you mainly see in the UK), Peregrine flew past, a magnificent Common Crane looking resplendent in the sun and two absolutely stupendous Black-tailed Godwits.

Quiz answers tomorrow-just come off a brilliant vociferous Book Club Zoom discussing Hamnet, it is always good when you don’t all agree.