A song I won’t be hearing again at the cricket! Of course Jimmy is the outstanding England cricketer Jimmy Anderson. He played his last match for England today. A fantastic career over many years and still playing Test Match Cricket and opening the bowling at 42! I have been fortunate over the years to see him play on numerous occasions on different Test Match grounds. He will be missed when I go to Edgbaston in a fortnight.

I enjoyed story telling last night to young people from Merton at Wick Court.

It is that busy time in the garden harvesting our fruit and vegetables- we spent quite a bit of time doing that today! Our blackcurrants have bee particularly prolific! Enjoy having them with our breakfast cereal also with our tasty blueberries

Yesterday following all the heavy rain my cricket was off (we were supposed playing up in Staffordshire.) The rainfall over recent days has been heavy so our water butts and pond are full again!

I am enjoying the sport on TV especially the Tour de France – always like a travelogue for France (also a bit of Italy this time !) It is a sporting epic three weeks in the saddle up and down France! Just come in from taking young people bird watching at Wick Court so I am settling down to watching the Test Match (it is a tough life!) Haven’t watched much of the Euro Championships but hoping to watch England tonight.

On the bird watching today one group were delighted to see half a dozen Curlew flying in tight formation. A picture of one I took three years ago below.

You are probably wondering where I have been as there has been an absence of my often incoherent rambling blogs! I did mention I was going to be busy!

Story Telling first! I was Story Telling on Thursday night and again Friday morning. Thursday was my regular slot at Wick Court with young people from near Swansea. (I had a delightful bird watching session with them on the Wednesday) They enjoyed the Japanese folk tale    £The man who loved stories”.

Friday I was in Highnam doing a story for the whole school it was my story “Harriet the Hippo” followed by story telling workshops with Y3 and Y4. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning and the school seemed to enjoy it.

I mentioned we had our Exeter family staying so at the weekend we had a wonderful time with the whole family including our Bishop’s Cleeve family. We all went to Cattle Country on Saturday where all three grandchildren had a whale of a time. It is precious moment  to be able to play with three delightful youngsters!

It all seems quiet here now and rather empty although we have been left with Tully the very relaxed greyhound. Picture below!

It has been all go here since we got back from South Devon. One last picture from Hope Cove below!

We have currently our Exeter family staying with us because their kitchen is being done1 So guess who is doing the childcare of Ellen our granddaughter? A picture from last night- Ellen cycled up to the lake last night – so the picture below is us looking at the common terns swooping on the lake!

It is Wick Court tomorrow for bird watching and then I am story telling on Thursday night for the visiting school (can’t remember which school it is this week.

I am also visiting Highnam School on Friday morning. for more story telling and a story telling workshop.

Now back from our wonderful Devon break (Hope Cove). We thoroughly enjoyed our special  treat. A few of my bird  pictures I took on my camera while away.      

Saw and heard many trilling Skylarks like the one above!

On my walk yesterday I came across three Wheatear families- a couple of young birds above.

I took several pictures of a Heron at Bowling Green Marsh Topsham on the way down to South Devon- ironically as I  turned off the camera it caught a frog! Would of been an interesting photo!

             
Pictures above (all taken on the phone) are from Hope Cove in South Devon. We are currently enjoying being away for a few days. This is a result of my “unsung hero award” (sic). For my volunteering over a number of years I was put forward for this award! Having a lovely time – will add some pictures from my camera when I get home! I have to say this is a delightful place!

There has been much international sport taking place in recent weeks. There was also one taking place yesterday which I took part in! I was leading the Gloucestershire Over 60s (3rd team) against the might of Wales. Until yesterday we had always lost. Three quarters of the way through it looked like we were going to lose again until my big fast bowler Mark walked out to bat. He hit a whirlwind 67 in 32 balls to transform the game. We were delighted to get over the line the inflict a first defeat for Wales. It meant I was spared watching the England football match. It was hot playing yesterday!

Today I took the young people from Wyvil Primary School, Vauxhall bird watching at Wick Court. We managed not to melt!

Short blog today with no Story Telling today. I have been enjoying the 20/20 World Cup and good to see many of the underdogs having their moments. Fingers crossed for in England in the semi-final! I have missed a lot of the football and luckily missed England’s game v Denmark because of Story Telling. I will miss tomorrow’s game as well because I am playing cricket in Wales – at least the weather is set fair!

A wonderful couple of days for The Story Traveller!  Today was the Wick Court Open Farm Day. I of course was story telling and generally helping out. We had an amazing 712 visitors – last year it just over 400! As always when you are story telling at these sorts of events is you have no idea what your audience is going to be like in terms of age range. I think I managed to compromise with the stories I told especially my second session.

Yesterday was the most delightful of days as a grandparent!. We met our two grandsons Owen and Robin (plus their Dad) at WWT Slimbridge. Well Robin who is 16 months was so animated at seeing all the birds (even the swans were “Quack, quacks” He was loving every minute of it. Owen went on the canoe safari with Pete his dad and I which was great. However, we had a lovely time later with Owen in Welly Boot Land. The best word to describe it was joyful as he whizzed round splashing in the water chatting away to himself. Even as i write this I am smiling at the magical day!

A flurry of activity through this week- might explain a lack of blogs!

Cricket organisation has taken up quite a bit of time and then my team played Worcestershire on Tuesday and sadly came second. Our batting should of got at least another 30 runs and my bowlers were unusually wayward. The captain (yours truly) will have strong words before Tuesday’s game against a powerful Wales team!

Lovely day with the young people from Chesterton Primary School Battersea bird watching at Wick Court. The weather was kind to us! I was there again tonight Story Telling – brought out the old favourite The Sleeping King for the first time in a while.

I have had a couple of enjoyable rides this week even unexpectedly bumping into a friend who rode with me and treated me to coffee and cake!