A picture from last week’s outside performance of Between Severn Tides in Newnham – me as hen pecked Bradley responding to “my not very nice wife Lavinia!” It was a lovely setting. I did feel sorry for the audience they had the sun in their eyes!

Just back from Story Telling at Wick Court. I told one of my old favourites a Russian Folk Tale which I add plenty of extra bits and I play with stereotypes. It is only the second time I have told it since the pandemic.

We went for a lovely cycle ride to Nailsworth along local cycle paths today.

Another picture of me and friends in action last week at Kingshill House- we are doing my action story “Deep, Deep, Deep in the Woods– we always have a lot of fun doing it adults and young people!

I did my weekly volunteering at Wick Court today taking young people bird watching. We saw nine Little Egrets on the River and I realised I didn’t know what the collective noun was for Egrets. There are several! Congregation, Sedge, Wedge, Siege, and Skewer! How about that!

My cricket yesterday ended up with us being hammered by Wales we managed to drop nine catches (including me- mine was hammered hard but I couldn’t hold on). Onto Warwickshire next week!

Delightful visit to Quenington today for the Fresh Air Sculptures this is a biannual event. A sample of pictures below. of some of the sculptures.  That means I will hold a couple of the Story Telling pictures back for a future blog.

Spent the weekend playing Granddad as we spent the weekend in Maidenhead.  My Grandson Owen is growing fast and is great fun! I am very proud of both my sons and their wives for the way they are parenting our grandchildren. I have been impressed by the way books are prominent in their lives of their children. Owen loves his books and will often grab a book for us to read to him.

I thought we were going to lose the cricket on Friday night-what do I know! Joe Root is a wonderful batsmen!

Pictures today are of me Story Telling at Kingshill House Art Centre Dursley on Wednesday Morning. I was sent about 40 photos of me in full flow! I regularly Story Tell at Kingshill House and I am now resident Story Teller! Over the next week or so  I will probably put some more photos from past Kingshill gigs (I’ve just been sent February and Halloween pictures!)

I also performed in Between Severn Tides in Newnham -on- Severn last night. This was a different production from last month where we had a stage and a bigger cast. So I had to play an extra part and we performed  it more like a radio play with scripts in front of us. (see some of the April blogs about the original.production)

I led Gloucestershire Seniors (3rd team) to a fine win against Somerset on Tuesday. My bowlers did a great job so I always had control of the game.

This morning had a super Bird Watch near the River with young Esther and my pal Gordon. We saw three Cuckoos (2 males and a female) they flew fairly close to us. I looked up the collective noun for Cuckoos it is an Asylum!  Great variety of raptors as well at least 2 Marsh Harriers, Red Kite, 2 Buzzards, Hobby and a Kestrel. The  pictures be.low are not great but a distant Cuckoo and a flying Great White Egret.

Some pictures from the last few days. More tomorrow!

Have to say there are wonderful hedgerows in this part of West Wales. Full of flowers with foxgloves and red campion a plenty. Many of them have obviously been there hundreds of years. Brilliant for a diverse wild life. The hedgerows were obviously so attractive to me I crashed into one today on a long cycle round the area. Bloodied and bruised but ok afterwards. Saw a Weasel shoot out from one hedge (might of been a Stoat but I think it was a Weasel). Walking the coast tomorrow hoping for plenty of seabirds.

Currently in deepest Pembrokeshire in our wonderful camper Cedric. Wonderful sea views as we cycled around the area. Great views of  Raven alongside other corvids so you realise how big they are. Still hoping for a Chough they are around.

I am off on a long cycle ride tomorrow believe it or not I have brought two bikes away so my number one bike for the ride tomorrow!

Lived up to my billing as the Story Traveller by cycling to Thrupp Primary School to run a writing/story workshop based around my book Pig The Legend with Y5/6 today. It was a delightful class who had a great relationship with their talented teacher. I was asked some super thoughtful questions both on my writing to searching questions on my own reading! I was impressed they have regular class book read to them – sadly not the case in all schools now. It always used to be one of the things I loved doing when I had my own classes.

Managed to get back home before the rain which may put my cricket tomorrow in jeopardy.

The title refers to me! I played league cricket for my club and everyone in my team was more than half my age!!! The opposition had a similar age profile! I was apprehensive how I would get through the game without embarrassing myself! Well I got through unscathed and even opened the batting reaching double figures  and seeing off the opening bowlers -the bowling was appreciably quicker than what i have been accustomed to in Seniors Cricket.  When it came to fielding I surprised everyone by doing a run out! So there is life in the Old Dog!!!! On to Buckinghamshire on Tuesday with the Gloucestershire Seniors!

I went looking for Hobbies this morning -didn’t see any but I managed to snap the Wren pictured below on the wires.

How about a Radiohead song for today’s title! I am sure some of you may think I may of been sulking following Monday’s football. I haven’t been I have been super busy!

I was really proud of the Mighty Hatters who played really well and were desperately unlucky not to win. It has been a marvellous season and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Onwards and upwards!

My cricket got abandoned on Tuesday we didn’t quite get enough overs in to make Duckworth/Lewis come into play we were in a winning position. I am turning out for my club tomorrow which will be interesting playing alongside much younger players!

Live performance is good for the soul and last night we went to an excellent concert by Show of Hands who were accompanied by a band called Track Dogs (I had never heard of them before). We took our friend Dave who was raving about the quality!

Off Story Telling now!