The title refers to the quiz questions for today (at the end of the blog). I hope despite the dire news you managed to enjoy the beautiful weather. We managed to be busy in the garden catching up on many outstanding jobs. This garden is going to be wonderful over the next few weeks!

Keep checking the blog for news of Two Severn Bores possibly doing part of performance online-so watch this space!

Yesterday’s answers to the Blog Posers.

It is a Bouquet of Pheasants. We have one endemic bird in the UK the Scottish Crossbill (picture at the bottom of the blog)-this species was only confirmed in 2006!

Trying to vary the questions so it is Literature today! Should be fairly straightforward. Hence the nautical title! Which books did the following Captains come from and can you name their ship?

1. Captain Archibald Haddock (no ship)
2.  Captain AlexanderSmollett 
3. Captain James Hook
4. Captain Nemo 
5. Captain Ahab – and finally what was the name of Captain Pugwash’s ship?
   

   Scottish Crossbill, Loxia scottica
   ©David Whitaker

  Picture below is a sort of self isolation moment; long ride today you were supposed to see the Severn in the distance behind me!!!  

Yesterday’s answer was of course Sir Alistair  Cook (I didn’t quite word it correctly.) Today’s question were posed to me by the young people at Wick Court this week. I didn’t know the answers so had to look them up-they will be on here tomorrow!.

“What is the group name for pheasants?” We saw 4 under the feeders and it is probably my least favourite bird!

“Does Britain have any endemic birds?” The didn’t actually say endemic!     

Finally a topical question while on the theme of collective nouns perhaps you can come up  with a word for many toilet rolls . My attempts are “A Stash” or “A Stack” or a “A Selfishness!”

Stay safe folks!             

Wanted to be upbeat today so what better than Ian Drury to provide today’s title-obvious really!

I saw my first Sand Martins (great)  today while getting a soaking doing the monthly bird survey by the River Severn. Saw Redshank as well so all harbingers of Spring. I hope those of you reading this blog  are able to enjoy the Primroses, Daffodils and Forsythia  that brighten up the world, as well as the Spring Migrants heading our way.  May be difficult if you are shut away somewhere. It seems to me that Bird watching is one of the few outdoor activities that we can do safely at the moment.

My last Story Telling at Wick Court this afternoon with our visitors from Maidstone. Not sure when I will be performing stories next-likely to be months.

Below the bird with the longest migration-a real endurance test-if you don’t know what it is answer tomorrow with some facts.

Thought the Moody Blues old song might be appropriate for today’s blog-(I hope you appreciate it Colin!) Like many I have gone from being really busy to now having time on my hands. So although I will still talk about Story Telling over the next few weeks in the blog  I won’t be talking about gigs for a while! I do hope to find some more stories over the next month for telling to extend my repertoire of stories. Having said that I am telling stories tomorrow at Wick Court (we still have a school staying) but I suspect it will be my last until things calm down. I did do Bird watching with them yesterday.

I think I might go over Books we have recently read at Book Club. Last month we discussed “Commonwealth of Thieves” by Thomas Keneally. A History of the First Fleet to Australia and how the convicts and Arthur Phillip’s men settled around the Sydney area. It was a well researched work and Phillip’s benevolence was vital in the success of the colony. The book had many stories about the history of individual convicts. Our Book Club always comes up with a diverse mix of reading, many of the books chosen I would never chose myself so are grateful to my pals for the books they chose. We have now being going now for fifteen years and it is always coming up with new ideas. We are going to Swansea later in the year (more about that in later blogs.)

It is certainly a surreal world at the moment. I cycled earlier today and it was certainly quiet. I feel it is the one thing where I can’t impact on anybody else. Do enjoy seeing the mass of daffodils by the side of the road. It was a stunning sunny day that does make you feel better.

I am at Wick Court tomorrow-that is still operating although not sure how long for.

As expected all my gigs have been cancelled for this month. although I still have my residency at Wick Court for a while.

Seems appropriate title for today-from the Beatles of course although personally I like Jo Cocker’s version better! Think over the next few weeks we all will need to support each other. Not sure how long it will be before everything closes down. Think the dilemma with schools is an interesting one as everybody else is closing them down. I am down to Story Tell in Bath at a school tomorrow night and I have my usual residency at Wick Court Farm on Thursday. I suspect schools visiting  the farm might stop in the near future.

I did do a long cycle ride yesterday and hope that I can keep going with that for a while. I am down for a closed road event in Birmingham (100 miles) in June so we wait to see if that is cancelled.

Should get some writing done in the coming weeks and be able to read a few books!

Regular readers of this blog will have noticed there has been nothing on here for a while! Not because of the virus but because my computer had an unfortunate accident with a glass of beer! It is now back in full health so the blogs will now resume! Actually it has been a frustrating week with my lap top -despite having other devices I have a couple of technical problems with them so at present can only do my blog on the lap top.

Waiting to see if my Two Severn Bores Gig in Bristol will go ahead on the 25th March as events are moving quickly. Will post details later in the week if it is still on. I am down to tell stories to parents in a school on Monday night which I think is still on. I think many of my other bookings may be postponed or cancelled. Wick Court where I volunteer and I am also Story Teller in residence is still open.

Some readers might be pleased that there won’t be any sport to report on for some time-actually think the football season is finished which is a pity when my favourite team has found some form at last! Obviously sport is irrelevant with the current situation.

I think I might have time to write regularly and garden over the next few weeks as we won’t be getting around as much as normal.

Today’s title is courtesy of the Foo Fighters. It sums up how the body is after a really tiring week shooting all over the place to perform. The whole days are exhausting especially with several stories that are physically taxing (well the way I tell them)!  Voice just held up. It has been an enjoyable few days.

To finish off my week I’ve cycled 20 miles today and done a two hour cricket net-yes head is being examined later.

Heading North tomorrow and combining seeing family and watching the mighty Hatters!

Another short blog today as I am between gigs. Just back from the Bath area where I spent the morning at the delightful Roundhill Primary School. I am going back in a fortnight to tell a story for parents. Today’s title reflects my whole school story and took my amazing puppet to assist!  Later tonight we are travelling up to Leicestershire-I am telling stories at Syston (it will be my third visit to the school-are they gluttons for punishment). I have to  shoot back to Gloucestershire to tell stories at Wick Court in the evening.

Between gigs I managed to do my Bird Watching with the young people from near Pimlico at Wick Court. We did really well and spotted 28 species which equalled our school record. Highlight was 70+ Golden Plovers flying over. This was even with part of our usual route closed off.

Will blog again at the end of the week.