My Book Club meeting in December is usually an interesting extravaganza  in the Three Horseshoes in Frampton it is old fashioned entertainment with a mix of music, poems and of course a story from the Story Traveller. I always enjoy the challenge of finding a new Christmas Story to tell. However because of circumstances we will stuck behind our computer screens for yet another virtual Book Club. This month instead of discussing a book we are all sharing a cartoon that means something to us. Looking forward to see each other’s choices.

After much head scratching I will share my choice with you. I did of course consider the political cartoonist Steve Bell who is quick to cut through the duplicity of politicians but with our current incompetent political leadership it is far to easy for him! Although his If cartoons about the Falklands War and the jingoism that surrounded it were brilliant and almost got my vote.  However my childhood  came flooding back to me after listening to a recent play on Radio 4 about Charles Schulz agonising over to include an ethnic face in his Peanuts Cartoon Strip. It was moving listening to the reaction of African American GIs in Vietnam to that first strip with Franklin in. As children we used to squabble over who could read Peanuts first! I remember the paper one day being ripped as we grabbled and fought over it. So it is Peanuts Nostalgia for me tonight -I have researched quite a bit about Schulz.

Guess what my quiz is today!

My Grandson is called Owen David Church and all is well and he looks gorgeous!

Quiz on Cartoons and Animations

a) What is the name of the little yellow bird who is Snoopy’s companion ?  b) What famous cartoon film would you see the characters Thumper, Faline and Flower? For a bonus what year did the film come out?  c) Who is the creator of Shaun the Sheep and Wallace and Gromit?  d) Which blue cat is TC’s right hand man in Top Cat? e) What is Postman Pat’s last name?

Sorry no time today-will update tomorrow. sorry folks!

Coot! A new species for our garden today! It was on our front garden and then got itself under the netting on the pond see the picture below. It left our house and walked up the road. I did go out this afternoon Bird Watching looking at the river from the canal bank. Did see five Pink-footed Geese (maybe from Greenland) as well as two Goosanders and a Greenshank. There is also a picture of a Redwing I keep trying to photograph them not a brilliant one but will keep trying through the Winter.

Hope to do an update about our Grandson tomorrow!

A development on future story telling audiences for me today which does makes this a self indulgent post. We became Grandparents today to a lovely bonny baby boy born to Peter and Nicola. Don’t usually mention family in my blog but it a special moment. Fantastic!!! No name yet! Celebration Drink tonight!!!!

Yesterday’s Quiz answers on Wind

a) Sirocco blows from the Sahara  b) The Chinook is mainly associated with Canada c) The Mistral blows from Southern France into the North Mediterranean d) Mandolin Wind was song by Rod Stewart e) The Keeper of the Winds was Aeolus mentioned in the Odyssey

Don’t think I have had this Jimi Hendrix song before as my blog title. Chose it because we have had cold winds the last couple of days  so I thought a song with wind. Guess what the quiz will be!

The football  didn’t go according to  plan and I thought we were unlucky and we are certainly  matching Championship teams who spend significantly more on players and wages than the mighty Hatters.

Quiz on Wind

a)Where does the Sirocco Wind blow from? b) Where does the Chinook Wind blow?  c) What is the name of the wind that blows from Southern France into the Northern Mediterranean  d)Who sang Mandolin Wind? e) Who was the Keeper of the Winds in Greek Mythology?

Our present Education Secretary surpassed himself yesterday (although not easy with his record of incompetence throughout this year) with my “Dad’s bigger than your dad”  comment. How on earth  has he stayed in his job this year? It got me thinking of past Education Secretaries of my time when I became aware of them. It started with “Milk Snatcher” and the less said about her the better! Many try and make a mark and consequently cause unnecessary turbulence and get despised by both  parents and teachers -Mr Gove being probably top of that group. The two best ones in my opinion and to be balanced I’ve got one from each party are Gillian Shepherd and Estelle Morris; is it because  they are women and listened rather than play macho politics? One person who impressed me when I went to Downing Street representing  public service workers was Margaret Hodge who I was introduced to and although she wasn’t Education Secretary I think she was called Children’s Minister then and she knew all about the Sure Start project that was at my school at that time.

The first time for a while on the bike it felt like the wind was a keen knife was cutting through our clothes. took a while to warm up afterwards. We did our fortnightly cheese run into Stroud. Later went bird watching by Splatt Bridge and took the pictures of the sunset that are scattered through the blog.

Will try and do a new Tier 2 quiz this weekend.

I did mention in a previous blog  I that was playing around with some ideas for a poem-I’ve tried to encapsulate that whole suffocating dreary blanket that this lockdown has been. So I have put it at the end of the blog-may still revise it. But being the optimist I am it has to have some hope at the end!

You may of noticed there was no quiz yesterday mainly because I didn’t have time to think up questions! Now we are out of lockdown I won’t do a quiz everyday but as we are now Tier 2 I will endeavour to do at least 2 thematic quizzes each week.

Finally at the end of the blog is another charismatic bird just saw five of them on the feeders-I was trying to get a picture of a Goldcrest but not easy as they move so quickly! I will keep trying!

                                          Kingfisher     

        A dismal, dull, dank grey creeps

                                   Menacingly edged with deadly virus

                        As depression drifts and seeps

            Locked out from human touch

                              Winter squeezes and steals the light

                                    A prelude to its malevolent spite

            That looms over the coming months

A shadow blanketing our world.

        A sound,

    a distinctive beep, now alerts the antennae

                        Where?

                                    There!!!!

            A bolt of iridescent blue

       Pocket sized

                        Shoots, skimming low over the water

            High speed flash

 Gone in a blink

                        Yet my heart sings

                                    Hope smiles !

The Long-tailed Tit that I mentioned above -this is one of the pictures I took.

Sorry short blog today because I’ve been busy! Long ride over the hills this morning with no puncture! Then tonight I’ve been gripped watching the Mighty Hatters beat top of the table Norwich! First time since March with fans-I think I mentioned I turned down the chance of going into the ballot for a ticket-did feel envious of those there. COYH!!!!!

Yesterday’s Answers on Bikes

a) The King of the Mountains is a polka red dot jersey.  b) BMX stands for Bicycle Motorcross  c)  66% of bikes were made in China   d) 30% of trips in the Netherlands were by bike  e) Wilbur and Orville Wright ran a bike shop before becoming famous for the first aircraft flight.

Decided the Elbow song (although not technically about a bike puncture) was appropriate for today’s title. My plan today was to finish off untangling the Christmas Lights and putting them up in our Apple Tree which I do every year and then go for a long cycle ride right up to Tewkesbury as the weather looked perfect. Lights sorted and looking good (don’t usually put them up this early but we need some cheering up!) and I set off in the Winter sunshine. Delightful ride until I went round Gloucester via the nature reserve by the river. Disaster struck! Got to Maisemore Bridge and realised I had a slow puncture. No worries fix it and carry on! sadly I then discovered I hadn’t put back all my tools from last time in the little pack I carry on the bike. Had to call the cavalry to rescue me. So decided to clean my bike when I got home and repair it -and my goodness it does get mucky at the moment every time you ride it!

Story update tomorrow!

The Bird Quiz answers from yesterday

a) Condor is the national symbol of Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Chile  b) Barn Owls are found all over the world  c) New Zealand has the most species of flightless birds d) Halcyon is a Kingfisher  e) Ruddock is the old name for Robin

Some Bike quiz questions

a)  What colour is the King of the Mountains jersey in the Tour de France  b) What does BMX stand for?  c) In 2019 what % of the 130 million bikes were made in China?  d) What % of trips are made on bicycles in the Netherlands? e) Which famous inventor brothers who are famous for another form of transport ran a bike shop in Ohio?