One of my regular readers of this blog celebrated with his wife their 60th Wedding Anniversary yesterday and we were privileged to join in the celebration! It was a delightful evening!

Also yesterday I had at last managed to get in a decent bike ride doing 30+ miles over the tops – on my strava I called it The Skylarks and Cowslips Ride! I love listening to the trilling of larks and there were plenty doing that on the Common! On the bird theme we heard the Bittern booming again this morning this time from the house a good mile away! (The picture below is Cowslips on Rodborough Common I took three years ago)

Gloucester is lucky to hold a History Festival in the Autumn and a Spring Weekend now. So we cycled in this morning to listen to a fascinating talk on our nation’s attempts to ingratiate ourselves with the Mogul Empire in the early 16000s. We then were spellbound listening to the BBCs Jeremy Bowen talking mainly on the Middle East. We are lucky to have the BBC and the honest and knowledgeable  journalists who work for them.

Tomorrow I set off early to Manchester to watch the Mighty Hatters. Possibly playing without any recognised defenders against one of the best attacking teams in the world!!!! It would be more than a miracle if we avoid defeat! COYH!!!!!