Bright between the showers

Look on the bright side – they haven’t taxed the rain… yet.

And we can look forward to the Euros without agonising over the England performance. I’m not sure what to make of last night’s show though. I suppose it didn’t feel real.

Back in the Shire tomorrow. Be nice to get out into the country for a rural pint.

Back on tour

Apparently the Simon-and-Steve show went down very well at the opening date (which I believe was Southampton). Crikey, it’s suddenly happening!

The nearest venues to us are Cheltenham on 27 May, Milton Keynes on the 4th and 5th of June, and London on the 7th. Get along, you’ll definitely enjoy it.

I’m really hoping I can make the Cheltenham bash if anyone else is interested. I’m sure Matt can furnish us with further particulars – and Simon’s website is www.simonlefort.com.

Those three paragraphs represent the real news so if you can’t stand nature, er, that’s it. For the few of you who like these snippets I have to tell you that I had a blinding day on the moor. I watched a whole gang of hobbies chasing after dragonflies (I counted at least six on one corrner of the fen) and a rather ambitious crow trying to mob one of them but being totally outclassed by a superior flying machine.

I had a good view of a cuckoo – now you don’t often actually get a glimpse those crafty blighters- and heard an elusive grasshopper warbler. Again, not many of those to the pound. I found a few clumps of yellow rattle and ragged robin which sadly are also on the wane. Linnets, turtle dove, reed warbler, reed bunting, sedge warbler, red kite, kestrel, yellowhammer, whitethroat, snipe, tufted duck and lapwing completed a perfect morning. (A selection of pics are now loaded).

If you haven’t dozed off, I shall leave you with another gem from the Dumb Britain column.
Quiz master: Which of the three British armed forces is known as the senior service?
Contestant. The SS.

Better late than never

Finally heard a cuckoo today.

But at least they are more reliable than anyone in the UK with whom you might want to do business. I hate cutting the grass so you can probably guess my mood when a stone accelerated out the back of the mower and through the double glazing. So far I’ve waited a week with one firm and made, ooh I dunno, a dozen calls. Then when you get through they put you on hold til you get an automatic cut-off. If it takes a recession to get these cretins out of circulation then bring it on.

And ask me if the insurance company have sent the paperwork.

Stoats of wrath

Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come.
Matt Groening

Regression

What a fabulous weekend in Hereford – all the right ingredients – plus a rather bizarre visit to my childhood.

Football focus, sausage and mash for lunch, a trip to Edgar Street to watch the game with my pa, and then home in time for Doctor Who. (When did Saint and Greavsie disappear btw?). And then we tried to dredge up all the names of our primary school class. Doesn’t time fly.

Posted up a few pictures from the trip…looking forward to more of the same soon.

THE tour starts soon so I will remind you of the dates shortly.