BIKING BIRDER VII May 20th 2025 Patch Adams "Talk to Strangers"

 

Patch Adams favourite letter.

By ​English Wikipedia user Craigfnp, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publishes it under the following license: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_Adams#Early_career, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4077735 

May 20th 2025

Beethoven's Seventh Symphony

Morning Sunshine People! xx

I love my club. Aston Villa so The Holy Trinity show to start my day.

Thanks Peter. Up the Mighty Villa and so the day starts after a fitful night's sleep.

I had left my statin tablets with the bike in Gosport so started taking them again last night, maybe the reason for the night I have just had.

Slept at 9:30 pm, in a really beautiful B & B just south of Chichester.

The Wittering B & B, Chichester.

click on above if you would like to stay there. Meet the proprietor, an ex-university lecturer, Steven, who will tell you of Love and the reason behind all of the birds images.

Life long bond pair species!

Cuddle, preen, dance, sing, exclaim . . .

LOVE

The book shelves are books on that subject.

Reason why I massively prefer individual character filled B & Bs to any sterile Travelodge type box!

Woke at 12:30 am, internet stuff and reading for an hour. Sleep.

Woke at 2:30 am, another hour awake thinking about yesterday, the amazing people met and an incredibly wonderful family from four decades ago, the Eastaughs on 'Ashma' Park, Wolverhampton. Sleep.

Now awake at 5:30 am and listening to MY HERO, Patch Adams. That is him at the top of the page!

68 years old I may be but I am allowed a hero, a role model and a person to emulate. The reason for my yellow, smiley face tie; which had a new signature placed onto it yesterday, an old lady, Norma, who chatted with me for three quarters of an hour as I ate my lunch in a Greggs, within a Tesco superstore in Havant, Hampshire.

Norma's four questions :-

Favourite piece of music

Favourite book when a child

Passion in life

My husband, Trevor, who passed away last year.

Favourite film

Casablanca, no maybe . . .

Thanks Norma (Jean).

"Start talking to strangers" Patch speaking in the film, Patch Adams with Robin Williams.

Personally as I cycle, walk through a town, sit in a cafe, whatever, I try to say hello to fifty people a day. Some reply "hello" and smile, some don't.

Some, like Norma and afterwards John, who wanted to tell me about his owl collection! John has got a Spectacled Owl as a pet, oh and six others; some want to chat. I will always give time.

John told me of all of them as I was heading towards Halfords, once again in Havant. He also said his wife was in Tescos and that he had had a heart attack two weeks ago! Two stents put in through his shoulders, John stood in front of me to prevent me moving on! LOL.

Back in 2009 I spent the summer holidays, I was still a teacher back then at Rigby Hall Special School in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, sleeping in the back of the car, travelling through Spain.

I was in Merida when I received a text from Mum.

My instructions from Mum was to text me the cricket scores of The Ashes series in England at that time. England were playing Australia at Headingly and every session my dearest Mum would text me a quick statement on the state of affairs.

The text on this occasion read . . .

"England doing terribly, Dad's had three heart attacks."

Note the order.

Dad was fine with three stents that I think went through his groin. My wonderful funny Dad lived for another 15 years but that is another story.

Watch the film, Patch Adams and then find out about the real Patch Adams.

Maybe he will become your hero too.

What a wonderful world it would be if everyone did!

By Mark Neyman / Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58472836

Sonnet 17 by Pablo Neruda

I do not love you as you were salt-rose or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and soul.

I love you as the plant that was never blooms,
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love because I know no other way than this.

Where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep

from the book "100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor" by Pablo Neruda

🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

Tickle My Feathers!

I want to give love with all my heart!

May 18th 2025 Back to Biking Birder VII.

 

Hello SUNSHINE PEOPLE!

Well I should feel absolutely shattered . . . but I am not. I feel invigorated and ready to get back to Gosport, get my bike and stuff from one of the best couples on the planet; Lisa & John.

I really should tell everyone about the couples I know who are Carl & Ellie types, and get back on the road.

Today I am heading to Langstone Harbour RSPB reserve for a night's sleep under the stars. The weather forecast is SUNSHINE all the way and STARS all night.

Shattered Pressa. Why?

Thursday : a whole day, 5 am to 9 pm down to Stroud and Slad interviewing and photographing people and locations relevant to the Biking Birder VII adventure. Laurie Lee things!

a folder of all the photos is on my Facebook page :

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=gary.prescott.92&set=a.9837363276309727

Friday : WHAT A DAY!!! At Villa Park with the brilliant Acorns Children's Hospice Fund raisers.

Their Facebook page can be found here . . .

https://www.facebook.com/acornschildrenshospice

Please remember that I am doing my seventh Biking Birder adventure for Acorns Children's Hospice and if you could follow this link and make a donation on my Acorns JustGiving page that would be absolutely fabulous.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/garyprescott-laurielee-acornschildrenshospice2025

Arriving at 3 pm with a large mass of my Aston Villa memorabilia to give away as long as the person gave a donation to Acorns Children's Hospice, I gave an interview saying why I ADORE Aston Villa and why I love Acorns Children's Hospice. The video of this is below. ENJOY!

On the way to the stage I suddenly saw the tall, jovially-faced NIGEL SPINK, he of Aston Villa's European Cup winning team and possibly man of the match that day we Villa fans hardly ever talk about.

I shook his hand and laughed at my, "it's Nigel Spink," exclamation!

I spluttered out "thanks for all you did that day." Villa fans don't to state which match. I was quite calm about it actually as usually when I meet a HERO I panic and say something crazy. Geoff Downes for instance, during Biking Birder VI. "I listen to Yes every day." What I meant to say was I listen to music and love yours but I get so embarrassed next to celebrities. LOL.

Nigel laughed and said "I really enjoyed it!

I laughed back and shouted to him, "so did your Mum!

Villa fans once more of MY GENERATION will know what I was on about.

I am never washing my hand again.

Two hours of 'watching' Alex the Acorn, the mascot, I can't tell you who was inside, onto, eventually, The Holte End to stand with fantastic Villa fans.

VILLA WON!!!

What an amazing season. Please GOD let us beat the **** next week.

After the match I had to spend over an hour waiting for the barriers to come down so that I could go and collect what Villa memorabilia from Claire, the amazingly fantastic leader of the Acorns Children's Hospice fundraising team at Villa tonight.

I spent the time parked in my little Nissan Note nattering with the security guards and two huge policeman. A real laugh, just brilliant people, the delight of talking with sunshine strangers.

Don't ask me about the motorways, M6 & M5!

Got home at 1:00 am!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Saturday Up at 4 am in order to drive to Sandwell Valley RSPB reserve in order to be a Back Marker on an RSPB Dawn Chorus walk.

Saturday evening Mum in the car and off to Sutton Coldfield for an evening of a beautiful choir singing 'Songs from The Shows.'

I was there to give a speech about Acorns of course but both Mum & I were there to sing along, join in and laugh at the jokes.

Tired?

Me?

Nah.

Now for the taxi to the train, to Portsmouth, to the ferry, to Gosport to collect the bike and finally, hopefully, eventually to cycle to Langstone Harbour RSPB Reserve to sleep - and bloody well relax (!) under the stars.

Love to you all.

Gary

Tickle My Feathers!

BIKING BIRDER VII April 5th 2025 Early Morning Canal Chat and WWT Slimbridge with two of the BEST couples on the planet!

 

The Holy Trinity Show 

But first . . . 

Biking Birder VII

The Laurie Lee Adventure

Back in 1934, a young man named Laurie Lee walked away from his home in the village of Slad, Gloucestershire, UK.

Detailed in the autobiographical book, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, tells the story of a young man, nineteen years old, seeking adventure.

From his home, Laurie walked first Southampton in order to see the sea; something Laurie had never seen.

Disappointed with his first view as the sea at Southampton was muddy, Laurie found that he could make a living by busking with his violin. Therefore he continued along the south of England coast to Bognor Regis, Littlehampton and Worthing before heading north to London.

From London, after a year working as a labourer on building sites, Laurie took a ship to Vigo in Northern Spain and from there walked, eventually to a beach east of Malaga.

My aim is to cycle his route with the occasional detour to visit nature reserves, particularly RSPB and W&WT ones and sites of interest, such as Stonehenge.

And so the real Biking Birder VII adventure continues . . .

April 5th 2025 

Early morning musings about The Holy Trinity Show!

Those who know me well will know of my passionate support for the MIGHTY Aston Villa and I urge ALL Villa fans to subscribe to The Holy Trinity Show.

When football vlogs came on the scene they were wonderful and usually the Villa ones at first had a group of friends gathered with face crunching close ups during goal celebrations.

Then came the journalists and friends who got together to discuss each game.

Then came Peter Schadd and the most brilliant, professionally produced football vlog ever, The Holy Trinity Show.

Approaching 250 shows now, The Holy Trinity Show changed my Dad's life and gave him so much joy before dementia sadly took Dad last year.

Dad, now a Holte Ender in The Sky, would laugh, cheer and on occasions cry because of Peter's phenomenal presentation and commentary. Possibly the best Villa pundit ever, Peter is actually Canadian and each episode is created with panache and insight.

Thanks Peter. What you did for Dad will stay with our family forever and we will always be so grateful to you.

The above I showed Dad just a few weeks before he died. I didn't tell him what was included in the show at 5:25, Mum & I just watched his quiet reaction as tears went down his cheeks.

"Brian's girl was Bluenose!"

Thank you Peter.

Dad died in January, 2024 and Peter ended the show above in such a wonderful, dignified and respectful way. 

Love you Dad.

And so the day begins after a really beautiful night's sleep beside the Gloucester Ship Canal.

Actually I had been woken up by someone or some people walking along the canal tow path in the middle of the night.

 

Back to sleep and then . . . 

. . . a noisy dawn

Breakfast of champions, the rest of the Hob Nobs and orange juice, I pack after enjoying the early morning bird listen from the comfort of my sleeping bag. 

A Cetti's Warbler does his Eine Kleine Nachtmusic from an adjacent bush just a few yards away, unaware of my presence. 

Up and at them, the cycle south once more towards Slimbridge WWT - Wildfowl & Wetland Trust Centre, is a delight.

A birder and one with vast experience of birding a patch.

Together for half an hour we watch as Hirundines, mostly Sand Martins but also a fair number of Swallows, pass us; all heading north.

Marsh Harriers and a superb Peregrine are also seen and the birding conversation is wonderful. My daily life when caring for Mum centers around helping charities and Aston Villa; especially helping The Children's Book Project, Toys4Life, Acorns Children's Hospice, British Heart Foundation, the RSPCA - well you get the idea.

To be able to listen to a birder with such knowledge, passion for birding and vast experience is nothing less than fantastic and knowing that a dear, dear friend and his wife; a friend who has not only an incredible talent for birding, who has a vast breadth of knowledge on not just birds but practically every genera of animal and plant and who's birding career includes being assistant warden on Fair Isle, just like my dear late friend, Gordon Barnes. To know that I will be spending my day with them, Lee & Cathy Gregory, at a place so very special to me, Slimbridge, well today will be a very special and memorable day.

In life one has acquaintances, friends of varying degrees but true friendship, one that lights up every moment spent in their company, is rare.

Lee & Cathy are such and my pedals go fast after saying goodbye to my early morning birding companion.