This morning I spent some time with Jerry, from Explore Gloucestershire, he is helping us with our marketing for next year. Marketing is not my forte and I can never remember who I have advertised with, plus the marketing market is changing so fast that it is hard to know where to shout about our presence. One thing is for sure though, we need people to know we are out there. I really want to advertise on Classic FM, but I doubt I can afford it!

While he was here we checked the ICBP presence on the Forest of Dean Tourist website. Apart from the fact that we were not where we should have been (so I phoned and sorted that out PDQ), they have symbols for what you offer, lots of symbols. Well I have no bloody idea what the symbols mean, so I clicked on the thing that says they are explained. There is a list as long as your arm and I was very disappointed to see that I was not listed as Gay Friendly. Not that I thought there would be such a category, but I will have you know I am very gay friendly, probably more so than children friendly if they are not well behaved ones! Whatever next one asks oneself………….. I told Jerry if he goes for symbols I am going to leave his company!

We had an emergency drill today, we have been racking our brains to think what emergencies we might have to have a drill for. We had a fire drill today, someone rang the bell and we all trooped out to the collection area, which will be the flying ground. Jan said she wanted to go to the car park but we said she couldn’t, and Mike said he wanted to go and rescue his van if there really was a fire! The dogs were impressed though. But what other things could we have…….. earthquake!? Well I asked the staff 'what about an earthquake?' They said – panic and run like blazes, well actually that is not quite what they said, but it was close. Loose Condor - definately panic and run, apart from me - she likes me!! Hummmmmmmmmm, what else, we could not think of anything.

Otherwise it was windy as hell for most of the day, we got falcons flown but little else. Mike and Paul finished off the fence outside the café, so it just has to be power-washed and stained (black will you believe!) and it is done. 16 nest boxes are near completion in the workshop. John and Kieran had the horrid job of cleaning up the last of the timber from the quarantine quarters, still not finished and it is a vile job. Kelly and Neil did leaf raking, leaf raking and more leaf raking and guess what – there are more to come. I did marketing, flying birds, moral support, design of nest box fronts, and clearing the soil from the old/new personnel door to the west of the shop, moving some of the soil to the wall by the café and the rest carefully spread out behind the wheelie bin. It is not finished but will be good when it is done. Oh and I took my range rover back to garage number two to see if he could fix it. I want my car back!!!