A poem a day - day 31

Spring flowers

Bright buds of hope

Shine from a dark earth 

Freshest green spikes 

Against snowy soft petals

Little umbrellas, promising spring. 

Not long until they're joined

By plump purple crocus

Yolky mouths wide

Calling to the sun. 

Then the triumphant March of

Brassy daffodils, silky narcissi,

Foamy blossom bathed trees,

Heralding spring loudly through colour

But I get ahead of myself

Wishing away this winter,

One single snowdrop

Bobs in the rain

A tiny step in the right direction. 

A poem a day - Day 30

Folk

Folk music on the radio

Guthrie, Denny, Dylan

Songs as old as bones

Bringing to life summer's heat

Crashing waves or a nation in protest. 

I find a space in my muddled mind

A place amongst the clutter,

To clear and breathe,

Drink chocolate tea from a delicate cup

From a pot with butterflies on

As the cat plays with her toy

I eat hot buttered toast. 

Folk music on the radio

Transported to a world of singing landscapes

Green hills, velvety grass to wriggle my toes in

Tall tremulous trees in the wind meshing

Soft sunshine through mist 

A quiet stream softly gurgles,

I wish I could escape to this land in my head, permanently. 

A Poem a day : Day 29

Work stress blues

The sky blackened behind him

As we talked about buses

Metal beasts of burden

Trundling through London.

I'm comfortable with buses

They are familiarity friendly,

Cheerful vehicles I rely on. 

I return to my desk

The window gapes onto blackness and 

The traffic's hiss and rumble

The work on my mind is nothing like buses

Nor familiar, nor reassuring 

It's a cats cradle of tangles 

loose strings slipping through fingers

That feeling of losing, of being overwhelmed.

The problem is simple the solution easy

But the how we get there, in complete chaos 

Populated with conspiracies,

Egos jostling, misdirection and cunning

A labyrinthian nightmare of mythical proportion 

I can't get my head around, so the panic is rising.   

At times like this 

I could give up completely

Do something easy

Something not about disability

Something not about society

Something not about change

But if I do something simple

Something easy I know for a fact

I'll only get bored. 

A poem a day - Day 28

 Mood Swings

Morning sleepiness gives way to numbness

Muffles feelings like being stuffed, 

Soft but scratchy, Irritation, 

train delays and agitation 

of white and sparks,

Then relaxing, after first meeting

Curiosity ignited, violet flicker of gentle flame.

Then wearisome trundling back to beginning 

Heavy hearted and blue 

Talking with work colleagues

Spirits lifted, green spring shooting

Stumbling by accident on an outfit

Scarlett roses and claret sheen

Blooming satisfaction reaching home.

But never resting, mood sinking

Dragging down, with it anger

Stomping blackness for no reason, 

Distraction, the only remedy

Orange writing app 

helps me focus

Tell the story of my day. 

A poem a day - Day 27

The Bone Cleaners

Here sleepy I must rest

in my dark, cool bed,

peace from the ferocious sun,

safe from the dry, hard wind, 

my toes face the sea,

my head the monastery,

blankets of earth cover me.

A sharp shaft of sun,

cuts through the silence of my rest,

and another, and more like blades

haul me away from the earth,

raising me from the dead. 

I can not struggle

I am only bone. 

Hands scrub from me my tatters of life

reduce me to a brittle pile

collect me up in a bundle 

to be stowed away safe

in cool stone tomb

surrounded by my ancestors. 

Andrea's surprise birthday

Happy Salmon's photostream on Flickr.

Last weekend you'll notice I wrote a poem about my friend's surprise birthday party. Andrea is 60 this week and her surprise party last Saturday was brilliant. Around 100 of her family and friends gathered to celebrate, sing, dance, eat, drink and be merry. I took some photos of my old colleagues who worked with Andrea at the RNIB.

Doncaster

I'm visiting my parents today in Doncaster. It's Mum's birthday in the week so we went out for lunch today to celebrate with friends. I had a nice roast pork Sunday roast. Followed at home by cake, including a lovely fruit cake my Mum baked. 

My parents' cat Oliver was pleased to see me. Although as in all photos of him he looks rather menacing in the photo below. Oliver is 20 this year and has been poorly recently. But he's still going strong after an injection from the vets.  As you can see Oliver is looked after well with his own bed made up for him on the spare bed in my brother's old room along with some cuddly toys. I can't believe that we have had Oliver for half of my life! 

Tomorrow I have a work meeting in Wakefield and another in Doncaster before heading home. 

A Poem a Day - Day 26

Spinning of yarns

Old friends weaving their lives together, 

Bright strands of shared memories

Those stories, worn comfy from use.

I remember as a child listening

To the roll of those voices, 

Reassurance of the adults downstairs. 

Many of the tales were already familiar

And old even then, family favourites

Rolled out for the occasion.

Passed from one generation to another

An identity in laughter, joint experience, 

Spinning of yarns. 

A poem a day - Day 25

Confusion reigns over its name 

Beloved by Baldrick

Enormous in Russian fairy tale 

Essential for Burn's night. 

Bulbous root of sunny hue 

Smelling of fresh soil

In January fields 

Are you a turnip or a swede? 

Knitting and cake

Tonight we are having a Burns' night supper of haggis, tatties and neeps and apple desert cake for pudding. Here's a picture of a slice of the cake

It's a Mary Berry recipe which was dead easy to make. The batter is a little thick which makes it hard to scoop it on top of the apples as Mary says, but if I can do it anyone can!

 

I have also decided to knit my first jumper. I've found a super easy pattern some nice yarn and I'm good to go!

There have been some thunder storms this afternoon and hail so it was good to be at home in the warm knitting and eating cake!

 

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A poem a day catch up

22/01/14

The day yawns ahead of me

Filled with marketing and planning speak

Customer journeys and brand refresh

Road maps, channels

And treasure chest champions (?)

I sit by the window

So I can look at the sky

The canal's bright barges

And hear the ducks.

Drafting poetry when I should be listening

Thinking of the summer when I was last in this room

Day dreaming of being younger

Drinking white wine with the sun on my back

Long hair glittering gold in the waters reflection

Dabbling light across tanned faces

A wolffish grin under a wide brimmed hat.

Brought back to reality with a sharp burst of laughter

And something about "a squirrels nest in a treasure chest"

Business jargon has gone beyond daft!

 

23/01/14

Bruise

Bright bloom of claret

Seeping into blue; telling

Of misadventure

 

24/01/14

 

Kasumi the cat

 

She's not what she seems

At first glance she's a furry little ball

Waddling to her food bowl

Mewing so cutely all fluffy good intentions

 

Next moment she's tearing through the house

A flash of eye, a slash of claw

She purrs as she disembowels the bath rug

Imagining it a giant purple mouse

 

She's the sweetest most psychotic killer

So adorable and loving

In an instant a lovely tummy rub

Becomes an invitation to be mauled.

 

But when she jumps into your lap

Just out of the blue for some love

Then you feel like you're the best

The felines' chosen one!

 

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At Pancras Hotel

I meant to post this picture of the St Pancras hotel last week but forgot. I took the photo looking across the new Kimgs Cross square towards the tower of the hotel in the morning sun. 

The St Pancras Hotel is one of my favourite buildings any where in the world. I never tire of looking at it as I walk to and from work. 

A poem a day - day 21

Moorfields Eye Hospital 

Space fills fast in the waiting room

Voices murmuring, a whir of nerves

Jangling fears shot through by 

The clinic clerk's clipped instructions 

There's nothing welcoming about her at all. 

Hospital noises: quick heels clacking,

The ticking of name cards against buttons,

Sighs and hmphs from the waiting patients, 

The gentle roar of the heating system,

The jingle of keys and metal instruments, 

The banging door and the suck of gel dispensers,

A high pitched beep and someone's snore. 

I'm immune to the smell 

I grew up in this hospital 

Well not quite but I was around it enough

I've never noticed that antiseptic,

Chemical tingle, unless I force myself 

And concentrate hard.

Yet I can smell my perfume clearly 

The outdoors on that lady's coat 

Mothballs from an older bloke next to me

There's nothing wrong with my sense of smell. 

A poem a day - Day 20

A train carriage crammed with kids

as giddy as geese, giggling 

telling tall tales and 

Swapping magic tricks.

To London on a school trip

they speed through winter fields, 

suburbs blanched by frost

lost on their excitement. 

Lunches packed and boxed 

stowed safe in bags and packs.

Teachers cluck and fuss 

as happy as their charges,

for a day away from school,

from the grind of teaching plans

and the staff room's gaping silence. 

A poem a day - Day 19

We were given a challenge to write a poem inspired by Pam Ayres today. When I was a child I liked her poem The Dolly on the Dustcart so I decided to try a children's style poem. I was inspired by our little cat Kasumi who always tries to climb on to the Ocado van when it arrives to deliver my shopping. So apologies to Pam as this is rather simple but it does rhyme! 

I'm the cat upon the Ocado van

I climbed aboard one day

I just wanted to have a look around

I didn't mean to stay

My curiosity was too great

All those bags of food 

I didn't mean to hitch a lift

And leave my neighbourhood

I travelled on the truck for hours

Keeping out of sight

We stopped at many houses 

Driving late into the night

I wasn't found by the Ocado man

Until he finished his shift

I'd kept my self well hidden

Snuggled behind the fridge

Lucky for me the Ocado man 

Recognised me straight away

He looked at me and shook his head

Saying "no no you can't stay"

He drove me back to my family

Handed me back with real pride

I was pleased to be back home and safe

But I enjoyed my little ride! 

A poem a day - Day 18

Surprise 60th Birthday Party!

 

Hush, as 100 excited people wait,

party poppers poised,

our nerves fizz like the champaign,

faces brimming with grins.

 

Footsteps from the long hallway.

Then..

 

A cackle of laughter that everyone knows;

she's on to us, she's seen something,

but not all, as she bursts into the room

to a cacophony of cheers and

bangs and bright string!

Happy Birthday we all sing!

 

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Stargazing

Jase ordered some new eye pieces, filters and a barlow for our telescope so we very briefly tried some of them out tonight. I could see Jupiter's two inner moons and ever so slight banding on Jupiter it's self. This YouTube video shows how a very similar telescope to ours picks out Jupiter in Brazil. We couldn't see Jupiter's bands quite as clearly but then we aren't in a dark skies area, it's actually not completely clear tonight and any film image will be processed and so clearer than just the raw image you see. But hopefully this will give you an idea!

 

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Full moon photos

The moon looked so stunning tonight as I walked home I had to take some photos of it. I walked down to edge of the fields near our house with my camera and Lumpy the cat joined me. I wanted to not only get a photo of the full moon like this one:

But also get a photo of the clouds and sky. This is one of the better ones of the clouds. I was lucky to catch it just before the moon was obscured by it. 

You can see the originals on my Flickr account and a couple more I took.

Lumpy seemed to be very impatient for me to go back home. He stayed with me the whole time I took photos miaowing and purring as he wound his way around my legs. When I finished and turned to go home he miaowed non stop leading me across the field like my own little guide cat! Anyway we both enjoyed our short outing. 

A poem a day - Day 17

So here is today's effort 

Report writing

The harsh screen blinks 

full of words conjured by my frenetic fingers,

formed within my frazzled brain.

The ache in my back is like a screaming baby

It even hurts to breathe; 

I've been sitting here for so long.

My eyes wobble, I can barely read a word.

Already 15 pages and only 3/4 done

will this report ever be complete?

Poem a day - Day 16

I forgot to post my poem from yesterday, Doh!  Here it is:

Watercolour dawn

Spindle trees against a silk wash sky 

January morning slow to get going 

Insipid days over too quickly 

Giving way to endless nights

But if you look closely 

Each day is stretching, 

Inching further 

Making ground 

Encroaching into nights dominion

Bringing brightness

And springs warm shine. 

Knitting

As I wrote a poem about knitting I thought I'd post a photo of the last scarf I finished knitting on Saturday. Just in time for me to wear in the garden when we had the telescope out too. 

It's made of an alpaca blend yarn from Katia a Spanish company the wool is called Peru. Here in rust and burgundy. I was using up some left over from my secret Santa project (the rust wool) I thought the two colours went together nicely. I just love this yarn and I was lucky enough to buy it when it was on special offer at Black Sheep Wools. They're a great online (and offline) knitting store. 

I'm currently working on finishing an infinity scarf for me and a Dr Who inspired scarf for my friend Sarah! I'm always busy knitting. 

A poem a day - Day 15

Busy fingers

Ticking needles

Whirling yarn

Tatty tangle

Unruly colours

Brought to order

Click click click 

Emerging garment 

Soft and silky

Every stitch tells a story

Every loop full of love

Keep on knitting 

Keep on knitting

There's another ten 

Projects I want to start! 

Winter blues

I've been struggling with my mood over the last few weeks. Feeling down and of course I worry that I'm in for a bout of depression that's going to be hard to shake. I know I'm not the only one. A lot of friends and work colleagues have commented that this time of year can really make small obstacles in life seem bigger and more gloomy. 

I've found writing a poem a day and keeping my blog have helped me focus on each day in a constructive way. To find something positive in each day is so important and sometimes so difficult. I also have a tendency to burrow into myself when I'm feeling like this and cut myself off from others. As long as this doesn't go on for too long it's ok.

I've had a couple of days off work with a migraine, undoubtedly caused by my low mood. But the time at home has helped me get a bit of perspective. All I can do is take each day at a time. 

So the positive thing I'm going to blog about today is our two cats :

Lumpy

and Kasumi 

I am certain that the cats know when I'm feeling low and poorly. Lumpy was sleeping on my feet earlier and Kasumi fell asleep on my lap today! She is the most loving cat but rarely falls asleep on my lap. She prefers to sleep on her various blankets around the house. Like most female cats she is hard wired to find different and secret sleeping places changing them every few days. This is because if she had kittens it would be harder for any predator to find them. But today she just snuggled up with me and fell asleep. 

I also have to add to the bright things that happened today the text conversation I had with my brother about mood boosting foods like bananas :-) Also watching original series Star Trek and eating pizza (totally ignoring all the good advice about good mood food - sorry!) 

A poem a day - Day 14

Not a haiku again, this time a Tanka

Feeling blue, heavy 

pumpkin head lolls, fuzzy thoughts

form like fog and fade.

Little grey cat curls asleep

warming and soothing my mood.

A poem a day - Day 13

A haiku today as I've not been feeling very well. 

Unruly phantom

Of sleep, wild and more vivid

Than reality 

A poem a day - Day 12

Weary

Water heavy

And wading, wading

Deeper I sink 

...

Only I float

Hair spreading 

Weeds fanning

Drifting, drifting 

Powerless

Downstream

Like the Lady of Shalott 

Stargazing

Tonight it was very clear so we went into the garden at about 8:30 PM with the telescope to stargaze. I also took my binoculars and my camera. The moon was very bright but not full. I had a go at getting a photo of the moon with my digital camera. I played around with the settings and got the photo below.

Jason got the telescope set up and we looked at Jupiter. Jase could see some bands around Jupiter but I wasn't able to see it that clearly but I could see Jupiter's four Gallilean moons Io, Gannymead, Calista and Europa. It's amazing to think that bright dot of Io that I could see through the telescope is the most geologically active object in the solar system. Io has 400 active volcanoes probably ly some we're erupting as we looked at it! We also looked at Rigel and Betlegeuse the red star in Orion and the 1999 diffuse nebular in Orion. 

We then had a look at the moon. I really need to get a filter for the eye piece for viewing the moon as it's so bright. But we could still see the moon very well. The best bit were the craters on the edge of dark and light on the moon. I could really see the structure of the craters. 

Once we'd been out for over an hour we got quite cold and came in for hot chocolate with marshmallows. It was great! 

A poem a day - Day 11

Mud sucks at my boots

A gurgle of laughter

Aghhhh I'm sinking! 

Tug, tug, tuuuuuug 

Out pops my foot

Leaving behind, 

My boot! 

A poem a day - Day 10

I turn 40 this year so I may compose a few poems thinking back to when I was younger. Like this one. 

I was just 17

Obsessed with tight shirts and collar bones

Boy's with bobbed hair

Twin Peaks and all things Indie

The future was 

Next weeks indie night at Ritzy

My exam results

The distant gleam of university

I didn't know

How lucky I was

What I wanted from life

Or what it had in store for me

If I could go back

Give some advice to that teenage me, 

it would be:

"Don't be scared;

it will all work out well in the end!"

San Diego - The Pacific Ocean

Here's a photo I took of the Pacific Ocean when we were in San Diego. I've now paddled in both sides of the Pacific Ocean which is pretty cool. (The time I paddled in the other side of the Pacific was in Japan.) I just thought I'd post this photo to cheer myself up on a dark winter's night. 

A poem a day - day 9

What to write about today?

My rock n roll life! 

My day has consisted of:

meetings,

Success measure criteria,

More management jargon, 

Wading through paper,

Emails flew faster than Wild West bullets, 

I dodged that phone call but piled into another,

I composed prose for a bus company news letter,

Used all my diplomacy to defuse a "situation," 

As well as being the font of all knowledge, on making society more accessible for blind people.

Well that's how it feels! 

By the end of the day my eyes feel so scratchy

My sinuses throb and my stomach is empty

The glare of the train lights burn into my weariness 

All I can think of is a warm cup of chocolate

Feet snuggled in slippers in front of the telly. 

Northern lights

Just a very quick post. I was watching Stargazing Live again tonight and glad they'd invited Dr Caroline Porco back. They have been covering the aurora borealis or northern lights on the programme. It made me think of the two times I've seen the northern lights. 

The first time was in Yorkshire in Doncaster. It was 13th March 1989 the reason I know the date is because the magnetic storm that caused the northern lights also caused huge damage to power lines in Canada and you can look it up on Wikipedia!  My Dad was driving me home from Doncaster at about 9:30 or 10 at night. As we drove I thought the sky was looking strange but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was that was odd. It was like the clouds were moving strangely and the light from the moon wasn't right. 

When we got home both my Dad and I commented on how weird the sky looked but the weird cloud lights, as I thought of them, looked a ghostly white almost lilac to me. I thought the northern lights were green or red so it didn't cross my mind that it could be that. 

We got in and I said to my Mum and brother that there were some weird cloud things outside and lights in the sky. I thought they'd laugh at me. But they said they'd heard on the radio that people were reporting they could see the northern lights over Yorkshire. I think it was even on the national news that night.   But when I went back outside to look they'd already gone. 

The whole experience was very eery and beautiful and there was a kind of stillness to it all. Although the aurora was moving it also made everything else seem pretty still. 

I'll write about the second time I saw the northern lights tomorrow that was in Canada and I saw a comet at the same time! 

A poem a day - no. 8

The hiss of traffic on slick streets below me

The wheeze of the sign as it swings to and fro

The rapid tap tap of fingers on keyboard 

The shrill shrill shrill of a near by phone

Behind a closed door a rumble of laughter

A murmur of voices gather for gossip

The glug glug glug of the water cooler

And again the Squelch squelch of that managers shoes. 

My colleague stops typing and turns to face me

"It's quiet" she says "in the office today."   

A quick update

Not had much time for blogging about San Diego today so will save that for another day.

Being back at work was a bit of a shock to the system but today was easier. I've been working on a report into accessible voting - it's quite shocking that the UK still hasn't developed an accessible way for blind people to vote independently and secretly. The technology exists and other countries like India have developed handheld electronic voting devices which can be used with Braille but the UK remains tied to paper. 

BBC's Stargazing Live was back on the TV tonight which I really enjoyed watching. Hopefully if it's clear this weekend we can get the telescope out and do some stargazing ourselves. I'll let you know if we do!

Tonight I am indulging in a very guilty pleasure, watching Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA. It's so contrived and fake but completely hilarious! 

A poem a day - day 7

A pigeon ascends into sunshine

Gold soaked clouds slouch through a new sky 

A bus rumbles it's way down a tangle of streets

Station coffee warmth roasts through the chill

Commuters stamp, huff and puff, glower in gloom

I tuck into a buttery croissant crumbs sprinkling like snow

As I leave behind this sleepy birdsong town

Train hurtling into the unknown. 

San Diego - Rainbow Warrior

As I mentioned before our hotel in San Diego was on the marina which has the embarcadero running along it pretty much from the airport to the Coronado bridge. One day we decided to walk along the embarcadero past the USS Midway towards the airport. After going past the Star of India (another maritime attraction) we came across the Rainbow Warrior, green Peace's famous ship. Below is a photo of me standing next to it. 

I was very excited to see the Rainbow Warrior (well the 3rd incarnation of it) As a child I thought it must be so cool to be a Green Peace activist. I also remember the bewilderment and horror I had when the French secret service bombed the first Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand killing a photographer. I was 11 and it made me realise that actual modern European nations could act like bullies not just something from the past. 

Unfortunately we couldn't look around the boat as it was closed when we went past but the Sunday before we arrived they had been showing people around. 

We did see the Rainbow Warrior sail out to sea, from our bedroom window, after Thanksgiving. Off to protest against illegal fishing and waste dumping. 

A poem a day - Day 6

12th night blues

Dark streets briefly glittered 

with LED blue, green and white.

Glimpsed through rain splattered windows

the glimmer of golden tree lights. 

From a gloomy over grown garden 

a friendly Santa Claws waved. 

Strung across the High Street were

a sprinkling of twinkling snowflakes.

Deep in the blue of midwinter 

sparked a riot of colour and bling,

now the streets are all darkened 

shut inwards, waiting for spring. 

San Diego dining

Just a short post about some of the great food we had in San Diego. Below is a photo of the pudding I had at Busters Surfing Shack. It was a pineapple upside down cake with ice cream. It was totally scrummy. Busters was great we had brunch there one day and lunch another. It's the kind of place that has a camper van inside the restaurant. 

 

There was a brand new Cheesecake Factory opposite the hotel and ate there twice. My favourite cheesecake has to be the key lime pie cheesecake. But on our last day I had the most amazing mushroom soup there. It tasted so fresh and so rich I can taste it now! We also went to a modern burger place called the burger lounge that was very good too. 

One of the highlights was a visit to Ruth's Chris steakhouse where I had a brilliant ribeye steak. I couldn't eat all of my banana pudding so took the rest of it back to the hotel in a box. This is something I wish more uk restaurants would do! 

I'll blog about our thanksgiving meal another time. 

Below is a photo of me at Busters enjoying a non alcoholic cocktail. 

A poem a day - day 5

Today a challenge was set to find the poetic in the ordinary so I wrote this very silly poem: 

A band of modern warriors

Gather by a lake

Like knights of the round table

They make ready for the fight

But something here is quite amiss 

They are not what they seem...

Their holy grail a pint of ale

Their chainmail polyester

Their arrows are of tungsten made 

Their battle field the oche

Yes, super smashing lovely 

The darts is on TV! 

Comfort food

I'm back at work tomorrow and no matter how much I like my job, going back to work after the Christmas break is never easy. It doesn't help that I've been feeling more anxious lately and the winter blues have caught up with me. 

I did make a tasty cottage pie topped with leeks for Sunday lunch though. Real comfort food. I made it whilst watching the darts - a Japanese player did quite well. Comfort telly. 

San Diego

I didn't blog during our holiday in San Diego, the first time I've not blogged during a holiday in 5 years! So to brighten up the dark days of January I thought I'd blog retrospectively about our time in Southern California. 

The flight out to San Diego was great. The thing I remember most vividly was flying over Dakota and Wyoming and then at sunset flying over the Grand Canyon. The desert rocks vermillion in the setting sun, were simply stunning. 

Our hotel was great, right on the marina, you can see the actual hotel in this picture below, we were in the tower nearest. Our corner room had views of the city and the waterfront up towards the airport and north Caronado (which is the US marines base.) 

The hotel faced the marina, there's a photo of some boats in the marina below. There is a path or embarcadero along the marina which was great to walk along in both directions. It was also just a 5 minute walk into the gas lamp quarter where the main restaurants and bars are found. 

The weather was spectacular while we were there, sunny and in the low to mid 20s (low 70s in old temperature) on most days. There were some truly spectacular sunrises and sunsets whilst we were there, but more about them later. 

On our first night we ate in the hotel sports bar and I had a BLT and a locally brewed beer which was lovely. 

A poem a day

Thunder 

Ominous grumble 

From a heavy sky; clearing

The senses with sound

Deep midwinter

The weather has been truly wintery over the last couple of days after yesterday's hail and thunder today we have constant rain and slate grey skies. But it does make it very cosy at home with the Christmas tree lights twinkling. I'll be sad to take down the decorations tomorrow. I wish we celebrated 12th night in the UK. When we went to Avignon (7 years ago, I can't believe it) everything still felt very festive even after 12th night.

I've spent most of the day reading - I'm reading the Son by Philip Meyer 

Tonight I'm looking forward to the return of the Scandi crime TV show the Bridge. So here's a photo of a different bridge, the Coronado bridge in San Diego. 

A poem a day

As a bright new year bursts around me

Inside I contract

I fold in on myself 

Like an old, olden days toy

My limbs lie slack.

I must look like a slumbering puppet

Strings all tangled and torn

But deep, way down inside me

I know I can spring back to life.

Biggleswade sunset

After popping to the Drs this afternoon I walked into town to get my nails done. Took a photo of the sun setting over the market square. 

I'm typing this whilst in coffeelicious surrounded by a group of teenagers gossiping and complaining that coffeelicious isn't as good as Surfin Cafe. This kind of sums up Biggleswade - are you a Surfin cafe, coffeelicious, greasy spoon or veggie cafe kind of person or like me are you cafe promiscuous? I have no loyalty I'll drink coffee where ever the whim takes me. Rock n Roll! 

A poem a day

I've joined a group on Facebook called A poem a day and the challenge is to submit a poem a day to the page. Here's my submission today. A Haiku inspired by Lumpy the cat! 

Cat

Sleek and lithe, agile
Hunter, leaping into a
Warm lap to snuggle.

New Year!

It's been cold and sunny today. Currently I have our little grey cat Kasumi snuggled up next to me on the sofa. Earlier today I took some photos of her and her brother in the garden. 

Here's Kasumi finding the only patch of sun available during midwinter. 

Here's her brother Lumpy also in the garden. 

I can't believe it's only 2 years since we got these two monkeys they seem like they've been part of our family for ever.