1699 - Much ado about Wenlock

Woke up at six and got up soon after
Perhaps I was excited, or nervous
About missing the coach down to Shropshire
Due to leave Birkenhead around ten, thus
I couldn't get back to sleep. Tremendous
Sunny day, lovely country lanes in spring
Brought us to Much Wenlock. Got off the bus
Quick cup of tea with the poets, briefing
Then off we all went on the streets, reading
Our work to passers-by, even diners
In pubs and cafes, none safe, all of us
With loose or bound sheets of verse descending
Trying to keep it clean for kids, mothers
Poetry festival goers, Brummies

1698 - Pomp and circumstances

Like millions, I watched the royal wedding
That joined Prince William and Kate Middleton
Now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, holding
Their reception, a right royal carry-on
So much for the big day down in London
Up here I've now got to think of myself
I said I'd play songs tonight in Bolton
Then I must get back home quickly, or else
I'll be too tired tomorrow, which won't help
Me drive to Birkenhead in the morning
Get on a coach of poets going down
To the Much Wenlock Poetry Festival
Where in the streets and shops we'll be reading
I'm feeling tense now but it should be fun

1697 - The reign in Spain

The build-up to the wedding's built up high
In London, cameras pan from all over
William and Kate, as one kite, soon shall fly
Instead of two, and there'll be no bother
There is bother elsewhere - Barcelona
Are discussing legal action since the
Bad-tempered game last night, when Madrid were
Too rough, but too much diving by Barca
Meanwhile, it's kicking off in Syria
Their ambassador's uninvited by
The royal couple. Bahrain and Libya
Are likewise snubbed, as are both Brown and Blair
Maggie Thatcher's too ill, her end is nigh
And me, I've got the day off tomorrow

1696 - Songs and football

This evening's been about songs and football
I'm planning on playing some songs Friday
(After the royal wedding) and I fall
Down, usually, in the lyrics that I say
Or rather, sing, when finally I play
In public, so practice should make perfect
Perhaps not perfect but perhaps okay
It's true, I can't achieve perfection yet
So tonight I knew I had to select
Two songs at least for Friday. Looked at all
My song lyrics and covers I can play
And chose two of my own and one that's not
After repeated run-throughs, ate my fill
Then watched Madrid and Barcelona play

1695 - Running on empty

I've not drunk much this month, hardly at all
I've turned it round from almost every night
Since I bought booze on the first of April
It's now the twenty-sixth - I'm doing alright
The only other time I drank was quite
Forgiveable - a works meal out in town
I had four pints but I managed to fight
The urge, borne out of habit, to compound
The drink's effect with cigarettes. The pounds
I've saved this month mean my wallet's done well
Nearly a hundred and fifty - not slight
I've run a few times on the grassy ground
Of Heaton Park, cleaned and tidied, and filled
Free time usefully, when I read or write

1694 - Song without words

I forgot the words, I forgot the words
Why is my memory so full of holes
If only I could sing just like the birds
I wouldn't miss all those destroyed brain cells
An autocue would suit me very well
Maybe it would help me come up with lines
Not only when performing but to tell
Me what to say to you on the next time
I can ad lib a bit, it should be fine
Mixing what's thought before with what's occurred
Just now, so well-woven that you can't tell
Which bits I made up and which I spent time
Rehearsing. When your synapses get furred
When words get blurred, when time has finally told
Mon 25 April

1693 - Run in the sun

Today I went for a run in the sun
Even though my knee wasn't quite better
From Thursday afternoon's run in the sun
Fancied running in Lyme Park, thought better
Of it, my knee needed respite, better
Heaton Park, mainly fairly flat, and near
Unlike far-off Lyme Park, far hillier
Because it's the Peak District, and I fear
My knee would have needed some extra care
So Heaton Park it was, although Heaton
Itself is not round there, north Manchester
It's more round Stockport way, there's Heaton Moor
Heaton Mersey, Heaton Chapel, Heaton
Norris...I know, cos I used to live there

1692 - Fresher Cheshire

It's great sometimes to drive to who knows where
Destination unknown, all left to fate
Only that way can we best discover
Secret places that turn out to be great
Cheshire has its share of these, and of late
I've found a few. First stop today, Marton
Ice cream, the old church, how to celebrate
A sunny spring day? Drive to Congleton
Passing Gawsworth and Capesthorne Halls and then
To Little Moreton Hall, striking Tudor
House set in lovely green pastures. Hey, wait
She said. See that castle? It's a ruin
We drove there, like driving up a steep stair
It's called Mow Cop. It's view I can't relate

1691 - Newsflash - all sonnets now posted

Hey mate, my sonnets are now up to date
The old ones are all there on the website
'Old Onions' - see the link? - you mustn't wait
Click on it now, now you must click on it
They're all there, from when I started to write
On September Fifth 2006
Almost half a decade ago, one night
Not long after I left my wife, upped sticks
And moved from Wilmslow to Salford. These tricks
These fourteen lines per night have been a great
Way of keeping a diary. It's been quite
A challenge, but a fun one, and I've mixed
It with history, news, what's on my plate
What's on my desk, in my head, wrong or right

1690 - Billy and Jimmy (not forgetting Lou)

1690 saw historic battles
One remembered and one now forgotten
Opposite corners of the British Isles
The South Coast and the River Boyne, Ireland
The struggle for the British succession
With input from Louis the Fourteenth who
Supported King James over William
Of Orange (and Mary). The French withdrew
Their troops from Ireland. James, cowardly, flew
Never to return. Meanwhile, a naval
Battle was fought off Beachy Head. France won
But failed to follow up, and Britain grew
Thereafter into a formidable
Naval power, France pre-eminent on land

1689 - I got stung

Once more the April sun lights up our day
No coat required, quite tired, the early light
Terminating nocturnal fantasy
Long day cheerfully banishing short night
One thing was on my mind - I couldn't wait
To get my new tattoo put on my arm
I'd chosen the Manchester bee in flight
A busy creature suited to the warm
While I was there a real bee - not a swarm
Thank God - flew into the tattoo shop. They
Caught it under a glass. Yes, it was quite
A coincidence. Bees sting, and the form
Of a bee on my arm did, certainly
As the needle took bite after harsh bite

1688 - Semi-tropical topical sonnet

A lunchtime walk in sunny Manchester
My face is looking quite brown already
From weekend outings in this fine weather
And seeing as I had some energy
I wandered first up Bridge Street into the
Civil Justice Centre, of bold design
To check how long after decree nisi
I have to get the absolute; some time
(Until November). So, with relaxed mind
I headed up to the tattoo parlour
In the Triangle shopping mall, city
Centre (near the big wheel), but sadly I'm
Waiting till tomorrow's appointment for
The inking in of my Manchester bee

1687 - Retreat from Vienna

In 1687 Ottoman
Turks were pushed further back towards the east
In '83 they had been overrun
After the siege of Vienna, not least
By 20,000 cavalry, joined beast
And man, led by Pole, Jan Sobieski
Croissants were baked to celebrate, this feast
Also including grabbed Turkish coffee
On to '87, through Hungary
The Austrians pushed them back, this Christian
Alliance too strong, freedom sweet to taste
In Transylvania, the Balkans, but the
Parthenon was blown up by Venetian
Cannons firing on the Turks...A sad waste

1686 - Green and pleasant land

A lovely sunny morning in the park
Yes, with my new Asics I'm on the run
And after one lap, back at the car park
I took my phone from the car, and had fun
Walking around, cooling down, taking one
Or two pictures of typical park sights
People walking dogs, ducks, boats, ice cream cones
Loitering by the lake, hitting the heights
Some water mains repairs, some leaky pipes
Torrents cascading down the hill, a walk
Over grass, under blossom, glad I'd gone
Round again, savouring the spring delights
I always love Sunday in Heaton Park
Great views and happy faces, everyone

1685 - Blood and water

In 1685 Judge George Jeffreys
Presided over Bloody Assizes
Monmouth and his rebels had fought James's
Accession to the throne after Charles's
Death in February, but in three years
Jeffreys would be in The Tower, dying
After the Glorious Revolution tears
Away the last of the Catholic kings
But that's three years away. Today, waking
At six, I worked on some new melody
Then went back to sleep, pleasant surprises
Turning out to be dreams, but still looking
Forward to the day. We went to Josie's
Favourite swimming pool, had fun and splashes

1684 - Slow refilling of the tank

It's a day when I woke up too early
A day off work, yes, but largely wasted
I read more Blair autobiography
This recent history will soon be read
A likeable man who became hated
He makes it all seem so unfair on him
Tarnished legacy, but undisputed
Success at the polls. I watched Jack Hawkins
Once more convene The League of Gentlemen
To rob that London bank; Gene Tierney
As the pretty Laura, first thought murdered
But then in flesh and blood reappearing
I'm having toilet troubles, tried to see
Phil to help with the cistern, but he's fled...

The toilet is clogged or a part has worn out, and it takes half an hour to refill with water after each flush

1683 - Pub grub

A hard day at work, answering queries
Though I must admit, hard work feels quite good
It makes the day go faster, like the breeze
On mountain tops, instead of stagnant woods
And marshes, where the time drags. Some good food
Later on at The Ox pub, where I had
Chicken liver as starter, on salad
And for main course, a nice salmon, not bad
At all, and not too filling, so I could
Manage another pint or two with ease
After a few drinks I remained quite good
No coffee but no more beer. In my flat
I did have coffee, no beer or ciggies
April's health kick goes on just like it should

1682 - Hello again Heaton Park

With the arrival of spring, I have been
Itching to get out running once again
Even though last year I packed running in
Because after each run I felt some pain
Or rather, ache, in my knees and my shins
So reluctantly I resigned myself
To becoming less fit, drinking, smoking
And all that money-wasting, bad for health
Stuff, but, as I've not drunk or smoked for well
Over a week, and with the spring sunshine
Making my blood run faster in my veins
I spent eighty quid on new shoes, my wealth
Depleted, put them on my feet, so clean
And ran around Heaton Park this evening

1681 - Dead as a dodo

In 1681 the dodo died
And the red rail also soon disappeared
These flightless birds had evolved with no fright
Of humans, for historically unheard
And unseen were we on Mauritius, weird
Though it seems, and so these birds grew gentle
And large, the red rail making tasty food
The dodo less so, yet its survival
Was hampered by imported animals
The pigs who smelled nests dodo's didn't hide
No predators had meant they had not feared
Other creatures eating their eggs. Awful
Impact on their species, extinct, now spied
Only in sketches, bones and written word

1680 - Changing sky

In sharp contrast to yesterday's sun tan
Today I risk taking an outdoor shower
With my coat and all my other clothes on
But to prevent this I shall use my power
To blow the clouds away....There, they're much higher
Now, with distinct patches of medium blue
The puddles are soaking into the floor
And shadows are almost visible, too
They are, under cars, possible to view
Look, there's a lorry, and several white vans
Plying their sordid trades this lunchtime hour
From the third floor window I watch, and can see too
St Philip and St Stephen's Church again
With graceful finger-like yellow stone tower

1679 - Sunny Salford scenes

Been cycling alongside the blue Irwell
Well, it was blue today - it's usually grey
But today sky and water matched so well
Royal blue, today's colour, as though they
Were reflected in the mirror display
Of Salford Royal's facade along with
St Philip and St Stephen's spire. The play
Of modern music from the church, back, forth
As young guitarists sit on its steps, both
Practising and sunbathing. Home, and, well
I never, this weather we've got today
Has brought out the guitarists, always with
A girl, it seems, this one a redhead, well-
Covered with a straw hat against the rays

1678 - Clarence Mill, Bollington

A lovely sunny day, but I forgot
To take my mobile phone when I left home
Worried I'd lost it - what an idiot!
But it was on my sofa all the time
No pictures then of today's jaunt may come
Unless Josie can forward those on hers
Where did we go? We went to Bollington
By Macclesfield Canal, where the mills rise
Like giant shoe-boxes, and huge chimneys
Point to God or Mammon. Now they are flats
And good ones too I expect, though it's some
Way from Manchester. All slaves to their cars
Are those living there, even if they've got
Only to get to Macc, these driving drones

1677 - Nothing but blue skies

This beautiful spring sunshine carries on
It seems a routine well established now
That April skies are blue, the sun is warm
But summer clouds are certain to follow
All through July and August, and we know
There'll be reports of reservoirs run dry
Come summer (when the clouds bring us down low)
'Not enough rain in spring' will be the cry
Yet there'll be some flooding, ironically
At least an ice age hasn't just begun
Something the early Britons faced somehow
Before we got separated by sea
From Europe when that ice melted and ran
Over our shores eight thousand years ago

1676 - Harrowing journey

Up at seven, had breakfast, poured oil in
The car, checked the tyres were all inflated
For my destination The Smoke (London)
I sat down, belted up, and departed
The old M6 was not yet too crowded
Stopped at Warwick Services (no Dionne)
Although I did dine, and urinated
Got to South Harrow at quarter to one
Where belongings belonging to my son
A few clothes, DVDs, and some bedding
Were got from him and one by one fitted
Into my small Fiesta. Then the run
Back up north, without him. He is staying
Til his student filming is completed

1675 - The incredible lightness of being an idiot

Up early again, spring has this effect
The dawn light wakes us even when we're tired
Good from a work perspective, as I get
To the office early, and can retire
To my flat early, work done, as desired
Up late last night watching a DVD
Of 'The Idiots' by Lars von Trier, who tried
To start the Dogma movement in which he
Wrote rules for directors quite seriously
I think, damning towards special effects
He also said films shouldn't be authored
And yet he wrote scripts, hypocritically
Perhaps. Rules are to be broken, I guess
But that's OK, as long as they inspire

1674 - Liverpool isn't cool

Today I went by train to Liverpool
A pleasant day it was by the Mersey
Of course, some days there it is far too cool
And more often than not, far too windy
But today there was just a little breeze
As I walked through the streets towards the docks
With my coat on I knew I wouldn't freeze
But I got warmer with each step I took
The business meeting dragged, but by good luck
It ended early, allowing this fool
To climb the hill to Lime Street to catch the
12:52 to Manchester, and talk
To a talkative, hard-drinking football
Fan of Tranmere (away at Sheff Wednesday)

1673 - The Blair Literature Project

An early night in bed with Tony Blair
Is what I'm looking forward to tonight
I read seventy pages yesterday
About how to treat Northern Ireland right
And also how governing can't excite
Quite as much as campaigning and ideals
Politics is deal-making by the bright
After all, they rarely pay for their meals
I woke up early (again). It appeals
To go to bed early with Tony Blair
Cherie needn't be jealous, there's no fight
Over her man, we'll have no tears, no squeals
And certainly no Catholic guilt or prayer
For forgiveness when I turn out the light

1672 - Hair apparent

It's getting late and time now to relax
After I've written this sonnet, of course
Sunday's my one free day to really tax
My creativity, work without pause
Or, more likely, a mixture, with some hours
Of hard work on music or writing but
Also some reading, TV or some chores
I don't have time for in the week, the glut
Of cleaning, ironing... I even cut
My hair at the back with scissor attacks
Completely blind. Better than hairdressers
Could manage, though. So now it's really late
But I'm content, 'cos I've done lots of tasks
Creative and household, and had no booze

1671 - The discovery of working in bed

Woke before six, when my mind fastened on
The new tune I'd been working on last night
When I'd memorised it, and so sat down
And watched some music shows, then had to fight
To recall the lost melody, not quite
Getting it right as bedtime came around
However, after five hours' sleep, the right
Tune came back. It was lost, now it was found
This woke me up with a vengeance, no sound
Sleep would be mine. I opened the curtain
Letting the dawn in, got my lyric sheets
For maybe seven songs, some new, some honed
Some time ago, got back in bed, and ran
Through them all, improving them. It was great!

1670 - Golden years

Good news! My daughter's got a job down in
London, where she moved to a month ago
I expect there'll be big celebrating
There tonight with her housemates. Good news! So
Up here it's been a rainy day, although
I'd say we needed one, it's been so nice
Another red sunset right now, its glow
Illuminating this room with gold light
I'm now pondering what to drink tonight
To toast Pearl's success, while I sit watching
Reruns of Top Of The Pops, when they'll show
Lots of clips from '76, the height
Of my pop years as a kid, following
Three golden years I'll love until I go