2248 - We could be flying

Listening to a Scott Walker collection
Mostly his crooning stuff, such retro cool
Reminds me of the kind of cheesy song
They'd sing at Butlin's in my years of school
In old smoky nightclubs and pubs with pool
Tables and jukeboxes, some years before
I interloped there, drank more than my fill
Alcohol tightened the knotted tongue more
Not for years did that change, but now the bore
Of it all is even beer's not golden
As it first looks. Perhaps that is life's rule
There's no panacea, empty at core
Unless you fill it or are filled in some
Early ceremony. Be king or fool

2247 - Red skin blues

Since Sainsbury's had their special beer offer
And after just two sessions with beer cans
My face has been red, dried-out, flaky, queer
It's good, though, if it steers me towards an
Alternative, practice of performance
Perhaps, as the Dyspraxia gig's quite soon
And while I'm on my travels, I've a chance
To think about the Comedy Balloon
It only seems like yesterday, not June
Not July, early August we were there
Janet and I, earning clapping of hands
Somewhat reluctant audience. Our return
Will hopefully be a good one, for the
Students should be back in town, could be fans

2246 - High on High Street

I've had another bad neck day, it's hurt
But it will get better as time goes on
Woke early, went very early to work
Left early, ate tea, then walked into town
To High Street, first time in the Ruby Lounge
It was a triple bill prog gig, was quite
Determined to go, though tired, and the sound
Of modern prog was fun, it was a flight
Of fancy on the dance floor, feet were light
Aided by for or five pints, red alert
It's not often you get this going on
Spoke to Chris H, Marc Riley, an old mate
Of Chris', had a quick chat. Was a sort
Of dreamlike evening. Hope sleep follows on...

Mon 29 Oct

2245 - Painting the roadside

Had very bad neck when I woke in bed
I couldn't comfortably lie on my side
And on my back was painful, too - my head
Had to be the right angle. I was wide
Awake at various points. Was early light
Because the clocks went back - always a shame
All of a sudden, tea-time is at night
Hired a car, drove to Swettenham in the rain
'S'wet in Swettenham' I caught myself sayin'
Took Josie to the Black Swan, where we had
Fish and chips near a blazing fireside
Autumn leaves also blazed, the Cheshire plain
Lovely perhaps for the last weekend, red
And yellow and green, painting the roadside

2244 - You don't know it makes sense

They've just revealed results of a survey
Women aged thirty who give up smoking
Can live as long as those who live healthy
While those who smoke till they're forty and then
Quit only get one extra year's living
That's science, but I can't help but wonder
Where's the incentive to quit for ageing
Girls and boys? I've seen the odd old-timer
Still puffing away outside pubs, and the
Old footage of smoke-filled pubs, looks like they
Were having a great time, laughing, singing
How can that good time be replaced? A year
Or two of infirm old age can't repay
Decades of abstinence from partying

2243 - (Un)loved tenant pigeon

There's a pigeon that wants to make its perch
On my outside light, on the balcony
A few times there's been a flap and flourish
When I step out there, it flies hurriedly
Away. At first this forced me to flinch. We
Don't expect loose-bowelled avian visitors
Perching with pride on human property
Especially when those dirty winged wankers
Loosen their bowels, turn into such shitters
There's white and green stuff on my lofty porch
Hot water and detergent poured on the
Mess this morning's not shifted it, this mess
Of shit has made me wait to pounce and lurch
At the feathered fucker with cleansing spray

2242 - 3 Minute Hero, one more time

I feel rather happy tonight, work's fine
And play's not bad, got lots that's coming up
Also need to practice for nine nights' time
When Dyspraxia's Got Talent is the hop
To be at, where we'll compete to be top
Act. I'm not dyspraxic myself, but got
An invite to take part, and I am up
For it, so why not? Should be hot
At the 3 Minute Theatre, where they've got
A decent sound system. And now I find
There's going to be a regular soul / pop /
Whatever music night, a Monday slot
At the Sandbar, just what is needed! I'm
Chilling out now with alcoholic pop!

2241 - Disgusted discussion

Not done much tonight, just chores and Facebook
And hearing how Manchester City lost
In Amsterdam, the Light Blues came unstuck
No European glory, they are toast
Even more than last year, they seem non-plussed
I'm annoyed though that I've not played guitar
I should play every day to be the best
Instead I only play weekly or there-
Abouts - not good enough. Going to Rain Bar
Next week, new friends to meet, maybe with luck
It will be fun. Before that, Monday next
I'm at a prog triple bill gig - that's far
Out, man... So bored, may as well take a look
At Costa Del Street Crime. Tonight's discussed!

2240 - Portuguese stroll

Drank so much coffee today, I'm buzzing
So now I'm knocking back some beer while I
Watch Man United, currently losing
At home to Braga, Portuguese town I
Visited in 2009, why?
Because it has many fine old churches
And city walls. The sun shone from on high
Though it was October, the temperatures
Rose, as did my excitement, adventures
In the Basque Country, Portugal and Spain
Tonight, after work, played some Sparks tunes, why?
Because last night I saw them live, then Yes
(Close to the Edge). Like to choose challenging
Stuff to hone my guitar ability

2239 - Sparks are still flying

It's been an interesting day, work and play
At work I drafted a long response to
The things said by my manager, Friday
It may cause trouble, but what do you do
When they pick faults for no reason with you
I'm no longer prepared to support them
If they won't support me, that is my view
After drafting this, I popped home and then
Out again to the Ritz, my old student
Haunt, looking quite similar to the old days
How many dances and gigs this venue
Has hosted! Sparks were playing live, two men
(Brothers), pop stars from my junior school days
Looking and sounding just like they used to

2238 - Nothing but blue sky

A beautiful blue sky with golden leaves
Walked out and caught the train feeling quite good
It left Piccadilly, glass windows, roofs
Canals and stadiums all looked in the mood
From the tall railway viaduct I viewed
Stockport on the move - chimneys, buses, hills
Office blocks, even a glass pyramid
On into green Cheshire, cows in the fields
Walked through the town of Wilmslow, where my girl
Lives with her mum. (That's where I used to live.)
I was hungry and kept buying more food
Josie was not hungry though. Macclesfield
Was quiet on Sunday. Her mum Tania loves
Someone new - well, good luck to the poor sod!

2237 - Light thy fire

A different Saturday, such strange places
Nancy and me went, and such stranger sights
First, Ordsall Hall in Salford - that place is
Now refurbished, formerly black and white
Tudor-style beams replaced with brick and light
Brown unpainted beams like in Tudor days
The black and white fashion came later. Quite
An odd interactive Dickensian play
Based on Oliver Twist. Charles came to stay
There, apparently. Then, a few paces
To the tram, rode to Bury for Light Night
Where we sat in crowded Costa Coffee
Til Andrea arrived. Saw some blazes
But no fireworks. The night turned out just right

Sat 20 Oct

2236 - Band of old gold soul

Tonight I'm listening to Solid Gold Soul
Each song seems to be from the 70s
Old gold, therefore, and perfectly hand-rolled
More songs, more chart hits I've not heard in years
Osibisa, Jimmy James, The Whispers
The usual suspects, like The Foundations
And Freda Payne are on there, but others
Made me buy this at the service station
How long's it since I last heard The Moments
Sing 'Dolly My Love,' though there's also 'Girls'
On this collection, which also appears
On others quite often (it's a good 'un)
'Pillow Talk' always gets put on, that's all
Right, cos it's great too. And, well, 'There It Is'

2235 - I don't give a funk (I give two)

Listening to a great funk compilation
Hits from late 70s, early 80s
Bought at a motorway service station
It's got some tracks I haven't heard in years
Odyssey, Gap Band, Boz Scaggs, Isaac Hayes
OK, I've heard 'Shaft' a lot, but that rhymed
Unlike Gilbert O'Sullivan who plays
Elsewhere, castigating the cat that climbed
No, that was a dog - oh God. Get down, find
Your groove, not with Gilbert, move to the drum
And bass of Bootsy, hum to Fat Larry's
Band, even the Jacksons will make you wind
Your body down and around, Word Up, on
The floor, let the music play, hey DJ's

2234 - England, our England

Busy day at work, but short - I dashed home
To see the rearranged England football
Match, ate my tea, then wandered out again
To Bohemia, this half-finished place, all
Hidden beneath Castlefield's arches, walls
And bridges with trains on top, rumbling by
I met a few arty people there, cool
Evening, and just a coke with ice for me
Now I'm back and I've been having a sly
Read of bits of the Amy biog on
Amazon (written by Mitch) - it was full
Of her drug problems - why'd she have to die?
Still, she's immortal now, her kind of fame
Isn't easily won, and is fatal

2233 - A new sport - water football!

Oh dear, the rain has stopped the football match
In Warsaw between England and Poland
Luckily I've rented a film to watch
Oscar-nominated, 'The Descendants'
I could've gone out tonight - this is pants
Got beer in for nothing, I don't know why
All of a sudden I don't even want
To drink it. Staying in means staying dry
True for me and the footballers. I spy
Some guys throwing a ball on the wet grass
But it can't roll through deep puddles, it lands
Dead as a dodo. Wouldn't like to try
Passing it on that marinated pitch
The Polish match officials will get panned

2232 - The Ballad of Leicester City

I've been to a place people just don't go
It's called Leicester (and that's pronounced 'Lester')
It's near a place called Derby that you'll know
And also near Nottingham - heard of there?
Robin Hood and all that? But Leicester? Well -
I don't know what there is to say. It's fair
To say that Walkers Crisps come from there - hell
I spose they qualify as crisps, just. Smell
Them and you don't smell spuds, taste buds don't flow
Ecstatic with juice at such brittle fare
On a work trip, bought some crisps but I failed
To get a receipt. Shit. Can I claim now
For my crap lunch of crisps bought in Leicester
Or will expenses tell me, Go to Hell!?

2231 - I got around

Back from the Smoke, smokeless though it be now
I don't even get lost in Victoria
These days, multiple entrances knowhow
Multiple exits, where to go from there
Which direction leads there, and which leads here
Which way's the Palace and which way's the Thames
About the Oyster card I'm not quite clear
But on Saturday took it to extremes
To Sussex to be precise, past its terms
Of reference, boldly gone where none allowed
Hopefully there's no fine - please Oyster, spare
A stranger from the provinces where teems
Lowlife unaccustomed to your highbrow
Transport systems, underground and over

2230 - Bury buried

Good night's sleep at Matt and Jude's, Mottingham
Cold, but the sleeping bag was my saviour
After Marmite on toast, to the station
Up to London Bridge, then hopped onto the
Train to Brighton, but hopped off long before
(Three Bridges), met Louis there, then the bus
Into Crawley, then walked a mile or more
To the football ground. The match today was
Crawley 3 Bury 2, yes, very close
Sunny spells but it wasn't very warm
After, we had a meal, I had pasta
The place was run by friendly Portuguese
But no chance of making Covent Garden
For the poetry night taking place there

2229 - Manchester evening blues

This is the stuff of legend, those stories
That you can tell people for years to come
I came for a London weekend to see
My daughter, but her mum, my ex-wife's, gone
And made the front page of the papers, from
A car crash last Easter, she's a teacher
Does that make it newsworthy? That's the sum
Of a big news story up north? Daughter
Got stressed-out call from mum, and she caught the
Train north as I caught coach south, meaning she's
Not there (to quote The Zombies). Mottingham
Is where I'm staying, with good friends, so the
Weekend is saved from homelessness. Crawley's
Where I'll be, watching football with my son

2228 - Tyrannosaurus Mex

Family traumas are happening all around
Car crashes, court cases, and lots of stress
Been out late this evening trying to help out
Waiting for cabs in pouring rain, hopeless
Trying to stay dry. Been off work, but less
Done than normal with my free time - I just
Had no energy, was feeling listless
Couldn't even think up lyrics - the most
I managed was one line. On sofa, dozed
Briefly, and watched a silly film that found
Cowboys fighting dinosaurs somewhere west -
No, south - of the Rio Grande. They were toast
As the T Rex advanced but it was bound
With rope, and carted off to a zoo. Bless!

2227 - On the road, on the track, on the runway

These are the countries I've been to so far -
All parts of the UK, also Ireland
France (mainly north, but also Basque area)
Austria briefly, twice to Switzerland
Liechtenstein, Belgium, Germany, Holland
Friendly northern Portugal, much of Spain
Some Italian cities, Slovenia, and
Eastern Greece, western Turkey by both train
And bus, the USA, but tried in vain
To see the Falls over in Canada
Next month I'll add both Denmark and Sweden
Maybe Hungary next year. Hop on a plane
Enjoy the view from way up in the air
Drive through strange towns, from trains observe the land

2226 - You better believe it

Slight runny nose - wonder whose germs I've got
Hopefully my immune system will win
It's fighting ability's usually hot
Even when I've got a cold deep within
Right now I just can't seem to stop sniffin'
Meanwhile on TV Christian creationists
Are arguing against evolution
Even now, some people seem to have missed
The intellectual ark. Just let them twist
Reality into myth, lose the plot
I'd rather stay free to be enjoyin'
Life the way I want to, same as they must
Feel about their belief. Now - Oh My God -
Transporter 2 is on - more mush for brains!

2225 - Let the children play

It's made the news that Sir Jimmy Savile
(Now dead) did things the old boy shouldna done
It's alleged that he was a paedophile
Single people can always be picked on
Why aren't they married? They're weird, every one
Nevertheless, children must be kept safe
In Wales a week ago, lil April Jones
Was taken in a van. Though there's no proof
Yet that she's dead, she's been so long removed
The kidnapper's been charged with murder while
The hunt goes on. Horrible things happen
But let's not throw out baby with the bath
Water - let kids play, let them run a mile
We wouldn't need gyms if we learned to run

2224 - Playing around

Had a good play on the guitar again
Not my own songs this time, just played along
To CDs - it was good to hear the strain
Of old tunes and riffs I've known for so long
Made from my own hands that have become strong
In their practised art, ad lib repeated
Jazzy approaches, heavy bass lines slung
Beneath the more ethereal hues painted
On the upper reaches of the axe fret
Rhythms that make me move while I'm playing
Head, feet, hands and mind, they're all in motion
Music as exercise, music not read
But felt as it was felt down memory lane
Years vibrate into life like a hit gong

2223 - The foot is in the other boot

My feet are hurting, especially my heels
These new boots of mine aren't made for walking
Tis bootless to complain, methinks, but well
What shall I wear on my hols when touring
Copenhagen and Malmo? I'm spending
Again on more boots, I can see, comfy
Ones, not so stylish. For nagging, aching
Feet are bad for tourism - trying to see
The sights and climb the heights is made mighty
Awkward if you're limping and you can feel
Every step. Deichmann have boots, they're charging
Forty quid for comfy ones. Recently
However, they've not had my size on sale
Must look again soon - my hols are looming

2222 - 2 much

All the 2's, sonnet number 2 and 2
And 2 and 2, too many, I hope not
Too, toowit toowoo, to wit, I hope you
Think this is too witty and not true rot
Hope you're not too snotty, hope that that snot
Isn't clotting your nose too much, you can
Breathe easy, don't feel queasy, not a spot
Of bother bothers you, but noses ran
In your family. If you're a wise owl, scan
These lines, don't snort them, sort them out into
Rhythms and rhymes fourteen times. I forgot
What to say, what I did today, no plan
Other than playing, nothing else to do
And now once more I've filled this vacant slot

Fri 5 Oct

2221 - No worries, mate

I thought I was immune to coffee but
It turns out I'm not. Three coffees while out
Last night, and I'm awake all night. I shut
My eyes to no avail, hearing them spout
Poshly on Radio Four (trying it out)
Drifted off as morning arrived, dawning
As morning tends to do, with sun blocked out
By clouds often these days - not complaining
About that, of course - it helps that dozing
That's much needed after a sleepless night
Too tired to do much after work - I've got
Footie on telly, got my clothes drying
On radiators, slippers on my feet
And fuck all that I need to fret about

2220 - Hard to be good

Felt good today - because again I'm clean
There's nothing in the blood that shouldn't be
For the second night running I have been
Drinking non-alcoholic, just coffee
Tonight, last night, lime cordial - both yummy
Enough for me. And though walking right through
Manchester on the way home, revelry
All around, clouds of smoke and not a few
Full hostelries with barely a spare pew
Even on a wet Wednesday, this loud scene
Although it swayed me, didn't betray me
I thought, I feel good, and I'll continue
In this clean vein one more day. So I'm being
Good to myself, though it's quite hard, strangely

2219 - Wake, man

Took ages to wake up - when that happens
You know you'll spend the day with energy
I whizzed through work feeling good in my brains
And body, knowing that tonight I'd see
A prog rock gig of sorts, guitar and key-
Board delights from Giltrap and O. Wakeman
Oliver W. of course being the
Offspring of Rick. Good repartee 'tween them
Olly had long straight hair like his old man
And I sat close so I could see Gordon's
Fretwork which was fraught but relaxed - that's the
Key to mastery of your instrument
There was a small and very square audience
Though maybe, back in the sixties, trendy!

2218 - Latin and mathematics

October the eighth month - no, it's month ten
How can that be, doesn't octo mean eight
In the marvellous old tongue of Latin?
Someone somewhere ballsed up, they couldn't count
Anyway, autumn's in full russet flight
The heat is on, not outside but inside
The heating bills sadly are wont to mount
In the evening sky the sun won't abide
In open top cars we don't wanna ride
No, things are different now it's the autumn
The season of brown, heading towards white
Getting a new warm set of clothes to hide
From the cold in, like when we were children
Woollen gloves, duffle coat, white breath, fire grate

2217 - Sleepless in Salford

Europe has won the Ryder Cup - yahoo
Or is that the sound of the fans? It's late
Well after midnight, went to bed, thought Oooh!
I've not written my sonnet - I can't wait
Til tomorrow. The rule is, I must write
The damn thing before sleeping, so I'm up
Out of bed once more, though it's late at night
But I have to keep writing til I stop
Fourteen lines done, then I can get some kip
But if I'd forgotten, that's what I'd rue
At least I've now seen the golf highlights - great
To see Europe beat the States. Go, Europe!
Also had a great guitar session - two
Songs written as well. Goodnight then - goodnight!

Sun 30 September