Sunday 31 March 2013

2399 - Here comes the sun again

Another cold day but the sun was out
Making it okay when not in the shade
Sainsburys was closed, so I had to shell out
In the Shell garage for some food - I paid
Through gritted teeth for a pork pie, added
Some beans and milk. Me and Louis we saw
Villa lose to Liverpool - be afraid
Of relegation, the Villains! At four
Listened to Radio Six, then caught tram for
Bury to meet Nancy for a good chat
Went to the Art Cinema pub and made
Light work of their mixed grill and cheesecake, store
Of protein to keep me working hard at
Comedy and guitar as Easter fades

Saturday 30 March 2013

2398 - Good Saturday

A Saturday, but not as we know it
Jim, because it's the long Easter weekend
Already had a Good Friday, complete
Relaxation, a physical unwind
Today watched Simon Schama, intertwined
Lives of Churchill and Orwell, then put on
Schubert's Impromptus, to which I listened
Fascinated, unable to read. Then
Football Focus, and reading 'bout Dylan
(That's Bob the Singer), while radio transmits
Football commentary, poor old Sunderland
Lose again, Newcastle to Man City
Met Dermot, talked comedy routine, wit
And future moves with my comedy friend

Friday 29 March 2013

2397 - Hair tomorrow, gone today

A lovely lunchtime walk in Manchester
And Salford, by the riverside, the sun
Was out, the sky was blue, but the barber
Was closed for the bank holiday - oh damn
No haircut today, then. Will try again
Maybe tomorrow, before comedy
Meeting with Dermot, analysing fun
And wit and jokes as much as they can be
With a double-act quite soon, hopefully
Finished 'Wild Swans' about Maoist China
Then 'Bloke Jokes 3' read in an hour, and then
Could find no Dickens (gone to Oxfam, see)
Up next's a Dylan biog. Watched Leicester
Lose again, this time to Millwall - ha ha!

Thursday 28 March 2013

2396 - Band aid

My hands are still on fire from my guitar
Undoubtedly the best I've ever played
Progress is swift now, every month and year
Like former life forms compressed and heated
Then under extreme pressure extracted
Benefiting from decades of listening
And almost as many playing, now made
Into potent fuel, frequent practising
Causing rapid improvement, upgrading
Of the product, going further, faster
But I still feel far from being displayed
Still no exhibition, no big launching
Into the public domain, and never
May feel the time is right. I need some aid

2395 - Got to get up

Felt very tired today day two of course
Advanced Policy Development, well
It was 5 days compressed to 2, of course
It was therefore hard to follow, felt, well -
Knackered by the end, then hastened like hell
Through thin snow flakes home, had tea, then walked to
The King's Arms for some beer with John, went well
Then upstairs to the play, called Sparks, in two
Acts. More beers, then home, now it's time to do
This sonnet, and it's nearly done. I must
Get up early tomorrow, drive like hell
Pick up Josie at eight fifteen, woo hoo
I hope that I will sleep just like a horse
That's fallen in the Aintree Grand National

Wed 27 March

Tuesday 26 March 2013

2394 - Last chance hospital

Girl mauled to death by five dogs in Wigan
The UK Border Agency shut down
Those are the main news stories going on
Today round my way - what about your own?
At work, went on a two-day course, day one
Advanced Policy Development. We
Discussed current issues, healthcare among
Them - Stafford Hospital turned out to be
Because nurses felt they had a degree
So shouldn't have to clean patients or come
To their aid with food or drink. England shown
Like so many times before completely
Unable to kill off their opponent
Once more, drawing with Montenegro. Groan...

Monday 25 March 2013

2393 - Here's to Easter

Spent all day at work reading training stuff
The Businessballs website is worth a look
And then someone found for me a day's worth
Of reading for tomorrow's course, a book-
Length amount of info that simply took
Too long to read it all. Out the office
Now til after Easter, first off I'm stuck
In a two-day-long, fairly advanced course
And then on Thursday, seeing Josie, first
Day of the holiday for her. She's tough
And copes with walking in the cold, but shucks!
This time I won't make her do that, no, this
Time I'll hire a car, we'll go far, we'll drive
Over the hills or across plains, with luck

Sunday 24 March 2013

2392 - Sunday funday

It's been a good Sunday, read more Wild Swans
Did ironing, watched TV, did some shopping
A long guitar practice, played forty songs
Or thereabouts, then a bit of phoning
To see how Josie was, she'd been feeling
Faint last night when I left her, but she's fine
Then rang Janet, to check we're still going
Out to comedy, also Caroline
Was there. A takeaway ordered, and mine
Was vindaloo. Saw some cats there, but none
Pooed while we ate, thank God. Not long waiting
For the tram, luckily, as the wind whined
Comedy Store's new jokes night was full on
The last guy was a dwarf - had me laughing

Saturday 23 March 2013

2391 - The snows of Kilimanchester

A freezing your tits off day, to be sure
With light snow flakes drifting down from the sky
Poor Josie has a cold, had to endure
Walking to the station as winds flew by
We stopped at Cafe Nero to apply
Hot cups to our hands, had mocha with cream
She had hot chocolate with cream. Warmed nicely
After a good chat there, we caught the train
To Manchester, met Pearl and Louis and
Hotfooted it to Nexus Cafe for
Lunch, then looked round a few shops casually
And back to Pearl's flat (well, her mum's) - a scream
Had by all, then took Josie home. Once more
I walked through the cold. Spring must be nearby!

Friday 22 March 2013

2390 - De do do do de da da da

A late night last night, not asleep til two
Then up at nine for work, manager's ill
With my old cold! It was the leaving do
Of Chris Golightly, so I ate my fill
Of buffet, with two pints of porter swilled
Back to the office, drank coffee and tea
And soon I had recovered rather well
Reading training stuff, chatting to Viki
At home just went on Facebook, and watched the
England / San Marino match, easy to
Predict a win for the Whites there. Eight-nil
Was the final score. Even Wayne Rooney
Got on the scoresheet. Ashley Young did, too
Tomorrow, me and Josie lunch with Pearl

2389 - New chair

The new chair has been put together well
I'm sitting on it now, oh yes, so there
Staples put it together, I can tell
Cos I tried and failed, and I just can't bear
Self-assembly shit, it's for losers. There
Are people who are good at it, so pay
Five quid and they'll do it, no turn of hair
It's red and minimalist, and I say
It looks good and feels good, it feels like play
You can revolve in it, and you can wheel
Across the floor, can glide from here to there
Mobility is the key, you don't stay
In a rigid wooden structure, a cell
You're liberated, here, there, everywhere

Thur 21 March

Wednesday 20 March 2013

2388 - Death of a chair 2

The old wooden chair has fallen apart
(Remember I told you this yesterday)
After work, went to Staples for to part
With some cash for a new one, took away
A box with parts in it. The man did say
I needed no tools, and it was easy
To assemble, so with no real delay
I carried home the box excitedly
A red chair, the design name is Massey
By Alphason, in the county of Hert-
fordshire, cost twenty-five pounds, also paid
A further five, a two year guarantee
Being vital, since my chairs do all start
To disassemble eventually

Note - It was not as easy as I'd hoped to put the new chair together. To be continued...

Tuesday 19 March 2013

2387 - Death of a chair

The chair I'm sitting on is collapsing
A big crack's opened up in its seat - it
Is shifting, creaking, generally dying
No longer able to support my weight
I'll have to go chair shopping, substitute
Seating a priority so I can
Sit at this desk and type my daily shit
So sad about us, my chair's down the pan
My wooden chair from Macclesfield is gone
West, to the twilight of wooden seating
No funeral pyre is likely to be lit
For it, unless by me. If I've a van
Or a car on hire soon, I'll be driving
It to the tip. Thanks for letting me sit!

Monday 18 March 2013

2386 - Breaking bad in my head

Quiet day at work, I felt energetic
Having had plenty of sleep once again
Started off with a trip to the clinic
Nothing wrong with me, a check-up, them sayin'
My blood pressure was 'perfect'. They've taken
A blood sample, they'll call if there's a hitch
With that, but I'm really not expectin'
A problem there, beyond the little scratch
Caused by the needle! All day I'd an itch
To get home, play guitar, so soon I picked
It up and bashed some songs out, with some spleen
And ideal. My head's wasted now, 'twas such
A mother of a jam session. I'll stick
To watching 'Breaking Bad' now it's past ten

Sunday 17 March 2013

2385 - Spoilt for choice

It's been a cool relaxing Sunday here
Listened to George Shearing, Paco Pena
And Villa Lobos, Spanish-style guitar
Paco's flamenco blistering my ear
With speed, passion, technical savoire-faire
Meanwhile, I read deeply into 'Wild Swans'
Mao's era going from good to sinister
Also we watched two close-fought football games
Wondering now what to do. Should I lay hands
On my guitar once more, or should I hear
More music and read? A nice choice - I swear
Such luxury would be well out of bounds
In most marriages where free time is dear
And kids' needs are top of the agenda

Saturday 16 March 2013

2384 - Full of beans

I visited Josie, scarlet fever
Has eased and she was actually quite well
Today, and so she asked to walk rather
A long way, to the shops, where Oxfam sells
Good books - I bought one called 'Bloke Jokes' - it's full
Of anti-men one-liners, I assume
Written by women. Saw the market stalls
And made our way to the park. The sun shone
As Josie seemed full of beans, singing tunes
And running about. Derby played Leicester
And I got home in time to see the hell
Of our two-goal lead cut to only one
But we hung on! Soon after, played guitar
While Louis wrote scripts or blogs. Next - football!

Friday 15 March 2013

2383 - Red nose (and no alcohol either)

It's Red Nose Day, also Comic Relief
And to mark it, at work I dressed in red
I was the only one, hard to believe
And I've never before celebrated
It in any way - but a fair few quid
Was raised, and that'll be paid on Monday
At the Post Office by Emma, she said
Josie's had scarlet fever, last few days
I texted her Mum, see if I should stay
Away or visit her, but keep it brief
She said yes, you can come. We'll go to Ned
Yates garden centre nearby, with cafe
For an hour or two. Played guitar like Keef
Tonight, was red hot - I was red, not dead!

Thursday 14 March 2013

2382 - Tomorrow Never Nose

Physically back to normal at long last
After two weeks of cold, thought I would do
Exercises when I got home, but blast!
I started sniffing again, and I knew
I'd have to postpone attempts to renew
My fitness regime til tomorrow night
Tomorrow's Red Nose Day - my plan is to
Dress all in red for work, so on my flight
Homeward, popped into Sports Direct and tried
On red trackie bottoms, red trainers, just
Twenty-three quid for both. I hate red, though
So just bought the trousers, total twelve quid
For a red pair and a blue pair. We're just
Watching Chelsea versus Bucharest now

Wednesday 13 March 2013

2381 - Never-ending story

I'll type this poem now, mustn't forget
Like last night, til after going to bed
To do my diary, my daily sonnet
Because to this ambition I am wed
To write a sonnet every day, instead
Of a prose diary, something that had failed
Because it's so boring, uncompleted
Attempts to document life that had paled
In excitement within days. But this grail
Has been attained in fourteen-line format
The attraction? A challenge for the head
The rhyme and metre never seem to fail
To dress thoughts and observations as best
They can be, clothed like cardinals in red

2380 - The Wild Swans of Forgetfulness

I almost forgot to write this poem
My daily sonnet almost wasn't born
At least not on the day it should have been
That would indeed have made my heart forlorn
But luckily as I read in bed, shorn
Of the expected tiredness one should feel
While avidly devouring 'The Wild Swans'
And finding it had page-turner appeal
I realised the lack of poem, real
Urgency gripped me, and I leapt again
From my bed, pausing to put my jeans on
Then made my way to the laptop to seal
The deal and write this sonnet, these fourteen
Lines oh so lively, not at all sleep-worn

Tue 12 March

Monday 11 March 2013

2379 - Cold play

The heat is on - it's heating up my flat
But outside it is friggin' cold, all right
And when that wind blows, when that wind, when that ...
It's brrrrracing, makes you shiver, not with fright
But what a great day if you are a kite
However, I'm no kite, all too human
I'm afraid, and I'll spend another night
Safely indoors. Meanwhile, Louis has gone
Out into the cold to play football. Don't
Expect me to feel jealous - my eye's not
Green, but green and brown, and it's seeing right
Again, after my cold made my sight wane
And my knees ache! But now I'm OK, sat
Here, about to strum once more. Things are great!

Sunday 10 March 2013

2378 - The I Chang

What a strong and cold wind outside today
Me and Louis shopped briefly at Sainsburys
But otherwise stayed in, and passed the day
In pleasant ways, aiding recovery
From my receding cold. A DVD
Of an old film from '62 was seen
'The Loneliness of the...' (Tom Courtenay)
'Long Distance Runner' on my TV screen
Watched football, then finished 'The Misfortunes
Of Virtue' by de Sade. Next up will be
'Wild Swans' by Jung Chang - Chinese history
In novel form, will keep me busy. Tunes
Right now, however, time for me to play
Guitar to keep up my abilities

Saturday 9 March 2013

2377 - Growing up

Just got in from a rainy old evening
But luckily I hired the car, kept dry
Drove Josie to my Mum's, time for seeing
Mothers (and grandmothers) as Mother's Day
Draws close (it's tomorrow in the UK)
Mum hadn't seen her, not since last July
Said how much she'd grown since Mum's big party
Can see now Josie's maturing, how my
Mum enjoys her company more. Now I
Have the option of once again going
Out, to see Tom play a pub gig, Ducie
Bridge is the pub, but I'm too ill to try
Such a long wet walk. Option two, staying
In is looking strong favourite, by and by

Friday 8 March 2013

2376 - Songs from the Med

It's been a long day, slept well, thankfully
Then off to work for the last time this week
(A short week at work, two days sick). Louis
Went out as I got home, so quick
I thought, now's my chance to play guitar licks
Which I did to prog, Jethro Tull and Led
And Ash, plus the cream of the Cream's best tracks
And in no time at all, the time had fled
I seemed a bit clunky, my right hand tried
But seemed a bit slow - but then, it must be
More than two weeks since I last played - been sick
And before that, on my travels, the Med
Area. Now we are watching telly
While I type this - maybe next, quick Facebook

Thursday 7 March 2013

2375 - Rent boy

Despite feeling much better yesterday
Did not sleep well, and so am still not right
My eyes ache and my vision is blurry
I'm tired, and so I'll not go out tonight
To the Printworks for an open mic night
(Just to watch with a group). Louis is out
Watching three films - he has an appetite
For cinematic marathons. We got
His football ticket through the post, the doubt
Gone as to whether it might be tardy
And I've got three copies printed that might
Hopefully serve as rental agreement
Between me and him, rent being due monthly
Might play some guitar, first for a fortnight

Wednesday 6 March 2013

2374 - Post-Morocco blues

I'm feeling better, post-Morocco blues
And germs are being destroyed, one by one
Second day off work, but my real excuse
Was tiredness, I'd put my shirt and shoes on
But could hardly produce locomotion
So lacking in energy, germs still rife
I phoned in sick again, though guilt-ridden
Was for the best. Now I can feel new life
And strength returning, so I feel it's safe
To go back to work tomorrow. I've used
My time off best I could, but I've not gone
Out at all. Read some Sade, then watched a Love-
Film film, Naked Lunch, it brought memories
Of North Africa back (I left too soon!)

Tuesday 5 March 2013

2373 - I feel so bad

A second night of no sleep and a cold
The radio playing all night long again
I felt so bad when I got up, I told
My boss Andy by phone I can't go in
My voice deep and ill-sounding convinced him
Updated this blog with my holiday
Diary and that was it, no more got done
I struggled to eat lunch, my energy
Level zero, and soon gave up the day
Going to bed for four hours. Then, poor old
Manchester United struggled like men
A man down to Real Madrid, but they
Are out of Europe - no Brit teams will hold
The trophy aloft this year. Bed at ten

2372 - Shiver and shake

I felt cold and ill last night, lying in bed
A hot water bottle would have been nice
Shivering limbs, congested chest and head
Too uncomfortable for sleep to entice
By afternoon, at work, had to advise
Callers and emailers though I felt drained
Nevertheless, put in the hours, no lies
Even ate a big pot of soup, but went
Homewards, stopping to look in Sports Direct
Bought three new tops and a zip-up jacket
For warmer weather at a lowly price
Under 30 quid, not excessive spend
My comedy ticket will be wasted
But I don't want to go out - feel like ice!

Mon 4 March

2371 - Hit the north again

Woke up dehydrated, kept dropping off
To sleep again, but then had to be quick
Cleaning the flat, having breakfast, was tough
With a headache, but I'm fit when I'm sick
After a welcome coffee, out to pick
Up the hired van to bring Louis up here
To live for a few months cheaply, write scripts
For films, he'll really try to get somewhere
With his writing - he has the Baxter flair
Drove down to London easy with enough
Time left, but my instructions were so naff
I drove in circles round Essex, then picked
Up a road atlas in a garage where
I found the way to Hainault. We pulled off
Louis' move successfully - quite a trick!

Sun 3 March

2370 - Swinging Staffordshire

I'll tell you a great day out - it's Stafford
Directly in front of the train station
Is a marvellous park on a green sward
Staffordshire knot, and statues, oh what fun
A swinging place, literally, makes you want
To hang yourself. Next, go on to the shops
It's so bad there's no KFC, Subway
They all 'hang' out at McDonalds - there's lots
For kids to do there, but commerce has stopped
The shops are all closing down, can't afford
To stay. Poundland is almost overrun
However. Just take care never to pop
There again anytime soon, give your word
Though the sun shone, it was a saddish sun

Sat 2 March

2369 - Tapas rush

Last night in Granada was a bar crawl
And with each glass of beer came a tapa
In no time at all, me and John were full
Yet to cancel these tapas there's no hope
It was great, though a kind of tasty hoop
You have to crawl through to be served a beer
I ate so much good food (not much was soup)
That my energy level's up to here
Despite getting up early to get there
On time at Malaga Airport, I'm all
Lively tonight. OK, I had a nap
On the bus to Malaga as skies cleared
Of cloud, but even so, to have gone all
The way to sketching in town needs a clap

Fri 1 March

2368 - Gone ski-ing (not)

Late night, up at 8.30, changed into
Borrowed ski gear, ready to go and ski
But when John looked out at the falling snow
He had grave doubts - the visibility
Looked poor - it would be tough for him and me
We decided against it because time
Was against us, our itinerary
Included being checked out by lunchtime
Hiring skis and boots, returning them, climb
Into the bus to Granada - just too
Hectic for success to be guaranteed
So we literally chilled out til the time
Came to catch our bus. In Granada you
Can see the clouds smothering the hills heavily

Thur 28 February

2367 - Granada and Sierra Nevada

Up at nine, bus Malaga - Granada
At ten. Arrived Granada at midday
Walked around town, no time for Alhambra
Enjoying a most pleasant sunny day
Waiting for bus at five, sat at cafe
Coke and cigs down a treat, then caught the bus
Winding up Sierra Nevada way
The change from sun to snow most curious
My Spanish was needed and it saved us
The apartment has no reception here
We tried the ski-hire shop, he told the way
Further still, Hotel Monachil, he says...
Finally, Apartments Bulgaria
Tomorrow we ski - that's another day

Wed 27 February

2366 - Where are we?

What an amazing journey had today
From Chefchaouen to Tangier into Spain
Tarifa, Algeciras, and then hey!
Bus to Malaga - there's been recent rain
But the weather's been great, we can't complain
Went out for a few beers, some food and wine
We drank in Malaga - our main complaint
With Africa has been that you can dine
But you can't drink, evenings aren't genuine
So we returned to the hotel early
But here, everything is working out fine
The Moroccan stuff, it is working fine
I am too pissed to continue this way
We need sleep now, sorry to be a pain

Tue 26 February

2365 - Moroccan mountain meanderings

A beautiful day here in Chefchaouen
Got a taxi here last night from Tangier
80 euros for 80 miles driving
Through winding roads at top speed - good driver
Found hotel, found cafe and found reefer
Abdul, a local hooded man, sold some
Quick joint, then to bed. This morning, a fair
Commotion in town, market day among
The winding blue Medina, folk selling
Everything, every drug under the sun
(Well, outside the shops). We had to beware
Locals who grow their own, always pushing
Despite this, climbed a mountainside and then
Smoking, then more eating in Chefchaouen

Mon 25 February

2364 - Approaching Africa by boat

It's Sunday 24th of February
Me and John both got up really early
He drove us to the airport car park, we
Got a bus to the airport, boarded the
Malaga flight - blue sky, sunshine, lovely
When we got there. Algeciras by 3
But had to wait 4 hours til the ferry
Finally left for Morocco. I see
Land through the ferry windows - virtually
There, in Africa - it looks real hilly
But the light's almost gone, and so, sadly
We'll get to Tangier, but nocturnally
Tangier Med to Tangier Ville quickly
By bus is the aim, find hotel... Tricky!

Sun 24 February