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

2009 - The towed-away hired car blues

Sonnet blog, poetry, home recording
Music, even some live singing, Bantry
Gig and west of Ireland tour, me driving
A hired car from Knock to Cork (no Blarney)
And later, round south west France, Spain, and the
Douro Valley to Porto. And Paris
In May, a Belleville gig. And Janet D...
Iceland's financial fall, a French plane hits
The Atlantic, swine flu, Iran protests
Dodgy Ahmadinejad win, shooting
Of Neda, Michael Jackson drugs OD
Al-Megrahi released by the Scottish
The EU Lisbon Treaty is coming
Into being, EU Pres - Van Rompuy

NB: My French hired car did get towed away in Vigo, Spain after I'd parked it in a bay reserved for vans and lorries! I paid a lot, shall we say, to get it back!

2007 - The news and the muse

Bulgaria and Romania join EU
Celeb Big Brother starts racism row
Madeleine McCann snatched in Portugal - who
Did it? Greek heatwave, woodlands so hot now
Last Harry Potter published. Jericho
Summit between Olmert / Mahmoud Abbas
Marion Jones took drugs all those Games ago
UK boycott if Mugabe attends
The EU-Africa summit. Alas
Benazir Bhutto's assassin got through
I leave Blogit at year's end, start to go
To a poetry group, and have a bash
At live poetry reading with a view
To entertaining them, and this I do...

Written Sat 3 March

1845 - Recuerdos de Espana

Relaxing on a Friday evening with
Classical music from Madrid - Simon
Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic
Looks and sounds good on this television
memories not of Alhambra but northern
And central Spain, even the Teatro
Royal itself, from 2009
That October I had a real good go
At seeing it all - Burgos, Toledo
The Basque Country, Navarre, Gijon, Madrid
Mountain ranges both wooden and barren
Salamanca, Santiago, Vigo
Even Portuguese Porto, ending with
Bilbao, then Biarritz... Travel heaven!

Fri 23 Sept

1809 - Sketches of Spain

In 1809 the Peninsular
War was dragging on, bloody and costly
In lives. The Spanish and Portuguese were
Treated by Napoleon's well-trained army
Brutally, and for what? Was it glory
Or greed on France's part? Madrid had fought
Back the year before, the Second of May
Rising being famously, movingly caught
In Goya's painting. Other sketches might
Also have been imagined from that war
Producing many monstrous shadowy
Charcoal images I studied when brought
Last year to Manchester..... Saragossa
Corunna, Porto, Talavera ... Cry!

1142 - Mi casa es mi casa

Saw Biarritz recede beneath the clouds
The white lighthouse whose twinkle I knew well
From lying on the beach at dawn, tired out
Two weeks before. Since then, followed the shell
Trail to Santiago and Portugal
But back home today, back to cold and rain
I wonder if it's been like this, the while
I've been away? Brit weather... still the same!
But what's causing me far more mental pain
Are my finances. Look at my account?
I just don't dare yet. Still under the spell
Of my holiday, my escape. The main
Thing is, I'm back safe. There is still a cloud
While Alex remains lost. Remembering still...
Tuesday 20 October

1137 - Portuguese bakery

Hot as an oven down in Portugal
Like a hot English summer day, no less
Woke up in auto, parked in Porto. Well!
The problems I had driving there. The stress!
But found the centre, in the end, and yes,
It was well worth it! Walked round for two hours.
The next stop, Braga, churches and girl-fest.
More students, oh so many pretty flowers!
Viana do Castelo´s big ships tower
Over the harbour, while fishermen trawl
Great beach at Moledo. But roadworks? Less!
Back into Spain. Clocks go forward an hour.
Destination Vigo. Low on petrol
But made it! Now I feel like getting pissed!
Thur 15 October

1136 - ¡Que día!

What a day! Left hostel, Salamanca
Drove northwards through the flat dusty country
Lunched, Morales de Vino. Zamora
Was a lovely surprise. Then I could see
Signs for Bragança, Portugal. Valley
Of the Douro, I love you. Marvellous
Towns and endless wooded ridges. Learned the
Portuguese way of driving. Dangerous!
Could not stop at Vila Real, because
Porto was still far-off. Got there for a
Lovely sunset view of the estuary
Of the Douro, where I´ll spend the night, just
By the river. It´s dark now, but for a
String of orange street lights. Good night from me!
Wed 14 October

1074 - Well done, me!

Off work, to catch up on my art projects
Falling behind (I blame technology!)
It’s worked so far: typed up all my sonnets
And now I’m on today’s one (as you see!)
What else? Well, emailed those who emailed me
Then ordered my first external hard drive
And a case for it. My next holiday
Is now partly planned: booked my flight: arrive
Biarritz, 6th October, and then leave
From there on the 20th. I expect
To cross the Pyrenees, go all the way
To Galicia and Portugal (how brave!)
What else? Well, I’ve written some new lyrics
And planned my new album. So… Well done me!
Thur 13 Aug