3269 - Just give me money

I got home and there's no sign of Javi
But his phone and his other stuff's still here
So no need right now to start to worry
His disappearance is nothing to fear
Cos it hasn't happened, but just a mere
Concern for him especially has been a
Complete lack of cash, because it appears
He didn't give his sort code to the ware-
house, so hasn't been paid! I hope he's there
Like I advised, collecting his money
Until then how can he go for a beer
I hope that he quickly becomes aware
Of what he needs to do to stay happy
And number one's getting his spends, that's clear

3261 - Days of wine and PIN numbers

So tired today, didn't stay up THAT late
But woke up 7:15, that's early
For me. At my office desk, felt eyes start
To close, rescued by speaking to Julie
She said she'd bring some chocolate wine for me
Tomorrow, that's something that will be new
I mentioned the chocolate beer casually
And she said 'I'll bring chocolate wine for you!'
I said, 'Just for me, or for the whole crew?'
Angela said maybe on her palate
She might place a few drops quite gingerly
Meanwhile helped Javier deal with phone folk who
Were asking tricky questions all about
His debit card - needs new PIN number, see?

3231 - Not enough hours in the evening

Phew - been busy this eve since I got home!
And it's not the end yet, still time to go
Not painted tonight, but exercise done
My muscles are improving, can now do
Eighty press-ups. The first time I tried to
Do them, could only do three! Muscles need
Regular usage, and my walks and few
Exercises play their part, yes indeed
Transferred a debt balance from card to card
Also phoned O2 on my mobile phone
Got new SIM-card-only contract, woo-hoo
Ten quid a month's enough. Cooked and ate food
Great guitar session, comedy part-learned
Will learn more, but must ring Tania and Jo

3230 - It'll be all-white on the night

I'm happy with my Father's Day alone
Been out plenty, Friday and Saturday
Had cards and prezzies, pictures on my phone
But felt a bit worn-out, late yesterday
So I decided I'd stay in today
Need to refresh, and also to rehearse
My comedy, which as usual, was way
Rushed, had a quick read of it while the noise
From the washing machine span round my ears
Yet more white paint on bedroom wall, it's done
Now more or less, the paint tin's near-empty
And at last the walls look white like they're s'posed
To, not so streaky and brownish. Backbone
Broken, poor Tania's in a ward today

3175 - Get ready, here I come

I got my phone problems fixed, all's ready
Now for my trip on Wednesday, feeling good
Not rehearsed though for Tuesday's comedy
That'll have to wait til after work, could
Do an hour or two tomorrow, that should
Be enough for stuff I've done once before
Bohemian Crapsody's been requested
Need to practice or be crap on the floor
Of the King's Arms, which can strangle the poor
In wit, I must admit, so let Tony
Have time to learn his guitar chucklehood
You can't be good straight away, that's the law
I'm getting tired now but I feel happy
I'll have milk and chocolate, then hit my bed

3174 - Phoney baloney

Phone trouble on the eve of holidays
This is bad timing, the camera is broke
Can't connect to Facebook or read emails
If I don't get this sorted, travel's fucked
And holiday snaps will go up in smoke
Not sure what to do, guess I'll have to talk
Tomorrow lunchtime to O2 shop guys
Or maybe the Samsung repair shop, walk
In there for the third time before goodbyes
To the UK? But time is short, it flies
Before I fly spray-on tan orangeways
That's EasyJet to you and me, a look
Out of the window at the clouds always
Cheers me on my way, this time it's to Prague!

3171 - Prague pilgrim's progress

Getting in the holiday zone of mind
Excitement builds. Today, getting my phone
Mended so I can charge it and still find
Power to post on Twitter. Having flown
To Prague, I'll want and need to have well shown
The sights I see, the folk I meet, also
In German places, beer and mountains grown
To gross proportions, only goats may go
To those high heights! My German learning's slow
I'm struggling to study the lingo, kind
Of lazy maybe, but distraction's blown
It away, along with 'Dragon Tattoo'
(The book), but I could catch up when flyin'
Or waitin' in stations for trains to come

3098 - Train to Alphaville

Got sleepy at work this afternoon. I
Didn't stay up so late but hammered it
Probably because Louis said goodbye
And I was free to kind of celebrate
Though of course that's not the right word for it
Also spoke to Tania unexpected
A call on my phone came really quite late
And we both kinda gushed 'bout Jo and said
How great she is, which she is, though her head
Is now almost teenage and she'll defy
Us both at times, but not for long. Spirit
Of '77 right now being led
By Kraftwerk's Trans-Europe Express. I'll spy
That moving landscape, late April - can't wait!

3089 - Big new Apple

Josephine's 12 today, though not quite yet
Not til ten to midnight, strictly speaking
Last night was awake for hours, so bit short
On energy today, but still going
To Manchester with her and enjoying
It (not the 'Pool as planned - not enough time)
She got an i-phone 5C, was fondling
It all day (it's not from me - from her mum)
I bought her a pink phone case. That was from
The Apple store. Lunch at Essy's. She got
Gammon as usual. I was finishing
Off her uneaten beans. With our full tums
More shopping, then Starbucks. Time to collect
Her, mum, then train back, and now, just resting

3053 - Yes, it really is Christmaaaaas!

It's Christmaaaaas! Noddy's driving Santa's sleigh
I was awake til half-past one last night
Messaging on Facebook, joking away
Preventing my own sleep by the phone light
Miraculously, slept til light was bright
The light of dawn, that is, the phone recharged
Was used pretty soon for pictures that might
Raise smiles online. Then into Robin's large
Hired car, up the road, to a hill with gorge-
ous views of the Mersey and of the Dee
Estuaries, up that hill the wind had bite
Since then we've eaten and talked, not yet played
Scrabble, but there's still time. Juice in the fridge
Sweets, biscuits, chocolates. One more? I just might

Thur 25 Dec

3036 - Sounds rebound

At work this morning our team moved en masse
To different desks. That was quite exciting
At lunchtime I got a haircut at last
It's like my haircuts of old, some shaving
Around the neck and ears. Feels like going
Back in time... After work, went to see Vee
She's perking up after a depressing
Interlude. She fixed my phone cleverly
Even the sound's come back - I'm so happy
Good news then, I won't have to splash the cash
Upgrading, paying double, though thinking
An i-Phone would be nice. Maybe July
I'll get one then when my contract's up. That's
All the news from me today. I'm smiling!

3001 - Samsung blue

Had hoped to go writing straight after work
Should have done it, no excuse, well apart
From an unexpected text, made me jerk
Awake at lunchtime as my phone was charged
The sound has died on it, need to forward
It to the O2 repair shop but, well
If truth be told you know, I really can't
Be bothered. Checked for messages, and Pearl
Had said 'Let's do lunch' two hours before. She'll
Still be up for it, I hoped, and I smirked
When she was, and we did. Plate piled skyward
I tucked into that trendy-looking pile
And caught up with P. All that walking took
A bit of energy, so writing's out...

2991 - Charge of the shite brigade

Got home from work looking to have some fun
When I realised I'd left my phone charger
At the office. Considered buying one
From Maplins, but felt that a cost too far
At least I should try and rescue my dear
Charger that don't fuckin' work, won't connect
To my Samsung phone, though I try all year
To force it in, it pops out, phone rejects
It, or it rejects phone, who knows? Suspect
It's the latter. It's almost litter, bin
Awaits the stupid thing. A Marmite jar
Needed to keep it still. Refuse, collect
This cable that's unable to cling on
I refuse this frustration, do you hear?

2971 - Train in rain

Rainy morning, walked to Piccadilly
But coat made me warm, took it off on train
Got off at Wilmslow, dry now, saw Josie
We walked to station, Manchester again
Same as last weekend, Old Trafford the scene
She was hoping for an MU phone case
They didn't have them, the trip was in vain
But I bought her a football from the trays
Of dark blue balls, dark blue is their away
Strip this season. The shirts are seventy
Quid each, sixty for kids' sizes. Refrained
From splashing out that much. You'd be amazed
At all the foreigners in that store, pre-
pared to part with humongous cash therein

2964 - Red missed

It's been a fun afternoon out with Jo
I woke up late, at almost eleven
And at first she said she wanted to go
To Stockport, not Manchester, the reason
Is she was worried 'bout terrorism
In the end though because of her new phone
She wanted a United phone case and
That meant going to the store. Everyone
Would be there, Manchester United home
To West Ham today. But, what a shame, though
There was a match on, the store's not open
Neither were the toilets, so we were gone
Although we did get caught up in the flow
Of reds fans heading home on tram and train!

2943 - The Big Apple (Rip-Off)

A humid day also a humorous
Day with Josie Wosie in Manchester
The north-west city that's most populous
As usual headed for the Apple store
Where she pleaded again and again for
Me to buy her an expensive i-Phone
The i-Phone 5C (colour, white). I'm poor
Doesn't she know that? Have pity on Tone
My liquid capital would all be blown
I said I'd go halves with her mum, Christmas
It's not so long to wait now, I told her
We're planning Christmas do's now, booking's done
By work colleagues. The Albert Square Chop House
Is where. And now it's time to play guitar

2931 - Bucketheads

Woke up quite early, bit tired, thinking 'bout
The ice bucket challenge I had to do
Been nominated by Martina out
In Bratislava, very surprised too
There was research and purchases, I knew
Bought bucket from Sainsburys, but the ice
Would have to wait till the waking of Lou
Because I've no freezer, so went out twice
To the supermarket. It was a nice
Big bag of ice, nowhere to store it. Showed
Lou how to video on my phone, then cue
The embarrassing filming, with the eyes
Of neighbours maybe on us all about
Lots of reaction. Tomorrow - part two!

2840 - Apple pi phone

Showers in May, we need them, so thank you
Went to Manchester with Jo, Arndale stroll
She looked at Hype bags, heard of them, have you?
I'd not, til today, but it seems that all
Her friends are getting them, and also call
People with the i-Phone 5, soon it's 6
Thus corporations keep us in their thrall
With their new releases, marketing tricks
I resisted Jo's efforts, but bought books
Instead for her, and I bought me a new
Green anorak from River Island! Mall
Wandering done, went to Wilmslow Starbucks
Not Costa this time. Walked her home, then stewed
Half an hour waiting for the train home. S'all.

2831 - Manchester Castle Magic

It's been a sunny day, a nice warm sun
A clear sky, stayed out late, then it got cool
First off, met Josie, went to Decathlon
Bought her a skateboard, on which she's no fool
She got good at it in Stockport and all
The way home. Met Nancy in Manchester
Predictably we went to The Castle
And the strange thing was, though I drank some beer
I never got drunk. Switched from the porter
To Titanic. Got wi-fi on my phone
There, which over time should prove real useful
Can sit in the room or the yard, confer
With folk on Facebook, Twitter - what fun
It's now 4:30 a.m. Birdsong rules

Sat 17 May

2806 - Good evening!

Been a well-behaved day, exercises
Done when I got home, rang the lawyers' line
On behalf of a friend, read the meters
Submitting the meter readings online
Did clothes washing, and caught the news headlines
Started to play guitar, then got a call which took
Up a few minutes from a friend of mine
Happy to help or just listen, cos look
One day I might need some. Things can get fucked
Even me. Resisted naughty urges
Watched the game without beer, and waste of time
Beer would have been, Mourinho's Blues all stuck
In defensive mode. Swapped comments, Twitters
And Facebookers, and now this diary rhyme