2272 - Nothing doing

Doing nothing means there's nothing doing
Doing nothing is quite luxurious
It's better than DIY or working
Or most kinds of effort done cos we must
Or because someone tells us that we must
It's calming, just chilling with the heat on
A candle on my desk, yellow flame twists
Throws shadows, glows in a way that's bygone
Elizabethan or Victorian
This was their kind of light, at night, penning
Some love letter or perhaps their business
Accounting. I've got my rugby top on
It keeps me warm but this chilly evening
I need something, someone - wish me was us

2170 - Faithful friends

It's been fun today on my own at home
I've read 'The Corrections' and heard  music
Reflecting people who are left alone
How could I for one minute think I'm sick
When these high achievers do the same schtick
Soul Sessions, Van Morrison's Veedon Fleece
And Into the Music, MC5, pick
In hand I played for a while, a reprise
Of my own songs, indie from the 90s
Then moved on with some beer, Charles Trenet, homme
De Paris, followed by Sia, Topographic
Oceans is next, got lined up Welsh choirs
Jackie Wilson, Otis Redding to come
And by then I'll be satisfied, tock tick

2138 - Northern summer

I applied for school places for the kids
Today - let's hope we get a quick reply
Two weeks of school left, then they get a ride
Up north in a van, when I'll have to try
To make them smile on the big day, not cry
Read about a few things that we can do
This summer around Salford, in the dry
(Inside, in other words!) There's art, and you
Can make pottery, or enjoy a brew
In one of the cafes by the roadside
Tonight I'm relaxing, a DVD
And reading, resting, so I'm ready to
Enjoy walking with Josie on our wide
Roaming trail through Cheshire on Saturday

2089 - Of my day off

Hey, I took the whole day off work today
Not a half but a whole day in the sun
I did sunbathe after lunch, after the
Lawnmower man had finished with his din
But first I worked on songs, and then worked on
My Arabic, feeling more confident
Male and female noun endings (oon, atoon)
This is, that is, my name is, almost learnt
The teacher's even typed 'Tony' in it!
Got a film to watch later, or I may
Watch Pink Floyd night on Beeb 4 with a can
Or two to cool me down. I also went
Trouser-shopping, got yellow chinos. Hey -
Wait til you see my new pale blue jeans on!

2082 - Five tea leaves left

Many cups of tea later, each flavour

Different - green tea with lemon, green Earl Grey

Camomile, nettle and fennel, mint... the

Wine from last night now fully flushed away

I near the end of a week when I stayed

In and recovered from the excitement

Of last weekend. Each morning I've slept way

Longer and later than expected, dreamt

On and on... Talked lots on the phone... I went

Looking for girls' names, bought a book to pore

Over. Don't ask for who... Tomorrow's a

Big day - Josie, football - are Chelsea meant

To win the Euro Cup at last? Am drawn

To the Crescent pub, evening of Sunday

2056 -The life of Riley was never as good as this

A welcome day just relaxing at home
Refreshing batteries, watching TV
The London Marathon runners were on
Greenwich and Cutty Sark, then Canary
Wharf, places me and Pearl went recently
I watched two films - the first was 'Life Is Sweet'
An early nineties movie by Mike Leigh
Listened to Paul Simon, Killing Joke, neat
Stuff, and then Chiddy Bang. Next visual treat
That classic 'The Magnificent Seven'
Not sure if I've seen it before. Footy
Highlights soon, then Kathleen Ferrier real late
And then happily into bed I'll climb
Knowing I love Katy and she loves me

2042 - Brain and rain

My last night in London, Easter Sunday
Shopped without stopping, Camden and Euston
Lots of T-shirts and books, the odd coffee
And my lunch, a giant piece of Stilton
The theme of the Wellcome exhibition
Was the brain - real people's brains were on show
And skulls with several holes drilled into them
Trepanning without anaesthetic - oh!!
Avoided the showers with timing so
Skilful it was comic. On that note, they
Will see me up in Manchester and on
Stage doing my comedy act tomorrow
Hope I get a good night's rest, and I may
Even sleep on the bus, that's if I can...

Sun 8 April

2030 - Punky party

A neat day off work, simply relaxing
Didn't even go out, spent no money
I sat and smoked what was left, thus passing
Time painlessly while watching the TV
Is this what life's like for all Jeremy
Kyle's guests? Watched his show, twice, took a few pix
Of me to send, shaved, watched two DVDs
The first, Dylan Moran live, saw him switch
From topic to topic to more topics
Skilfully, as if in the pub, musing
Then I watched most of 'Punk Rock - The Movie'
Loads of rare early Siouxsie, even bits
Of John McKay on guitar, Shane dancing
In '77 at the Roxy

2020 - An evening with Jesus

I've got a cold, my first one for ages
An itchy nose, running a little bit
Tired, could have had one of my sick days
But cos I'm so hard-working (!) I didn't
Luckily I'm staying at home tonight
I've got 'Jesus of Nazareth' with me
A miracle, please Jeez, make me feel right!
How come I have such blessed company?
He's only on a borrowed DVD
I like to watch this stuff as Easter nears
His life story - or myth - is hard to beat
It describes cleverly how life should be
And still has relevance today - all those
Who believe, derive their false hopes from it

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

1559 - Dr Do Little

Been a long day, already half-past eight
What shall I do? Not sure, perhaps I'll read
Watch TV, or why not even try to write?
No, think I'll write tomorrow, after bed
Has refreshed me sufficiently. The head
Is clearer in the morning or the noon
And better words are written, thoughts are sped
Around the searching brain, more linking done
Between this and that. Late nights are for fun
Or relaxation. Let the body wait
And the mind is the body. Soften tread
Sit on the sofa, don't get off your bum
Except when needing to visit toilet
Let life go by for now and plant no seed

1407 - Life's not for the lazy

So much to do, so little time for it
Practice guitar, see a film, meet a friend
Do exercises, writing this sonnet
(But not at the same time); yet when it ends
I’ll be sad. No, wait - just before it ends
When the end actually comes I’ll be at peace
More so than while alive. No-one will send
Me bills, slag me off (or will they?); they’ll cease
Their indifference. No, wait - that will increase
Cos I won’t be there. But I won’t care. Grit
Teeth for now, while I still can, and don’t bend
Too much in life’s wind, or slide on life’s grease
While climbing the pole to nowhere. Don’t sit
And relax, though, or I’ll get fat. The end.

1301 - Adrift

I slept for twelve hours, dreamed of a new car
The radio had motor racing, news
And live football, all entering my ear
Like wriggly worms, perhaps seeking my views
But though they shook me, it was just no use
I drifted back and forth upon a sea
Almost as though I was delirious
Whatever was said just couldn’t reach me
Instead I was knee-deep in fantasy
Maybe resting’s the best thing to be, far
From places, faces, crisis and issues
Nice and easy, just like eternity
That really does exist somewhere out there
Slowly fermenting, now lighting our fuse

1276 - All quiet on the domestic front

I’m looking forward to an early night
My energy level a little dipped
But first I’ve got this small sonnet to write
Having just watched England defeat Egypt
Why do they pick Lampard? He’s always picked
And yet clearly can’t play in the white shirt
And why pick Gerrard? Perhaps he has nicked
The odd goal now and then, but seems to shirk
Responsibility, scared of being hurt
Maybe. Been busy at work, so I’m quite
Tired, and think I’ll shave and then get stripped
For a late-night shower; then it’s a cert
I’ll slip into bed, radio on quiet
And soon into deep sleep I will have slipped

1147 - Oh oh no no

Didn’t quite make it out tonight, no no
Wanted to go to the Boar’s Head, yes yes
The reason? My writing went too slow slow
Consequently this evening’s a mess mess
But there’s good in all this, nonetheless less
It’s been nice to relax all day long long
Recovering from the holiday stress stress
Writing poems and lyrics for song song
Read quite a bit, too, and that’s not wrong wrong
Can always go to another show show
There’s plenty more next week, so I guess guess
Have advertised the spare room, was stung stung
By the speed of Leah’s reply, so so
Fingers crossed for tomorrow’s success cess

1070 - Day of rest

Sunday, the day of rest, that precious thing
But life seems to short sometimes for that rest
And yet, if I’m honest, it’s hard to bring
All of my energy to things I must
Think that I want to do. And is it best
To relax, recharge batteries, have fun
Even when guilt is nagging, like a host
Of black bats, from the things I haven’t done?
Been offline for a month; then something wrong
With my spacebar, after a slight lifting
To clean out crumbs. I should’ve left that mess
Because my Dell laptop is a cheap one
Hunter has fixed it, though, with spit. Thanking
Him, and Affia, his sister - I’m impressed!!
Sun 9 Aug