Wednesday, 7 March 2012

2011 - Arab spring, Swiss autumn

The Arab Spring starts in Tunisia
Bouazizi self-immolates, this turns
Into a nationwide issue and the
Longtime President flees. Egypt soon learns
And ousts Mubarak. Libya also yearns
To end Gaddafi's forty-year crackdown
(He's killed in October), rebellions
In Yemen, Bahrain, Syria. Slowdown
In economy drags on, loans abound
Japanese tsunami, Fukuoka
William and Kate's wedding, and Norwegians
Shot and blown up by madman. He is found!
Osama drama in Pakistan! Car
Used for trips, then junked. Swiss trip - lakes, mountains

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

2010 - Turkey trot

The tallest building now stands in Dubai
The Haiti earthquake destroys Port-au-Prince
Polish president's plane falls from the sky
Iceland eruption removes pilots' wings
BP oil well blows, causing huge Gulf slicks
EU bailout for Greece, Spain wins World Cup
In South Africa. Many Wikileaks
Pakistan monsoon floods, miners brought up
In Chile. What is North Korea up
To? EU loan for Ireland - that's where I
Drive to with two mates - Sheep's Head, West Cork - it's
Pretty in summer. An Amsterdam trip
Then Athens, Delphi, Thessaloniki
And Istanbul by bus, carpets, mad flings

Monday, 5 March 2012

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!

2008 - Financial and other black holes

Petroleum hundred dollars per barrel
Stock market falls after US subprime
Crisis. Aussie PM Kevin Rudd tells
Them sorry for child-stealing. Bank crash time
Northern Rock and Lehman Brothers. Debt climbs
In Greece and Ireland. Fidel resigns, Raul
Takes over the family firm. They decline
The Lisbon Treaty in Ireland - they will
Get it right the second time. Meanwhile, Bill
Gates steps down. The Beijing Games go so well
CERN in Geneva, concerns of malign
After-effects, could create a black hole
Out with young Vicky from Oldham, oh well
Split, saw P in Paris, Barack did fine

Written Sun 4 March

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

2006 - 06 of the best

Ariel Sharon suffers a stroke, pilgrim
Deaths in Saudi, Egyptian ferry sinks
Ahmadinejad brews nukes in Iran
Montenegro strikes out, and Italy's
World cup champs, Zinedane Zidane can't think
Straight, Israel in Gaza and Lebanon
I'm now back in my Salford flat, driving
In Ireland with Louis, and I've moved on
To the Oils Team at work, and soon begin
My Daily Sonnet blog, each day writing
These 14 lines. The Thai PM is sunk
In corruption, but later he buys Man
City. Baghdad's Sadr City is grim
Fiji coup, bombs in Madrid...That's '06

Written 2 March

Thursday, 1 March 2012

2005 - Boyne Baby Boyne

Dubya Bush's back (why?), Iraq at polls
Kyrgyz trouble, China says Taiwan's ours
Pope JP2 dies, Benedict enrols
I'm in my new flat in Salford some days
Then back to Wilmslow, domestic affrays
Blair wins third election, bombs in London
Hurricane Katrina, south USA's
Day of dread. Baghdad bridge is falling down
Muhammad cartoons, Kashmir earthquake, and
Saddam on trial. French face transplant unfolds
My job is excise policy, the laws
That govern aggregates levy. We've gone
To Dublin and the Boyne Valley, car rolls
Along Irish roads with Pearl and Louis