3226 - Saving it

A nine hour day at work today, by God
Consequently, I'm not too energised
Glad I did the painting last night when could
Though started late, the sun was out, I rised
To the task, stepped up to the plate, surmised
It would be lighter than tomorrow (now)
And that was right, today's dull cloudy skies
Have produced lots of rain during work hours
But I kept dry inside as drank the flowers
The heaven-sent liquid manna, like blood
Into a vampire's throat, fangs sank in thighs
I'm sort of up to date, I'll rest my bod
Saving money, relaxing, it feels wise

3184 - A father, who art in Munich

This is my last full day in Munich and
It was very similar to yesterday
But reversed in order. First, art. Began
With a visit to the Alte Pinakothek
You just gotta love a Flemish master
Or fifty. Plus Rubens, Rembrandt, works not
As well-known to me simply because they're
Not housed in London. After I came out
Of there, the sky cleared, and I had a good
Walk round the 'English Garden' which was grand
Except that I just kept losing my way
Never did find the Chinese Tower! I fought
My way out of that maze to watch Bayern
Get hammered 3-0 by Barca today

Wed 6 May

3166 - Saturday sun

A lovely warm day, me and Jo were sat
In the sunshine on the railway platform
It felt like a holiday there, just that
Passing time on a bench, sat in the warm
With blue sky overhead, watching ants worm
Their way along the ground looking for things
I cut the day short so that I'll have time
To think about Monday night's act, writing
A few new gags - magic's the theme - keeping
The two comedy songs already got
So in fact it won't take long. Monday's theme
Is magic. Would be tragic though to fling
This gig away, must give it a good shot
Need two good nights' sleep, then I'll be on form

3095 - Evening of light

The sky is red, the evening still has light
Work and shopping are done, the winter's soon
Ending too. Holiday plans are in flight
And soon there's a tattoo trip to Brighton
I may have one or two new ones inked on
This morning, before work, I was about
To eat breakfast, I was in the kitchen
And before that I was in the toilet
When I heard loud cooing coming from out
On the balcony, also saw the sight
Of flapping wings through the window. Pigeon!
Those darned birds bugging me again, without
So much as a fly your leave! Leaving shite
Everywhere! So I chased them off. Begone!

2954 - Ioannina to Monodendri

Had breakfast at the Dioni Hotel
In Ioannina, north-west part of Greece
An area they call Zagori. All well
At first, wandered round, saw the lake, a nice
View, blue water and sky, and all at peace
Busy streets in town centre though, no sign
Of austerity. Frappe. Caught the bus
To Monodendri, but changed buses. In
The rush I left my bag on the first one
(With passport in it!) I thought 'Fucking hell!
How will I get that back?' Didn't need police
Spoke to the driver. He rang the first one
And it was agreed that next morning we'll
Meet and he'll return it. Hotel's GORGE-ous!

Wed 17 Sep

2876 - Adventure in the centre

The last day of June, looking forward to
July, got a holiday approaching
To Hungary, and I've seen that it's so
Easy to get from Budapest using
The train, to various places, I'm planning
To spend the end of the trip going north
Into Slovakia, and there, visiting
The capital, Bratislava. Of course
That means another country I can cross
Off the list, and another new tattoo
Can be planned, pictorially representing
Where I've travelled or lived over the years
Haircut at lunchtime, and the sky was blue
Along the canalside, pleasant walking

Mon 30 June

2787 - Tickly cough

Do aliens live out there in Saturn's rings
Or on its moons where oceans lie beneath
Or how 'bout one of those disks orbiting
The giant red-eyed Jupiter, it's breath
Perhaps warming those icy spheres where death
Is larger than life, as it mostly is
Apart from here on this blue planet Earth
Where every nook, every peak's touched by us
Directly with grubby greedy fingers
Or indirectly by the poisoning
Half-human wind that's now polluting both
The thing we don't value, the wilderness
And the thing we do, ourselves, and as spring
Heats up the sour air, we gasp for breath

2413 - Dark sky at night - owl's delight

Very tired, was awake most of last night
Thinking about work, and of my options
But today was okay, lessened my plight
A little. Ordered a cake - should be fun
When it's brought in on Boxing Day. Chilluns
Will enjoy that cool candlelit surprise!
Meanwhile, it's a bit chillier - cardigan's
On, as we all wait 'neath the dark'ning skies
For England v Montenegro. Goodbyes
At least in my head must be said tonight
To Everything Everything, live upon
The Ritz stage. Pulled out of going, so's I
Can lounge at home watching football. The whites
Must win or it's curtains for Roy Hodgson

2461 - Bunyan's still-grim progress

Pleasant but fairly uneventful day
With Josie, in Burnage and Fog Lane Park
My bunyan, corn, or whatever you say
That lump under my foot started to irk
About halfway through, so maybe next week
I'll find out what it is, get it seen to
I'll make an appointment to see the doc
Home now, it feels quite sultry, just like you
Would expect from June, though it seems so few
Days are hot and sunny, that's now the way
Of the weather. It's finally getting dark
It's past ten o'clock, various shades of blue
Perfect for a fryin' barbecue, they say
Never mind, me and Jo both bought huge steaks

2453 - Sun and train

Passing a power station in the rain
Now passing a sunlit field full of sheep
You might've guessed I'm writing on the train
You won't know that I just awoke from sleep
Spots of sunlight strobing me as they peep
Through gaps in passing trees like a disco
Hosted by God & Branson, as we creep
Up the western mainline, both fast and slow
Now brilliant white cumulus, grey below
Adorns the bright blue sky to the refrains
Of Frank - Here Comes That Rainy Day - and keep
Your big umbrella up as Pennies flow
From Heaven, past the moving window pane
Sinking into the track, ever so deep

2427 - Family album

A rainy day in Marple, not the place
To go on a wet Sunday, shops are few
We sat in Costa Coffee - Jo's first taste
Of proper coffee (iced) - I had one too
I brought some old photos for her to view
You know, actual photos in an album
The kind they used to print in Boots when you
Had to wait two days til collecting them
The early noughties, Tania's pregnant tum
Young Josie in nappies, ten years of space
Between me and those skies seemingly blue
In these happy pix, cleared of the humdrum
There were good times, but smiling camera face
Is a small picture that should be seen through

2419 - Fleet of football

Today was devoted to the first game
Of football Louis and me have been to
For ages. Fleetwood were playing at home
To Chesterfield. Hired a car, drove us two
Up through Lancashire, sky a perfect blue
The spring sun shone, so early we arrived
There was time for us to tour around, view
The high street with tramlines, also to drive
To the seafront, exciting and alive
With walkers. Ferries, docks, there was no time
For them - instead, we parked and then into
Jim's Sports Bar for a drink and chat. We loved
The four-goal game and the sunshine. Our aim
Next year, Scotttish and French games - oui, the noo!

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!

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

2356 - Snowdrops and daffodils

Today we went a-walking everywhere
Round the roads and leafy lanes of Wilmslow
Me and Josie, but my new boots I wore
For the first full day, the ones I'm to go
A-walking the mountains of Morocco
In, are basically just trainers, and not
Really suitable for long hikes, but no
I've spent enough already, and to boot
There are still more things I still need to get
Today the weather was lovely and fair
Just right for country lanes - bit muddy though
The alpacas all running to get fed
At White Peak Farm, and sheep, oh, and beware
Of cyclists. Blue sky with sun and moonglow

2338 - Misty grey

I always enjoy January's end
The light returns, though the cold wind persists
Light and temperature may be on the mend
But let's not expect a summer sun-kissed
Such things are long gone, and so sadly missed
All we have to look forward to is rain
Yes, the same thing we had as autumn mist
That soaked the land, killed crops and flooded drains
For the foreseeable, the rain remains
All we have as it warms over the pond
Produces cumulus to get us pissed
Off and pissed on. Don't wonder at our groans
Would going abroad be some kind of end?
Yet somehow, I think this place would be missed

2238 - Nothing but blue sky

A beautiful blue sky with golden leaves
Walked out and caught the train feeling quite good
It left Piccadilly, glass windows, roofs
Canals and stadiums all looked in the mood
From the tall railway viaduct I viewed
Stockport on the move - chimneys, buses, hills
Office blocks, even a glass pyramid
On into green Cheshire, cows in the fields
Walked through the town of Wilmslow, where my girl
Lives with her mum. (That's where I used to live.)
I was hungry and kept buying more food
Josie was not hungry though. Macclesfield
Was quiet on Sunday. Her mum Tania loves
Someone new - well, good luck to the poor sod!

2218 - Latin and mathematics

October the eighth month - no, it's month ten
How can that be, doesn't octo mean eight
In the marvellous old tongue of Latin?
Someone somewhere ballsed up, they couldn't count
Anyway, autumn's in full russet flight
The heat is on, not outside but inside
The heating bills sadly are wont to mount
In the evening sky the sun won't abide
In open top cars we don't wanna ride
No, things are different now it's the autumn
The season of brown, heading towards white
Getting a new warm set of clothes to hide
From the cold in, like when we were children
Woollen gloves, duffle coat, white breath, fire grate

2191 - Dull autumn skies

As the sky becomes dull, it's echoed by
The songs of Jacques Brel (in French) playing now
'Les vieux' is a scream. 'Chanson de Jacky'
Now, trying to hear the lyrics and how
They compare to the English ones. And so
We come to 'La valse a mille temps.' That's quite
A laugh, I suppose. Listen to Jacques go
Go, Jacky, go! 'Le prochain amour' light
In comparison, but back to that flight
From the sun. Belgium's favourite son. The sky
Illuminated by pale rays, sad glow
Of autumn evening, leaves that have seen slight
Summer light this year, this life, will soon die
'Feuilles mortes' indeed, and you've gone away now

2134 - Whether the weather be shit or shit

As usual, the weather has made the news

Always a topic of conversation

It's worse than normal, true, but people's views

Seem unrealistic to me, quite often

They think that summer sunshine always comes

In Britain, like in California

When will they admit, cloud covers our land

More often than blue skies every summer

This year summer has been a real bummer

And spring was a wet thing despite the hose

Pipe ban after dry winter and March sun

Flash floods have flushed the high streets of Yorkshire

And festivals have crashed, kids got da blues

Poor Katy, cycling to work, soaked again