Deconsecrated hallowed walls to commercial gain
Shamefaced the stone walls weep
The ageing tower crenels kiss the sky
and now glazed windows
arch to residential pews
Spent a while with Old Father Thames
as it meandered slow to the sea
far to the east from where I was then
down in the Thames Estuary
As here I am bathed in late evening sun
in Brentford, West London this week
May's weather sees summer returning at last
evident here as I speak
For some it might seem strange to sit in a pub alone
especially in London when I'm several miles from home
but overhearing conversation, snippets caught as people chat
is a pleasant way to pass the time when with a pint in fact
Sitting in a London pub
waiting with a jar
seemed the right thing there to do
the meeting place not far
Carnaby Street and Kingly Court
around the corner there
where in a bit I'll wander
a lovely meal to share
Across the way St James' Tower
its clock face in the sun
as morning breaks in London
and the night time is all done
There's promise in that glow
of a lovely day to come
the sky already cloudless blue
the rain there quick to shun
I'd forgotten the five o'clock darkness
on these cool autumn days
comfortable in ignorance
I've become set in my ways
Thankfully though this daily trudge
this commute in darkened time
is something I can live without
as it is no longer mine
Sixty five thousand people gathered
and we were in the crowd
in London's Hyde Park in July
to hear the Stones play loud
A bucket list ticked off right there
sixty years of Rolling Stones
and Sal and I were part of that
before we headed home
Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and 'Keef'
all there for the hotspots
whilst all the crowd with one accord
raised hands for Charlie Watts
I don't know of its purpose
but the Southwark hoarding new
down by the river Thames this morning
provided quite a view
as visible behind it
London's skyline proved the most
of its attraction to the many
this new hoarding playing host
East London early morning
and I turned and caught the sun
with burning sky across the Thames
just as the day begun
Gold shone from the high buildings
in the city 'cross the way
but, heeding Shepherd's warning
knew that rain would come today
Westminster sunset
the gold in the sky
makes for a wonder
as I hurry by
But just enough time
to capture the scene
on my iPhone a snapshot
my thumb on the screen
for something to look at
a memory to keep
as I head on homeward
at the end of the week
There's no clink in Clink Street at this time of day
Just the footfall of seldom trod feet
Occasional scuff on the cobbles down there
as we pass under night time's retreat
It's a moment of pleasure to seize and to hold
before all the tourists descend
to these streets of old Southwark which at this time of day
are simply a means to an end
Perched on railings on Southbank
herring gulls they gather
with an interloper in between
absorbing all the blather
He really doesn't mind of course
although the language of the others
is hard sometimes to understand
he regards them as his brothers
Underneath Blackfriars Bridge
they wait beside the Thames
resting from a day of flight
these feathered seagull friends
With darkness outside at the end of the night
I am tired and stifle a yawn
it is quiet and yet still I'm up with the lark
at this early hour shy of the dawn
And I have to say pleased it is only three days
each week that this I must do
as today I am feeling my sixty plus years
and would gladly these long days eschew
Just one more to master and then some respite
four days of a weekend in store
to chill and relax and slumber enjoy
before heading back for three more
The Thames of a morning
with clear skies a-glow
just a few folk around
and the water's down low
The tide's on the turn
so the moorings and sand
and old stones from the walls
are evident and
Westminster Palace
unveiled 'cross the way
is striking and golden
to blend in with the day
Tomorrow I'm back in London again
commuting up there on the train
leaving at dawn when no-one's about
travelling daily again
There's a bit of excitement but also a doubt
as Covid has not left us yet
but I'm boostered and jabbed and protecting myself
so I've really no reason to fret
First time to London
in two years or more
all Crouchers together
for good times galore
So this morning we all
are up with the lark
for coffee and toast
before we embark
We're heading for South Bank
Tate Modern no less
as we've all missed the vibe
we will freely confess
The company jocund
the excitement complete
we can barely contain
and keep still in our seat
Looking out on grey water
from Lower Thames Street
to the Shard there on Southbank
architectural feat
I’m reminded the privilege
I share with the few
of working in buildings
which command such a view
of London’s surroundings
and tourist attractions
Oft taken for granted
with other distractions
Moody skies above the Thames
on early winter morn
I’d shiver in the brittle chill
save for the coat I’ve worn
But Tower Bridge beneath the blue
with massive skies right there
Is such to take my breath away
That I just had to share
Ventured to a wall of glass
with suits and conversations
much of which just passed me by
such was my motivation
For I was as a stranger
in a land I didn’t know
London’s dockland business world
with money there on show