Walking Days

Around about this time of year
in ones now in the past
my mind has turned to walking
with my brother for a blast
Together we have wandered
many miles o'er many hills
mostly here in Sussex
with the pleasure all that fills

Ivy leafed Toadflax

Ivy leafed Toadflax
growing on the wall
pink and really pretty
as the Springtime comes to call
Delicate its flowers
as it spreads this time of year
it's great to see it growing there
to bring some daily cheer

Second Jab

I've had my second vaccine
in fact it was a week ago
but I thought I'd wait a little while
before telling you, you know
I wanted to make sure
that everything was 'hunky dory'
and it absolutely is
hence the telling of this story

Rain came again

The rain came today
we knew that it would
so I'll not go a-watering
though I feel that I should
It feels a bit strange
no to need to go out
but it's good to have change
of that there's no doubt

Family things

Another garden, one in Brighton
at the tail end of the week
where we've come for Wagamama's
on order as we speak
Our youngest daughter's residence
below the railway line
on a mellow Friday evening
with the weather warm and fine

Dandelion Bouquet

We have an evening pastime
now the 'lotty' is in full swing
a little wander down the road
to do some watering
It's cathartic and a pleasure
and with my air-pods on
I get to hear an album
on my i-phone with a song

Spectacular III

From Ferry Road and shingle beach
this curving Sussex bay
is quite spectacular to see
from Shoreham I must say
And chagrined to admission I
shamefaced apologise 
as with this upon my doorstep
I should always recognise
that here is unbridled privilege
to simply cast an eye
and take in this glorious vista
when just simply walking by

May the fourth be with you

Obi-Wan Kinobi
five years ago today
came to join our family
hip-hip, hip-hip, hooray

So May the Fourth
be with you here
with Obi-Wan
to bring you cheer

Ways to use time

We went for an ice cream
and sat on the beach
it was rather windy
but within easy reach
in the relative shelter
of Old Shoreham town
nestled beneath
the crook of the Down

Treasure Trove II

I get lost in a good bookshop
they are like a treasure trove
and fortunately Lewes town
has them in spades and droves

So of a Wednesday morning
with the sunshine proving warm
we drove there for a browsing
which for us has been the norm

And in a darkened basement
I found Nirvana waiting there
shelves of ancient volumes
just waiting there to share

their secrets with the reader
who will in their pages find
the treasures that I speak of
for the soul and for the mind

Yes, I get lost in a good bookshop
for with patience and good measure
I know that every time I come
I'll find a waiting treasure.

©Jemverse

Beginning IX

aka ‘The Plan (Part IV)’ (9 of 12 in the Jemverse series ’12 months IV’)

A new beginning at our 'lotty'
and we're both as pleased as punch
as the planned 'no dig' solution
is paying off from just a hunch
For now we've built with withy
two climbing frames by hand
and planted all the seedlings
we have grown upon our land
And we've strimmed the grass around
so it's looking pretty neat
showing off the lavenders
which are blooming in the heat
Now lots and lots of water
we will add by hose each day
to bring the plan close to fruition
and the vegetables our way

The Big Gay Gull

In the grounds of our Emmaus

Old Portslade village, Sussex way

stands proud a wooden sculpture 

of a seagull tall and gay

…

The ‘Big Gay Gull’ was built for ‘Pride’

a diverse celebration

in partnership with charities

for summer jubilation

Begging your pardon

The sunshine is glorious

here in the garden

so if you don’t mind

and begging your pardon

I’ll just sit me down

right here and right now

and turn my nose skyward

for the warmth on my brow

Repurposed llama

Repurposed my lighty-up llama

as his battery gave up the ghost

and as he needed to have a purpose in life

I made him a spider plant host

So now he stands proud in the garden

but instead of glowing at night

instead he will proudly grow spiders

and look his best in the light

Blessed and content

It doesn’t take much

in fact not much at all

to make something feel

quite so wonderful

So out here in the sun

I am blessed and content

summed up in a moment

and every word meant

Pleasant enough

It’s pleasant enough

sitting out in the sun

with a dog at my side

and a pen on the run

Capturing words

here in full flow

from the mind of a poet

to the pages below

The Plan (Part III)

I’ve carried the frames

one by one down the the road

as they were quite awkward

so, to lessen the load

I decided four hikes

was better than two

to get the frames there

well you would, wouldn’t you?

Shiny II

I’m in the garden, it’s shiny

and growing right there

two dandelions in

the bright sunshine glare

So, as they’re yellow and lovely

and doing no harm

I trimmed the grass round them

so as not to alarm

And sitting here now

with a beer at my side

the shiny world smiles

and my grin is quite wide

Bring it on

It’s really taken hold of things

with new growth there abundant

and the garden’s looking lovely

now that winter is redundant

They’ve even gone so far to say

and promise us it seems

that for the next few days we’ll bask

in warmth from bright sunbeams

Taking me time

It’s midweek and I’m on holiday

and enjoying every day

as rest-respite is needed

now and then from the foray

Five days to think of nothing else

but enjoyment just for me

doing stuff I love to do

most of it here for free

The forbidden word

Yes I know it’s a word

which for me’s rarely hidden

yet as I use it so much

my wife has forbidden

But I really can’t help it

so here as a poet

I’ll resist but I’m tempted

so much, don’t you know it!

A visit to the dark side

We ventured to the dark side

it’s been well past a year

but with face-masks and some caution

we felt the coast was clear

…

We’d forgotten quite how big it was

miles of shiny treasures

but then these massive superstores

don’t do things by half measures

The Plan (Part II)

We built some raised borders

for the allotment to grow

laid them out in the garden

where they’re ready to go

…

Just one minor problem

they’ll not fit in the car

but the allotment is close

and not very far

Removed from the sand

April arrives and I sit in the sun

here at the end of the day

in a spot at the end of the garden where

I can write and then have my say

…

It is a savouring grace to have and to hold

and cherish like a living thing

and to feel the last embers of the warming sun

is just cause I can tell you to sing

…

So though this is my pleasure it’s repeated

by people all over the land

particularly now that the Spring has arrived

and heads are removed from the sand

©Jemverse

Sunshine shadow revisited

11 of 12 in the Jemverse series ‘The Spring 21’

Sunshine shadow

casts a glance

with nonchalance and whimsy

warming through the window

but outside still frail and flimsy

Yup – still singing

10 of 12 in ‘The Spring 21’ series from Jemverse

 

Wet roads glisten in sunshine

fresh from the rain

as I sit here gazing

from my window again

…

Very little here passing

lock-down in full swing

but there’s full colour highlight

born of the Spring

Spring (finally) again

9 of 12 in ‘The Spring 21’ series from Jemverse

And finally Spring

arrives in a day

long hours of sunshine

hip-hip hooray

On the breeze is a fragrance

carried with grace

as we welcome the Springtime

with warm embrace

Perfection in pink again

8 of 12 in ‘The Spring 21’ series from Jemverse

The clematis against the fence

of the allotment in Ham Field

has many words which may describe

the beauty here revealed

But I’ll keep it nice and simple

the best way here I think

and simply say in these eight lines

perfection’s here in pink