Safely asleep

The dawn’s not yet broken
and I’m travelling again
on the road for one more business trip
With birds still asleep
as the night is yet deep
I tip toe up the road lest I slip

Rain or shine

It rained and it rained
and it rained and it rained
and then it just kept on raining
But although we got wet
‘most all of the time
there was seldom any complaining

This town of mine

Someone sent a photograph
of how it used to be
Shoreham when I was a lad
Evoked a memory

Life

I love what I do
don’t get me wrong
I’m in quite a lovely position
As forty years done
with the grief and the fun
I enjoy in this time of transition

I put in the hours
use my mind to the full
enthusiastically driven
For the passion is there
as all are aware
from the help that I’ve often given

What of me now?

So now I am sixty
what of me now?
Do I wither, slip slowly away
Do I hold up a hand
resolute to my lot
to let youth in its turn have a say?

Far from it I cry
for I have a voice
and it’s louder than ever before
I’ve put in the years
shed blood, sweat and tears
and still I am ready for more

Mysterious

Starting to appear now
mysterious boxes
their fragrance filling the room
A promise of something
that’s getting quite close
in mid-December quite soon

What’s in the box?
my immediate question
unanswered of course for a while
The mystery continues
as excitement grows
coupled with winks and a smile

Winter III

And now the iron chill
shouts loud with brutality
as if we didn’t know it
with absolute totality
Winter’s here, no doubt of that
November takes firm hold
with battle grey the colour
reminiscent of this cold
We wrap up warm in winter coats
for what is waiting there
Resigned against the onslaught
we face the brittle air

Dichotomy

Yes, there’s beauty in winter
I’ll give you that
But, no brainer given the choice
As between both of these
Quite opposed to the freeze
it’s the summer in which I rejoice

No reason to moan

I can tell it is winter
as it’s dark when I leave
and dark when I’m on my way home
As I’m all of a quiver
with a shake and a shiver
from the cold that brings chill to the bone

It’s not a season
I will freely admit
I’d encourage or even condone
Yet there’s reason to sing
as it’s followed by Spring
so I’ve really no reason to moan

Perfect bliss

The autumn carpet
starts to lay
on this fine Lincoln
autumn day
Gold beneath
my crunching feet
as I go walking
life is sweet

Braced people face the sea

The beach with a wind
and the taste of salt
As hair whips from face
and braced people face the sea
looking into spray

The beach with a wind
and the cry of a moan
As breath is caught and taken
and braced people face the sea
chased by falling waves

Bramber

Bramber castle in the rain
just as dusk was falling
walking in the muddy moat
as the night came calling

The tower was quite ethereal
with moonlight shadow cast
An image we’ll remember
as a memory to last

Dormouse

Walking out for coffee
I spied down at my feet
a tiny little dormouse
looking rather sweet
He seemed quite oblivious
to me as I stood there
so I watched him for a little
whilst he was unaware

Split II

12 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

Sitting on deck six
with Split across the way
Picturing all the things
that have made this holiday

It has been all we hoped for
and though we fly home on the morrow
It is with happiness we’re leaving
and not one tinged with sorrow

For we’ve criss-crossed the Adriatic
seen sunshine and some rain
Visited new places and
been back to some again

An unexpected tricycle ride

11 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

Mario on his tricycle
caught us with his grin
Charmed us so much that we
agreed to go with him

Took us up through Marjan Park
round the headland of the bay
Showed us lots of things that
we’d have never seen today

Rijeka

10 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

In Rijeka in the market
whilst making little fuss
a lovely lady sold us socks
hand-knitted just for us

Yellow painted buildings
suggested that this city
once held a lot more grandeur
now faded more’s the pity

Still, we had a little walkabout
soaked up the local flair
celebrating somewhere different
and simply being there

Venice II

9 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

We wandered Cannaragio
beside the Canale Grande
Over bridges, watching gondalas
heading for Rialto and
when we finally got there
we had pizza and a beer
in the restaurant beneath it
which we went to first last year

Venice (touch n go)

8 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

The fog came down, it was quite thick
and we weren’t moving far
and dropping anchor out at sea
was unspectacular
Then the captain on the tannoy said
Venice was closed today
which as you might imagine
was met with some dismay
But then out there to starboard
a pale sun made a show
and as the pea soup dissipated
the ship prepared to go

Koper

7 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

For our first time in Slovenia
we found Koper on the coast
originally an island
for the day to act as host

I climbed the old bell tower
two hundred steps for the unwary
and though the view was excellent
the drop was really scary

Ancona II

6 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

I sat on the sun deck with a cold beer
in the hot Ancona sun
watching the Superfast ferry unload
until the unloading was done

Hundreds of lorries off on their way
into Italy with cargoes intact
Like a well-oiled machine, facinating to see
from my lofty position, relaxed

So I watched as I waited for an hour or two
as all the time in the world here have I
Before Slovenia bound we disembark
which I think kicks off around five

Ancona Encore

5 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

Ancona encore
with a climb up the hill
to cathedral and Roman remains
The sun shone down bright
on this lovely sight
that Ancona in Italy claims

Ancona encore
for the Trajan gate
viewed from high over the sea
This Italian port
in October sun caught
A highlight for Sally and me

Hoorah for Hvar

4 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

Hoorah for Hvar
so pleased that we came
for it was hotter today that we’d hoped
But walking quite slow
with iced beers on the go
somehow we managed and coped

Hvar

3 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

Climbed up to the castle
overlooking Hvar bay
The views we saw when up there
quite spectacular I’d say
Cool olive trees and standing stones
with cairns on every wall
Balanced and precarious
those standing, still to fall

Dubrovnik Divine

2 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

A really fitting ending
to what has been a perfect day
and as golden sun sinks in the west
Dubrovnik has its say

We wandered ‘neath the city walls
enjoying lovely heat
had cold beers and lovely
giant ice-creams in the street

We discovered lovely places
we had not found before
and took photos to remember
all the wonders that we saw

Finding Summer

1 of 12 in ‘The Adriatic Affair’ series from Jemverse

We’re off to find the summer
for a little while at least
and from now til mid-November
all working has now ceased

Yet we shiver in our shirtsleeves
beneath cold English skies
before towards the summer
our big jet plane it flies

Dubrovnik in Croatia
awaits us basking in the sun
beginning here our autumn break
with eight more days to come

Hiatus

Jemverse hiatus
for just over a week
but I’ll still be writing
and am as we speak

For there’s inspiration
in all that I see
so my pen it stays handy
and close by to me

The writing as always
is something I do
which after hiatus
I’ll share here with you

Two Days

Two days to go
until summer returns
for eight days for Sally and I
As packing our bags
to Dubrovnik we’re bound
on Thursday morning to fly

Blessed II revisited

12 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

It’s a quarter to six
and the sun’s sinking low
But it’s so lovely here
that I don’t want to go
So I’ll sit here a while
as the shadows grow long
to watch the sun set
to the ebbing tide’s song