Getting it Right - or Not!

Getting it Right - or Not !

The strawberries were on offer today.
Right I thought, a treat on the way.
I pondered whether one punnet or two
And true to form thought we'll make do.
After all we have to have  cream
It has to be double - a lovely thick stream.
And then the meringue, I just couldn't resist,
Makings of a sweet that shouldn't be missed.

So imagine my surprise and dismay
When I said, after dinner at the table today,
I've got a special treat for you now
Strawberries, cream and  meringue-wow!
One said "what're you giving everyone else"
But the joke back fired against himself
As two of the party declined the treat
Said they'd  had enough with all the meat.

Well, I'm glad I never opted for two.
One was plenty without making do

Fairy

The Little Fairy

Is there a little fairy

In your house

Who cleans and tidies

And is as quiet as a mouse.

Does this little fairy

Go on holiday

Sometimes

And leave the place

Full of dirt and dust

And grime.

And do you wait

For your little fairy to

Soon come back

And put things right

Get things on track.

Well maybe it's time

You changed your tune

And saw that you could

Be a boon.

You could learn to

Cook and clean

And help your fairy

And be a team.

China 1

 I am going to try and blog about our ( my two sister's and my Mother's) journey to China.
I did write about it at the time but unfortunately a lot of the interesting personal stuff is lost. But here, I'll give it a go. This is for you guys, Mum, Kay and Di , oh and you Dad too, of course - as I promised:

 Part 1

19th March 2007.

Everything packed , much more than I need in fact and I arrive at Mum's at 9.30.p.m. on the Sunday evening, relieved to be there safely the night before flying off to China.  Di, Mum, Dad and myself ponder the great adventure in front of us. As it's a Sunday Elaine is also there drinking tea and enjoying the chat.  I am looking forward excitedly to this special holiday with my two sisters and mum.

Looking at our luggage, huge suitcases bursting at the seams you'd be forgiven for thinking that we were going for three months or more, but no, it's just a couple of weeks.

So the next evening we arrive at the airport, get confused about where we are supposed to be and wait around chattering on about the mighty sights we will see. What fun we will have. We giggle like school girls, mum being the biggest culprit.

The flight is long and I sleep for a good while but about  12.40 a.m. (English Time) I am wide awake and discover we're only a few hours away from Beijing. It's 8.30 in the morning  ( big time difference) and the sun is shining.

We are so excited and when we look out of the window we see that we are flying over the most glorious mountains.  We all go to the toilet .

Morning has come too early and they bring breakfast. We're not ready for breakfast. after all, to us it's the middle of the night (1.0 a.m !!!! for goodness sake and dinner was only 6.30.p.m.)
Di and Kay, still sleepy after travelling through time zones, but where food is concerned we are not known to say no. We make a good effort at eating breakfast - you never know when the next meal might be and it looks as if we'll be out of routine with dinner etc etc .
We haven't long finished breakfast when we start the descent into Beijing.





Just a very small section of the enormous city of Beijing







The view from above is amazing - a concrete planet of high rise buildings. Beijing City, we discover is at least the size of  the county of Kent and  makes London ( Greater London, that is ) seem so teeny.
The population of London being 8 million, Beijing has 11.5 million. Not all of areas of Beijing are as crowded as London but the centre seems much  more dense with people .

And when we travel long hours to the hotel on that first day we  wonder how big it is with it's many roads of six lanes of traffic and huge skyscrapers wherever you look.

We are given a tour guide, who, for the sake of us English folk calls himself Mike. His accent  is tinted with a collection of other languages but mainly American. He is helpful and enthusiastic and tells us a bit about the History of Beijing.   It is one of the four ancient cities of China along with Xian, Luoyang and Nanjing.. It is known as the cradle of humanity with Peking man living here 700,000 years ago.  

Catching Up

Catching Up

Hi, all you lovely friends and readers, I thought I'd write a catch up.

Life has been a bit busy the last couple of months, which has left very little time to write. I've managed a few pieces but  do feel I need some mental space to think and ponder and get the creative juices flowing - or is this how it is? Do all writers have to chain themselves to their desks (real or imagined) and just get on with it, just work hard and something will happen?
I have yet to try the disciplined approach. I mean some writers sit at their desks for a certain number of hours a day. Others complete a pre- decided number of words or pages, every day.  Maybe this is where I fall down.
With me, it's more like I have to find some time to write or I'll go mad. It's not even that I have a great deal to say, I just have to write.
I feel a bit like that now and that is why I am just babbling on. I'll feel better then ( does this sound like addiction??) and be able to get on with real life. After all the washing still needs doing, the bins need putting out , food needs to be bought and cooked etc etc ....

Anyway, we have been in our new house now for six weeks and have been busy getting everything as we want it. We are eagerly waiting for the delivery of a cabin for the garden, which will be a studio for the artist in our midst. Currently all the art paraphernalia is taking over a room in the house. So I can't wait for the cabin to be ready. We are also waiting to hear if we can have a drop-kerb so that we can drive our newish car onto the drive.

Another drama that has kept us busy is the birth of a dear grandaughter a good few weeks earlier than she was due. They are all well, thank God, but it has been an anxious month or so. Much anguish was felt by all. She was ( still is) so small. Baby and mum are now getting out a little bit , which is a sign that things are going in the right direction.

And then, my own mum has been unwell which has been somewhat of a distraction. The good thing about this is that I've had the chance to visit her more and in so doing have connected not only with her but with my dad and my two lovely sisters.

And in amongst  all this there is the usual coming and going with children and grandchildren as the days just keep passing. For instance a couple of weeks ago we helped our eldest daughter move house.

Must go now...

Do get in touch and give me your thoughts...

Tudor House

Tudor House.

Tudor House, you sit In the heart of Canterbury,
Within the city walls, Part of it's history since the 16th century.
You look out,
Your window boxes overflowing -blues- whites - purples-
Your upper half hanging, leaning,
Over the narrow, cobbled, dusty street.
Your door - only five feet high-people were short in former times.
Now a bed and breakfast, your period features,
Invite the traveler, the visitor,
To stay.
With the Cathedral you share a past.
But today,
Today a mother walks by, not giving you a second glance,
Her baby  in a buggy, Hurrying - somewhere.
A woman passes, laden with shopping in
Marks and Spencer's bags.
A group of young folk - students maybe-
Not interested in the Museum, stroll by, smoking,
Carry drinks in bottles-chat busily.
Two bicycles- there are many in the city-
Pass  your front.
And you,
Tudor House,
You, look on,
Telling your own story.

Beijing

Beijing

After breakfast at the Hotel Continental,

The orange juice cool, pure,

We venture out,

Arm in arm-

For safety-

Into bustling, dusty, streets.

A tsunami of noise hits us,

Makes us draw back.

Traffic - six lanes-

Hooting horns screeching-

Engines revving-

Making music with 

Constant tinkling of bells 

From the bikes 

As they weave through 

Disinterested people,

Who, like squawking seagulls,

Swarm along overflowing pavements.

First impressions of Beijing...

Like debris we are swept unwillingly

In this fast flowing river.

We look up

High rise, anonymous

Dirty, grey structures,

Imprison ants 

Whose hope is 

A fleck of blue

Remembered.

Beside us as we hurry by,

Shops selling 

Tea, fans, chinese hats,

Beckon us,

Aromatic bouquets excite our nostrils.

Finally,

In a side street,

We take a rest,

In a Japanese Cafe.

They tell us:

"Don't eat the food here,

It's mostly dog"

We sip a beer 

And ponder

How we'll get back to the hotel.

The Vauxhall Victor

Squashed together in the back of the
Vauxhall Victor Estate - green -
Three sisters cocooned in sleeping bags.

Surrounded by pillows and other
Camping paraphernalia,
They fidget and bicker,
Moan and cry.
They are:
Too hot, too close, too hungry
Too uncomfortable.

Parents try to distract,

Send back sweets
Even though
The sun has yet to come up.

Five thirty at Dover docks
Morning light  from the East,
Glitters on sea,
Reveals White cliffs.

As they drive onto the ferry.
Their nostrils delight
In the salty, fishy hope
Of holiday.

This is the first
Of many excursions
They will make to the continent.

Number 19

Grandad's New Little Darling

So small, yet so perfect,
Head the size of
A medium orange
Fingers like tiny twigs
On thin branches
Legs as thick
As grandad's fingers.
You open your eyes
Look into his,
Smile,
No, it was a smile.
Paying attention to
His love.
You are,
His new,
"Little Darling"
And already,
Little one,
You know.
So small, yet so perfect

Haunted House

Thank you to all my followers...

As Anna-Marie is visiting today I thought I'd look back to the poem that she did that I posted on my blog in June. She is very talented both with words and visual art ( drawing and painting in particular..

This lovely picture and poem from Anna Marie, my grandaughter. Fabulous...

I looked on your blog Grams and your poems are very long so I thought

 I would add a little more to my poem all is the same I just added

 a bit more .... Here you go 

Haunted House

the derelict building standing still, 

being taken over by an army of tall grass, 

crumbling away on the tall geriatric hill,

 growing old very fast, 

the Robertson house is its name, 

located in alton, 

it is no haunted game , 

it's amazing time is being shortened, 

it is not very important but used to be, 

the main attraction on earth is he.

 will you dare enter the building? 

even though it is slightly tilting, 

cracked windows , 

blood stains, 

blood pumping through your veins! 

the old mental asylum, 

on the top of the hill, 

with vengeful ghosts ready to kill... 

 -Anna-Marie Elizabeth Pasquet green 

( Aged 11)

Acrostic

An acrostic poem using my name:

Many are the talents
And great is the wisdom
Roaming in bones and mind
Inspired by need , by thirst, by awe,
Aptly used to bury injustice
Not waiting for decay.