Smashing white against the rocks the sound soothes my ears
Whilst my eyes are lost in a mass of blue
The salt has reached my lungs and cleansed my skin
And the rays have blessed me with a golden tint
The grains have rubbed through old to new
Tonight I will sleep well and deeply
Like the elements have sedated me

I can count on my hand the sleeps till with you
And now you too can count it, plus a few
The big number is the once since last time
Sleeps spent on separate sides of the line
Since then so much growth you've made
Even your bed has had an upgrade
Whilst your lips have learnt the local tongue
For now you live the way of Mum
And out here for you so much has changed
Especially when new little Sister came
So I forgive if at first you're not so sure
Though I've not changed since you've met many more
Remember me for I am your Aunt
Though not surprising if you just can't
As I've been lost all the way over there
Making lost time needed now for us to share
But trust me for I speak like Dad
And we've too much fun now to be had
And so we'll make memories more
You'll know me soon I'll make it sure

Tanned skin and pink shoes
Australia looks good on you
To make a choice of work or fun
You ponder this whilst spread in sun
Move on to see the world in all
Or find job on land not so small?
Sure it would not be so hard
If not for here a fantastic start
But for now to take your mind the most
Road trip planning of the East Coast
These things of which you have to choose
There's no result in which you'd lose
So why not let fate act from above
And help make for you this life you love?

These words feel all too small
As thanks for your kind gift of all
With you wellcome comes with ease
What's yours is ours if we please
You've shared with us your perfect home
And taught us of the land you know
The food, the beds it's all been great
But more than that you've been our mate
And our first sight of kangaroo
We'll remember was all thanks to you
So I think we've had a lot of fun
As you'll hear in our happy hum
Now how to thank you I don't know
But I hope these few words will show
Of all the hosts you've been the best
And the best Bob we'll never forget

I’m heading west and I’ll tell you why
I’m young and the world’s still mine
Last chance whilst I’m not tied
And West has caught my eye

Where to go was hard to choose
This world of mine is rather huge
So listening to other people views
South America suits me, so why not Peru?!

One stop there I have to make
The Inca trail, and not a fake
So I booked it first, even before the plane
A starting point to lead the way

Flights further west frequent from Chile
So that decision made more easily
And then with Bolivia’s close proximity
My route was made clear to me

The finer details I’m still unsure
The options are vast of which I’m allured
Spoilt for choice of landscape and more
No part of this continent will be a bore

Except perhaps the time spent on roads
Long distance between places that I’ll go
And doing it all whilst alone
My own head may become too well known

I’ve written a route but expect it to change
As I meet new people along the way
Stories of experiences will lead me astray
Or personalities might hold me for an extra day

This is the beauty of this trip
All the decisions are in my grip
And although daunted by the Spanish lip
Independence will force me a learning hit

I’ll tick some boxes of my bucket list
Some of which I know I wont miss
Lone travel, new language-even if just bits
Volcanoes, salt planes, surfing-they’ll be blitzed

Then further west I’ll be on my way
To meet my family for that special day
Hear new words my niece has learnt to say
And meet her little sister, for which I cannot wait

But before they show me their new home
Up the coast of their country I shall roam
Starting Sydney where I’ll be stunned I know
Then toward where all the hippies go

After Father Christmas has been
And they’ve shown me all that must be seen
And fed me plenty barbeque supreme
The West of Aus is where I’ll next lean

Here I’ve more family ready to meet
And a New Year for us to greet
My uncle will keep me upon my feet
Showing me places that make their life neat

These chances I’m so lucky to take
Though I miss them so and it does ache
At least they all live in a wondrous place
And happily share with me all that is great

But it doesn’t quite end there
There’s more the world has to share
So to make the most of my fare
I’ll touch down in Bangkok to taste Thai air

And although I wont have long to lurk
I’ll squeeze in sights the city serves
It depends on when I am due to start work
For at some point it’s time I became a nurse

But even that I look forward to
I love my job and what I do
And at least the role is not all new
I know it but my responsibilities’ have grew

By this time I’m sure to say
I’ll be in desperate need of pay
So although I’ll be living back in gray
I’ll be glad when a salary comes my way

It is the night before the morning after
Eight weeks have passed without this feeling now
Of excited anticipation for good times
That feeling of freedom that
only a field of festival frolics can deliver

In which place it has been eight months
So tonight had better watch itself
Two long awaited adventures combined
Then when I wake in the morning after
it will be in a field in the middle of nowhere
lying under canvas upon a makeshift bed

….but it shouldn’t matter
as I will get to do it all again
If my stamina and enthusiasm don’t fail me
The morning after will become the night before
Because it’s the ultimate party:
Worth waiting for

Something to write home about
And tales to share with the grandkids
This festive life full of these
And with too many words to fit on a post card
Has no need
Because these memories will hold without ink

No place further from reality without narcotics
Location far removed from the concrete mass of home
The grey here is vertical cliff on the mountains
But the vision is green and blue
Whilst my toes tap the beat of the sweet lullaby of song
My torso takes a rest upon the grassy mound
And I relish the saturation of freedom
Felt in natures gift
The local Lake drowns the aches
From the frollocking night before
That were offered by London’s collective talent
Transferred to party more remotely
And the intimacy of here
Is like nowhere there
Beauty beyond expectations

I am an orange disco ball
But not to be span in a hall
My venue is the great outdoors
A field dressed with music, and more
No boundaries to the dancefloor
Tonight I will spin spin spin
After a loooonnnnnggg awaited drink
No guilt
For I deserve this disco

This field feels the rhythm
The ground beneath me beats
And the breeze gently hums
To harmonise a choir who bring back the love
In an echo that electrifies the sole

Never has a day started better
Than with ****** Mary in generous glugs
To wash away the lingering ache
of the devilish night before
and I find myself in my element
celebrating the knight of nowhere
conquest reign to the wobbly log

From my horizontal viewpoint
I’m soaking up the suns shining rays
Whilst overlooking jesters fight sock wars with small children
But my skin wont suffer for these friendly strangers
Have lubed me up with their compassionate oil
No-ones really a stranger in this Small World, so it seems
Not if the tug-of-war has anything to do with it

The eclectic collection of eccentric events
Is rounded off delightfully when we sit
together in a burning sauna
to outlet amongst ourselves the toxins
absorbed as an energetic additive to the atmosphere
At this festival everyone is your friend
and there’s no shame in ****** here

In close proximity we endure the heat
Until we are saturated in sweat
and then plunge ourselves one-by-one
into a bath shared with mischievous children
making weapons of the ice cold jets

Feeling fresh faced and cleaner than before
I finalise the feeling of freedom as a **** pull-along
For a child’s’ home-made truck
The juveniles journey accelerates as my liberation overwhelms me
I’m fulfilling an accomplishment I never dreamt I’d meet

But the succeeding element of this festive environment that I most enjoy
Is the fact that here none of this is odd

If I didn’t have a Granny
Then I wouldn’t have a Daddy
And if I didn’t have a Daddy
Then I wouldn’t be here

But there’s thanks more to give
Than for blood, life and skin
For Granny has always been
Most supportive and loving

And she’s done so much more
Than watch me grow and mature
Inspiration and education
She’s fed to me pure

When she dances Woolly Bully
I see the part of her that’s in me
At the centre of the party
Dancing like crazy

So you see there’s much more
She’s certainly no old bore
And she’s given me memories
I’ll treasure forever more

So thank you to my Granny
For giving me my Daddy
But also many thanks for being you
My Granny

Did you know that where you were born the water goes down the plughole in the other direction?
I don’t suppose you do know because you’re still rather small.
And also, why would you have noticed?

Did you know that you were born somewhere with no reason to fear spiders?
That although ugly their bites would cause no harm
And also that you were born to a land with no koalas?

Did you know that the sun didn’t feel as much heat where you were born?
That people wore wetsuits to go in the sea
And beaches were more often walked down than lay upon?

I hope that this you do know
And that now you’re there you know to play in the sand
And feel your feet in the sea

Did you know that where you were born people barbequed only in the summer?
And in winter where you were born snow fell and lakes froze?
You’ve seen snow before, did you know?

Did you know that where you were born there’s no eucalyptus or kangaroos?
What we do have is squirrels, badgers and bulldogs
And a lot of cold rain

Did you know that you’ve been to the queens house?
Have you noticed that the Queen makes you seem nearer?
Because even with the distance our Queen is your Queen
We can both call her ‘The Queen’

Did you know that when you were born Mummy was more worried about losing your woolly hat than wearing sunscreen?
It was so cold where you were born that Mummy couldn’t feel her fingers
And Daddy always wore jeans

I bet you didn’t know that where you were born people ate yogurt and pasta
That yoagurt and parsta were not spoken of
And people asked how you were, not how you were going?

Did you know you lived your first year in a country the whole world was looking at?
You probably don’t remember the Jubilee or Olympics
But you were here whilst the world was watching

There’s a lot of things you might not know
But one day you’ll realise perhaps you did know
For just because you’re upside down now
We’re still here
And we hold your memories of the land where you were born

But meanwhile whilst you’re there
We’ll be loving you
Which is really no different all the way over there
Than it is here, where you were born

​The city lost in love or simply sold to consumerism
Is as heartfelt as each petal slowly curling to a drooped fall
These flowers mean love like blue means cold
We want them because it's what we're told
And he buys them because he'll lose lust tonight otherwise
Yes one day they might together grow old
But not because of today this gesture given
The gift that conforms is not so bold
No strength built in surrender to society
Trust not earned in prompted acts of endearance
And respect for independence is gone
For a life lived by public calendar is not yours
So whose thoughts do those roses hold?