"My big sister Ann
was wrapped in a parachute
when she was born.
What was I wrapped in?"

"And I told Ann
that I had licorice
stuck up my nose
when I was young"
She said "Wasn't that me?"
Which one of us was it?

Sweet meadow
otherwise known as
'Cow Parsley'
is growing abundantly
on the road verges
in this last week of May

I don't know why
I had a little chuckle to my self
as I thought
"Can I eat it?"

Preparing for my yearly visit
down south
I was glad to learn
that I need not yearn
Friday mornings will not be empty
on my return

To plan a party
to celebrate
her life
with her friends
and family here
at Birthwaite
She wants butterflies
and balloons
a Hawaii theme
and music
by Sean's band

At my Dancing For Parkinson's class
we were asked
to write a poem
about
'Wild Within'
and "Wild Without'
which I have yet to do

Singing Happy Birthday
to my granddaughter
who has 'real knitting'

Revisiting different places
as the seasons come and go
we can see the landscape changing
shaped by the weather,
the wind, the rain,
the sun, and the snow

Cracks and droplets
appearing on the ceiling
looking ominous to me
'Report to SLDC'

It was inevitable
that both the split peas
and the seaweed
would be ready
before the record on the stereo
had finished

Still a long time to come
before the sun
is in the northern hemisphere
and we can plant more peas

The Ides Of March
is superstitious
like Friday the thirteenth
and walking under a ladder
Good for the goose
but not for the gander
Think positive
and turn fear
into laughter

From where I have been

Nowhere is as beautiful as spring in England

from what I have seen

The storms with destructive winds
of over two hundred miles per hour
in the atmosphere
make global warming more apparent
and climate change more real

"What to do for the best?"
I asked myself

I saw a hedgehog yesterday
on the road
out during the day
when they are usually nocturnal
It reminded me of years ago
when I saw my first hedgehog

Christmas
is a time for peace on earth
and good will to all men,
they say
Why can't it be like that
every day?

Not knowing what to do
for the best
sleep on it
and give your mind a rest

Turning the corner
I heard the sound of a flute
Two Red Indians were standing there
in all their splendour
Then were dancing to their music

They were playing a tune I really liked
One I'd been singing the evening before
'I'd rather be a sparrow than a fly'
which had been haunting me

But it was the flute music they played
as I turned the corner
and in between the songs
That made me buy their CD

The rays of the sun
according to some
are called 'Jacob's  Ladders'
though I
don't know why

The rays of the sun
according to me
come down from the sky
an amazing sight
to see

Through the place where
the atmosphere ends
They're sending satellites
and things
to search around
to find more
resources to mine

and making holes
down in the ground
where they're drilling
and digging
injecting
to crack
and frack
for 'natural' gas

We're afraid
for the future
our children will find
We're afraid
one day they will mind

As the sun rose in the east

The heron opened his wings

curled as he flew

over the Oblique and the trees

which were in full bloom

until it was out

of sight

Flying insects
on that bush over there
Butterflies bees wasps
worker bees or drones?
on the pink flowers
I shall draw them
for my niece's wedding
one at a time
with some sweet peas

My daughter Anna,
bless her,
pushed me
to and from
Windermere
How,  I do not know
but I do know
that
I value my time with her

It's a magical place
The views are
Among the best I've ever seen
You can feel the wind blowing in your hair
The amazing gardens
Mingling with the natural world all around
Where the dinosaurs would have roamed

The clouds gathered
a good omen
as we needed rain
on the dry ground

Feeling better
we sat on the wall
senselessly eating
raspberry ripple ice-ceam

Thank You cards written
for my wonderful birthday
I will not forget

A dichotomy of scent
wafted towards us
as we walked around
the garden borders
watching the buzzing bees
pollinating
and listening
to our feathered friends
nest-building
when
a low-flying jet
with it's sonic boom
and blazing trail
flew overhead momentarily
distracting our attention
but not for long
tranquility soon returned

Hip Hip Hooray!
They won an award today
and if I may say
"They deserved it"

We couldn't find
a better place
to sit and have a picnic
we thought
looking at the view
and breathing in
the heady scent of flowers
and there a single harebell
had seeded itself
in the grass

I had a money spider
which I wanted to pass on
by then it was gone

My grandson said
'he had writ
on his wrist'
which rhymes
and has
a reason
too

I like the letter ´L´
because you can write
a letter
and put it in an envelope
not forgetting to put an address
and a stamp
then put it in a letter box
From Postman Pat
To the trains or boats or planes
then Shank´s pony
will deliver the letter
by hand
so someone receives
a nice surprise

Party pants Party pants
Let your wind go free
Let your wind go free

The flower border separates
the path from the garden
Wildflowers grow freely
in a place where it's harder
seeding themselves
not needing a gardener

We jostled down the elevator
Only to discover
That there were no other bards
In the lounge
Wondering where they were
And hoping to see them next week

The eroding wind
sounded lyrical
the length of time
it lasted
The wooden cup wasn't knocked over
thankfully

Pondering
wondering
what on earth
our friend
was doing
walking around
in just a vest
when usually
he likes to keep
nice and warm
I hope he is ok
Perhaps I'll get my answer
today

How now brown cow

Is what i thought today

Before Sheila came

And then we went out to play

Today

It's where to score
If you're looking for
A  lift

Turmeric tea
Fixes joints
And will make you feel
Lovely

I could see
a squirrel in the tree
or was it three
They were going on a spending spree
just like me
when I buy brie
or some fish from the sea
I'm making a
plea
to get my front door key
so I can cook my tea
for you and me

Am I young
or am I old?
Am I hot
or am I cold?

Clatter bang bang
The creaky floorboards are now all gone

The grass is greener now
after the scorching summer sun

The impossible
can become possible
as the day becomes darker
when world is spinning around
the spine becomes more fluid
with a bit of peace and quiet

We found a flat path
beside a stream to walk on
It felt very good

Green is a mixture
of blue and yellow
two of the three
primary colours
The leaves are usually green
and the flowers
are usually
more colourful
such as
the third primary colour
which is red

I tell my grandson:
"All year 'round, not just Christmas
remember goodness"

You never know
what you can find
in my son's garden
One thing I'll never forget is
when I saw a Red Admiral butterfly
emerge from its cocoon
and it had to wait
for its wings to dry
before it could fly

living at Birthwaite
can be an obstacle course
in all the hallways

Ring a ring of roses
I picked myself a posy
Of violet violas
Looking like a butterfly
With a big moon daisy
Some waxy leaves
And a pink flower
A picture to create
In pencil and paint
A peaceful pastime
To contemplate
Their beauty

When the air is full of water vapour
It looks prehistoric to me

I could write a poem about
an old rogue
friend of mine
or
about a fish
in shallow water

Because it would take
a lot of time
to write the rhyme
about the rogue
I decided to leave
the writing
for another day