hoping all went well, that it was a good event

enjoyed by all

that you ate nice
enjoyed the day

ours are all late summer and autumn
in a row

one has an event
the others don’t really

there is a box here with all his stuff
the other life

i got it down yesterday and read
it all again

in the morning
in the afternoon

i did some painting

seems we have a night collection of soap here
new and unused plus
old

some comes dried cracked and faded
other precious still unwrapped

we have scheduled the task today of
sorting and storing it
some still gift boxed
some from the hotel

some has the queens crest on it
told she was indeed a lizard and

laughed

the second episode is tuesday afternoon
was cut short yesterday as the asda man

went to the wrong address
so out on the rain we brought
him in to land here safely

wok in hand

there is a list of chores yet
I remember only one right now

breeze

mornings rise softly
darkling to the sound

of another sweet day

it seems I saw only him
in eight days and he speaks

ordinary

the track is softer now
moisture swells the way

and birds come quieter
scatter at my approach

autumn

stand alone more

to wonder and admire

to poke in moss to
find

tiny tiny things

james

the darkness of dreams is come

november

it is an agreement

we read the guidelines
then forget

in a hurry
to carry on with fortitude and carrier bags

each item creates barriers and difficulties
while some folk including me don’t have

a clue

as to what is really occurring over here
over there

he said it was his job and glad they won
on waking realised just what he had done

he had a mark on his face
just like I have

my wood is restacked more tidy
than before james though I think

I have less than you and no small
boys to help here

lately

you would not come back

except for visits

you came again in auto fill

last evening sat alone

we still cannot understand

there is no explanation for that

nor what you did

you are a ghost to us now

fading

we watched it on tv

you thought we were broken

yet we watch you solidly, bravely like joan

with just one comma throughout

we no longer come ragged

we watch you leave

i

tell you this

there are some do not believe


will not sleep while others will

and some


wish to be invited

some photos show nothing
as does the work i produce

yet it means something if
you go to look

properly

mist rose along the edge

scrub out scrub out that feeling

erase all marks or iridescent gestures

draw it inward until

it becomes outward

play the games

until all rises into absent beings

the beetle crawls fondly across the floor and we leave it

a white mouse feeds at the window

a small plane flies over

have scrubbed this twice
knowing the words don’t
come easy this morning

knowing I too slip up
occasionally

slate slides
mud slips
rain falls

seems higher this time

water expands to where i see
the edge

she showed us how to make a drive
with less flood risk

it was kitted out lovely

we live in the country and have gravel
where water runs through nicely
then down the hill

you should have heard the stories told
me before we moved here

now

I have my own tales to tell

you answered the questions
the good soul you are

fed the cats early
as do I over here

i apologise easy
if allowed

though some do not permit a dialogue

at all

he asked me what he had done wrong again
i confirmed that there was nothing
amiss at all

wondered why he thought so

remember the early days
and understand a little

bit

my tongue
say nothing
is best sometimes

i too shall have a fire today
learning to be back indoors

autumn

second lockdown
lost count

you notice small things too
and record them slightly

those touches, nuances

do you see the way they
glance, look aside with

love and embarrassment

have you too overstepped
the mark, realised and later
apologised?

do you sometimes forget
the question mark then
wait endlessly for an answer?

i forgot my log in details
and wonder if there is any hope

will they miss me there or
merely carry on regardless

i guess you were working with it being monday
even though it felt like sunday
yesterday
here

it was day something of second lockdown
day something else of isolation living

though single living allows visits for our
mental health

i told him when he asked about dinner
with his sister

we laughed and the wind blew things
away

his wood is ready outside in wheelbarrow
mine in bags from the store

radiators in the bedrooms
and the other rooms too

best keep this factually
correct

instead of poetic

james

it feels cave like this time of year

while often we add grated apples

do you hear it
rain at the window

do you hear the lightened notes
of hammers on skin

tunnels fade into waterways
paths are shallow pools

we laughed at the word

damp

the understatement

all wet clothes, mops
and buckets

later he said he would have
fetched me in the truck yet

there is no vehicular access

don’t get wet, don’t get wet
again

we laughed
and carried on with the day patiently

ridding ourselves of the valuables
of no value

things from the past

james

so you know the pattern?

if the name has lowercase things
will continue a while and if uppercase

it has ended

there is a question here
as to whether to make

the tea before or after

or in between

choosing the latter option
we pause a while
switch on the hot
water heater then

go downstairs
boil the water

choose the tea bag
cojoined

to be separated

put on the music
place the caddy

back on the shelf

black it is and
shiny

the cats here fight too
daily

i intervene where I can
hope one day they become

friends

james

i am still furloughed this month
change to seasonal in november
with holiday pay due
due back next spring

some winter time ahead

is a second lockdown

day one

though day 226 since we first

isolated here

tomorrow they say the clocks change
yet they don’t do it on their own

it comes manual unless it is computerised

even so some live natural
not caring about the time of day

in numbers

while others are particular

here we do not mind these things

we do mind not going to lampeter

this year so

I buy walnuts online

stood in the hall

door open

chatting across the road

one pair of pyjamas to the other

one mask to another

mid afternoon

up the road they build raised beds

steady

earth arrives by truck

with a crane to lift it off

two bags at a time

by the place where we did

a sponsored walk

you in your wellies

yes it is slate
tipped over from higher up

the quarry is closed this side
subsidence

the other side it is still worked
though further than before
as there is now a visitor
attraction

for tourists
so we don’t go there
anymore

yes I have been walking
about four miles or so

it was raining when we set off
in a panic

then after he left it came more
settled

i thought about the changes
i thought about the friends i
cannot visit

so passed by

walked back
a softer grey

stopped a while as the lightness started

down the back lane by the abbey

round me they flew never touching
we laughed in delight
at this natural thing

come lightly

then the vehicle came
so I stepped back onto
the bank

and slipped

my mum used liquid paraffin
on the boys hair fortunately
nothing on mine

she slicked theirs flat with a severe
parting

until one had a crew cut and got into
trouble for it at grammar school

there was a hell of a fuss

i remember

talking of which she would send us
up the garage for pink paraffin from
the pump

next door the tv shop where we watched
the programmes through glass

later mum rented one from radio rentals
in winton

she rode her bike up there
sometimes stopping at the
bakery for a cream slice

james

picture this
the plastic skirt guard

please note that if this week
i go missing it is nothing personal

yet personal and nothing at all to
worry over

i cannot remember the barber talking
if he did i imagine it directed at her

if he did I would not have listened
being
in a state of shock at the shortness
of it

at the bits clawing my neck
scissor snap

i guess it was all of us
the price multiplied

my goodness it

would have been cheaper to let it grow

the visits were a thing back then

no observing the window display
were the rules

of course we did
yet I saw nothing
of any offence

he placed a board on the arms
of the seat for us smaller folk

and cut it short
we had no choice

the barber pole outside
to advertise

sometimes the fringe
was trimmed at home
eyes shut
mine not hers

the sound cut through
the bits spit out

it has taken years to realise
taken a lockdown

no intervention

i will make bread today
plant the seed
maybe read the meter
unless I do it on monday

sometimes
as I sure many do
i stand and watch

the leaves come gentle down
no sound

and with luck and twilight

the bats arc out

geometric flight

tell no one

all is protected and rightly so

we are creatures of the night
one way or other

up the road by the foxes crossing
lights
protect them from the road

low light
i have that here

deep windows
enough to see

gently

for me gently works best these days

it all gets delivered here
nicely

except when it gets misdirected
to the big house
the holiday house

i guesses so
nips down the hill
their drive

collect, reverse

only fuel for the cars
has to be fetched and
they have a pretty shop

except once in i steam
so cannot see most things
that are in front of me

james

it is suggested I become seasonal

again

although I don’t remember this arrangement

as it is usually vegetables

that come so

we have new bird boxes up
ready for the spring
meanwhile autumn comes gentle

one breath of leaves across the way

it is a tiny garden out back
overlooking the grave yard

where the men mowed the grass
stopping a while
leaning on rakes

watching the weather

discussing the news
for news came yesterday

local

news came yesterday

social media

so we carry on
feed the birds

gather the bracken
knit scarves for peace
james

cancel our holidays
&
stay home nicely
here

we wait for a wild wind
for the apples to fall it

doesn’t happen yet

and those he clouted with the clothes prop
were already pecked severely

the birds come hungry

they talked about the difficulties that face
us this winter

realisation came that I would have chosen
this if I had seen an example
or followed a trend
bought
a trial period

however things occur
some parts are okay

he thinks I am a hill billy which amused me

yesterday they took a different route while

i followed at a distance

james

days off

little tiny cheeses
come with wax to be
removed

what to do then

first we make funny lips
and make a photograph

to be shared with family

then it is wrapped precisely
in waste paper for kindling

saves that chopping

looks like crackers sitting
there on the logs so tidy

so unlike the ones that mum
made, then me, then her

mum could not afford that
cheese and I guess it is a
fairly current snack

she bought edam
i found it fascinating

i still make the concertina
type sometimes or buy

those waxy things from the farmers shop

yes i imagined it well

after trekking those miles
on return empty the machine
to fold the washing before the drying

sheets entail my arms aching
still recovering from all the moving
while walking

shall think of you
at work swinging
to jazz music

the laundry closed here on lockdown
temporarily
have not heard since
so maybe it was
permanently

inadvertently i squashed a woodhouse
today

now i beg forgiveness

we are little things

that dance in the mornings

james

by the light of the phone….

is not much use in the dark
so to say ok to google a small
light occurs

to see

listen we can only hear the weather
or ask her again

which can change each day

make plans in the diary
delete them on the day
or arrow forward

as things alter

remember and even now
making our clothes to fit

better or updating the style

somehow

making something from something

else

he mended his boots with glue from
the ironmongers then finished it off

with screws for strength

three in each and not even matching
well then who will see

some things don’t matter

i had not thought that way yet when i do
that fearful memory comes to mind with
words I cannot say
here today

let us move forward and learn

to change things about kindly
to place items carefully
with purpose and peace

to observe

there comes five beings
with verve and caring

no wings to show
should we listen james?

asking for the reminder in half an hour
was misheard from under the covers

it came after one hour

one must learn to be clear
to talk from above
no muddling

the day will shift along thirty
minutes awry

things will still get done
from the verb to do which

has been discussed previously

the research completed
the total cost calculated

we experimented

the block
worked
he held it bravely while I bashed it

thoroughly

the fence stands upright

now and it cost nothing

in green road we used to run out

if we heard a car coming as they
were few and much between them

often dogs would chase
down the road barking

later out for a sunday drive
farm dogs lay waiting

and repeated the above

we sat on the kerb to write
the numbers and walk to the
station for trains

i still like numbers and so
does he

not mathematically
just numbers plain

and wonder if that is acceptable

these days

james

the same kerb where I joined
the dust men for lunch sandwiches
in their break

backs against the red brick wall

have asked for gloves this year
the gardening kind only

i have gloves from last year and
some before that even

leather , wool and finger less

i also have her fish slice she
bought those years ago possibly
in Woolworths from the counter
by the back door where she left

her bike

the paint is chipped on the handle
1940s green

some would replace
while it remains

functional will keep it
use it though we don’t

eat fish no more

it came on early morning and lasted all day

this morning I wake to find it had gone

did not draw yesterday. my mind did not wander in that world of marks of manifestations

i stayed up the house while the storm was outside with another name and watched a while

when it became too much and notices of fallen trees were all around I drew the curtain against the sky ; admired the fabric

that was the only thing I drew yesterday

i tidied a cupboard already done and thought about your birthday

packed all your gifts ready yet I did not draw anything properly yesterday

warm and pleasant morning yesterday so i walked to the bridge.

being monday there were few folk about.

i admired the yellow crane on the rise and thought about things

no questioning as I cannot remember much of it

i heard the storm warning for the rest of the week so worked in the garden all day

she told me and she related her believed version of the news belated

so I awake to heavy rain and a lack of bird food in the feeder both at the window

we are still in a cancelling mode due to an ongoing situation and sensible thought

we have credit notes and generous friends

we will stay indoors today and tidy

how our lives have changed recently over

the last six months. we discussed it

over coffee at a distance

he said mine more than his

yet I disagreed

so we talked about our freezers

and the organisation there

while I seem fascinated with the sound of ice flows cracking although of course

this is the melting another cause for concern

the day went well with huge cheering from me when yesterday afternoon the old black bike is up and running

not my achievement only as I had help from a friend

who works nights.

do you remember how to do things

solo

on your own

no prompting


we have done it here for years now

mostly with paragraphs


then with your help sometimes

so I wondered if I can still fly solo

ultimately without your reply


and it seems maybe I can

with paragraphs

there seems to be a satisfying nature
in sawing and chopping wood

providing warmth and safety

for oneself
for family

i like sawing a lot

the action
watching the dust fall

laughing as it cuts through

a piece falls to the ground
to be gathered later

for whatever task is intended

we have a metal incinerator in the garden
as you know and only burned garden stuff

not used so much now the recycling centre

is back open
with organisation and printed labels

so very pleasing for some
a chore for others

they recycle most things
except the plastic bags

they go elsewhere

we have orange juice sometimes
instead of elderflower

all things refreshing

i did not know the rules
nor investigated

i needed the stuff gone so burned it
early morning. dead early.

no one complained and I smelled
smokey after

kenny remarked that it was the best way
in the circumstances

and I was impressed by the word
with all those bits to say over

a friend in town was reported
and the services called at night
to investigate the smouldering heap

she made them coffee

now the recycling place is back open
i dispose of it there nicely and politely

adhering to all the rules of numbers and distance

i go today despite the rain

i have an appointment between 9am and 10 am

the controller checks my registration
then lets me in
with instruction

next door’s truck is back

the suspension repaired
it now has a puncture.

sounds like a satisfactory arrangement
on the surface

as we know there is much below

the iceberg metaphor

thankyou for taking the time to tell me
to write of it and
i shall read it over
and imagine

a friend from portmeirion estate
asked after you
she knows we chat

she is keeping in touch
so I shall reply today

with words of my choice
not predicted

while yesterday a storm forecast
nothing came

while I drew the evil little toe rag

did done google and liked the arts
and craft style of it if I was looking

at the correct design

in the afternoon a plane came over

i was stood at the door just right

looked up and watched it go
then saw the afternoon light

dappled on the door
noticed the window needs painting

again

as you say
there is a feel and the birds
sound different

felt the sun on my neck
thought of older days

and went indoors a while

when second wind arrived
returned to the garden to

work some more

maybe tell me more about fred?

please.

maybe it is easier to climb that way

bending toes to grip

then to feel the rain early

pad through the hallway

leaving wet

marks

it is raining early

the power restored
since four

no one is about yet
only one cat waiting

I used to leave my shoes on the
garden wall
and play

leybourne avenue

the window is open and the breeze

blows the door

squeaking and i like the sound

tourists come more at weekends

some in their campers and park

down by the bridge here and other

places elsewhere

and I hope

i am not repeating myself?

it gets busy in the lanes unlike out of season

busier this year due to the situation
people not going abroad to other

countries now

there are real bad reports about some campers
and warnings on social media about places

that are messed up, not to go there

yesterday as I passed a van early
could hear the snoring see

the windows steamed

so I go out early while all are asleep
and it is quiet apart from birds and

animals

I saw a mole yesterday starting a burrow
by the path among the flowers

all my holidays got cancelled
and I do not mind for these

are covid days…..

she came running as always
older than me
her husband older
than her

he gets up on her return
does the times crossword
while she trains

i did not tell her
that I can do it too

a copy though not
so far as her

yet

without special shoes more
like in my sandals

yes two pairs the same because
i buy the same each year so

i keep one pair for walking

the other for paddling and wading
about

he worries about his waders, hangs
them on the gate to dry

cuts the bramble in the lane
in case the rubber punctures

it was so.

i am riding my bike up the drive only
and back
into the hall

the tourists come late in the week
to stay over and all gets busy in the

lane

i am happy with it
and did some wavy bits

told him that things
do not have to be done
all in one go

so all is ready for monday

meanwhile the running
continues and though

initially I was one of the thirty percent
find I am not with mind control

yesterday my head was still full
of yesterday which is now the

day before yesterday

so much

my mind raced
and refused to sleep

i watched him reverse the tractor up
in the dark

wondered
and turned off the light james

..summer county..

what do you have in your sandwich
will it be butter or another spread
mum used to call it marg
all the ladies did
neighbours, her friends

stork for baking
another for everyday

i think she prefered summer county
on googling find this is so

now i have butter come more expensive
lately

i should not really with the fatness
and animal connection

it does taste nice, salty

as did our tears yesterday

what are we like
all emotional in public
then who cares when we share
thoughts and disappointments

the donuts were nice
inelegant to eat

is it home made bread
white or brown, rustic?

i enjoy ideas from others
they open up new possibities

i am changing things
in layers
starting with those things under
neath

an easier day today
at home to clear
hedge trimmings
to gather logs and
ideas too

go well my friend

7.21
yes later today
birds at the window

bathe in pools
of darkling light

reflected above
fish below

suckling

to walk the wood on moss
to skirt the meadow for fear

of spoiling
things

care for small things

to be tired after it all
to sleep soundly

carelessly

the day yesterday

good to hear that all went well

and that all is ready

i miss my neighbours truck

parked out back

he is awaiting a part

so uses a tractor now

reverses it way back up the lane

dislodging stones in the wall and track

grooving the ground

i get more grip while walking up
tried running it yesterday

for fun

laughing

at the sight of me

stopped at the slow worm
cut short by the tail

quickly gone

googled running and found I did it right

and am in the thirty percent

he has a bike too in the cellar
and a motorbike kept over the way
at his cousins

there is a good family likeness

a quick run down on the day
yesterday

is that all are temporary measures
temporary structures
and collage

so we can move things about

change things as we like

it gives a freedom

you know about the bike
yet do you know about the perfect red?

i mentioned yours in relation to this
topic

the rose is propped against it’s dangling

the stones are placed ready

i have a plan that leaves me scared and thrilled
together

and even that I know
will fade

like a skin transfer

when we were kids we got those leaves
pressed to skin

when rubbed left a mark

a while

sometimes while walking i note the aroma

in the air

yesterday lunchtime time this wind blew in
across the mountain

i watched

stood barefoot
heard the thunder

others waited

it came and he saw the lightning hit

not too severe. elsewhere

there was flooding

we had talked about my cousin and
her dresses I was given, to be taken

away by mum who said they did not suit
me

he said I could have some now made for me especially

no

all that was bashed out of me
so I am not that girl no more

all new and unknowing

am not sure of the word innocent

nor like words elderly and the other one

james

i bought a second hand bike yesterday
via facebook marketplace . my hair is

grown

and I don’t care