Work, eat, work, sleep.
Work, sigh - new week.

Bank holiday, work then tidy.
Sleep, eat, work now Friday.
Thank Crunchie, eat then tidy.
Iron, sleep, new week, Monday.
Met deadline, pat on back.
Tighter deadline, fancy that.
Have a breakfast, just be late,
work, sleep, work, a date!
Inspiration, "changed my life".
Work, think, change my life.

Starting Monday, new routine.
Work, play! Eat, sleep.
Missed deadline, angry voices.
Work, more work? Awful choices.
Work some more, please the boss.
Work, more work, another week lost.

New tie Tuesday, no one noticed.
Stop and think why I wrote this.
Just like thinking? Maybe not.
Dislike the answer? Bingo! Stop.
Thought too much, behind on deadline.
Work some more, eat then bedtime.

Back in the day,
When I was a little whipper snapper in Leeds,
We would go “chumping”, as we called it, for firewood,
For weeks and weeks.

Everyone built towering infernos,
Ready for November Fifth:
Bonfire Night.
Some made effigies of the “evil” Guy Fawkes,
Leader of the “Gunpowder Plot”
And stood in the street saying
“Penny for the Guy”.

What a night!
Roaring fire on a chill Winter night,
Those flames burning your face.
A World War Three
Of Fireworks:
Rockets, Catherine Wheels and bangers.
Bangers to scare the girls.
Kids painting pictures in the air
With sparklers.

And best of all,
That yummy gingery Parkin cake:
A taste I cannot put
Into words.
Oh and deep dark
Treacle Toffee,
Jacket potatoes,
Roast chestnuts
And Crunchie-like cinder toffee.

It’s many a year since I went to a bonfire.
Politically correct firework displays
Are more the modern thing.

Seems strange to burn the effigy
Of a man who had the sense
To try to blow parliament up –
Especially a Yorkshire Man.
Ha ha.

But then I read that good
Religious reasons are behind
This bonfire Celebration:
Those flames are orange
After all.

Not wishing to create divisions
Anywhere in the world,
It’s still good to see traditions
Being maintained.

Let those fires and fireworks keep rising,
Constantly emerging from the shadows
Of Halloween.

Paul Butters

© PB 27\10\2018.

Written at the request of Stephen Chapman. “Treacle toffee” added later, with “jacket potatoes” and “cinder toffee” added on 31\10\18. "Roast chestnuts" added 18\11.

Two cakes
Both on my behalf
Carrot cake with a twist of lemon
Crunchie cheese cake
Complementary flavors
What a blend on the tastebuds
A birthday surprise
YUM YUM

Brisbane bowling trip day 10

Today I got up at 7-30 to have breakfast
Then I went back to the room
To watch Becker and get myself ready for.11-00 departure
And we left for the bowling alley
And I went in and got my ball
And bought sweet potato fries for lunch
And two crunchie bars as well
And then I went to watch the other bowlers bowl
And at 1-45 I was in a doubles match with kyra
We had a great conversation about television
And football etc etc
Then we bowled
Kyra got 103 and 147 and 117
I got 136 and 132 and 111
And when we finished I noticed
Mitchell Meares getting 7 strikes in a row
And finishes with 246, which was a ****** for him
But he will probably get a medal though
Then after that we went home, I watched Becker on the bus
And when we got to the hotel, we had 1 hour and a half to freshen up
Before we went to the old mill pub for dinner
I had beer battered fish and chips and salad
And pavlova with chocolate ice cream for dessert
And then I went home to do art and watch the footy
South’s beat broncos 46-0 AWESOME👌👌👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍👍😃
And I tried to watch home and away but there were technical issues
Maybe later, I only need to watch two episodes
Tomorrow an 8-30 breakfast then we go on a river cruise
And presentation dinner tomorrow night
Now I am off to bed 😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔