3636 - Mother of / and Pearl

A pleasant valley Sunday (no valley)
Took the train to Wimslow, we hopped aboard
And to Vee's flat, long time no see Pearlie
After some chat there, Louis then appeared
Fresh from his writing group, and then we trod
The Northern Quarter pavements until Slice
Where we sat outside with calzone, said
Stuff at our tables, 'bout upcoming nice
Summer breaks in Italy and Spain. Twice
Josie's off, once with me to Italy
And once with Tania to Portugal. Toured
Parts of the new Ancoats, new-build high rise
With pleasant canals, geese and swans. Won't see
Pearl again for a while (she seemed quite bored)

3635 - Four strings good

Woke up stupendous early, half-past five
But I turned it to my own advantage
Got up just after six, made positive
Use of this rather than fly into rage
Or lie in a rage in bed. Courage!
Grasp the nettle of opportunity!
So wrote two Italian songs for the 'stage'
This Tuesday, when Carla's said that she'll be
There, but anyway, I'm in Italy
Soon, and I'm in the mood for that blue jive
Getting better at the uke too. Presage
It'll be a good move from guitar. The
Guitarlele idea that didn't thrive
I'm grateful now, four strings good for tuneage!

3634 - Prom Prom Playgirls

I'm watching the Proms - and what do I hear?
David Bowie songs, classical stylee
Though not sung in opera fashion, no - more
That crap middle-class style, don't have to be
Able to sing at all, no, not really
A poor version of Heroes, not the best
Song in the Bowie catalogue, maybe
Now there's a classically-trained singer pressed
Into service, a track from Low, no less
The way he sings, it's quite high register
And a sparse song made emotional as he
Extends the length of the vocal lines, best
To showcase his instrument that rings clear
Now Marc Almond's doing Starman. Crazy!

3633 - Lingua italiano

A long day's work, a meeting in London
It meant catching the train from Manchester
I sat on my own at first, with head down
In my Italian language book, chapter
Three read all the way through, but stamina
To listen to it tonight on CD
Is running low. But I think however
I will try and force myself, knowing we
Learn stuff by repetition, gradually
You can't learn much if you rush it headlong
The meeting was a bit crap, much hot air
Literally, hard staying awake for me
And others... Walked in Regents Park, then some
Chat on the train. Too late for uke! Not fair! :(

3632 - Uke hip

I felt well-rested though I woke early
I went in early, had done lots by lunch
My exercises make me feel burly
And again today, did the stomach crunch
As for laughs at work, there was not a bunch
Although at the start and end, not too bad
My ukulele almost became grunge
At times this evening, playing like I'm mad
Then fried egg, chick peas, but forgot my fad
Of quinoa tonight, but I'm sure I'll be
Having more soon. At work I did not lounge
At lunch - got directions to Sonia's pad
In Florence, from Sonia herself, fancy!
Now, for her language, I must be a sponge!

3631 - Uke can't touch this (part 2)

Woke up early and did the ironing
Then went to work and soon forgot the ache
In my eyes, by working and by talking
Now and then, including a bellyache
About a London trip, and a colleague
Who seems to do nothing of great value
Back home, I didn't exercise - fatigue
Put paid to that - but what I could still do
Was play my uke, and my fingers fair flew
Well, slight exaggeration, but getting
Better at it, for sure, as my technique
From guitar practice helps me adapt to
Only four strings and a different tuning
Next I must do Italian, for God's sake!!

3630 - Bouquet computer

I seem to have spent all evening posting
Pictures on Facebook and saving them to
My computer, and still there's more waiting
To be done. I'm thirsty, so when I'm through
With this sonnet, I'll grab a drink, then view
Newsnight as I then finally relax
Fridge defrosted successfully, some new
Food placed within, exercises done, max
Sit-ups done (fifty), but much time's elapsed
No time to play the uke as hoped. Hoping
To play it tomorrow, and tomorrow
(Shakespeare quote there) if I am not too lax
Or too much of a slacker, in slacks. Think
I've overdone that wordplay. Toodle-oo!

3629 - Strange talking girl

The hot weather's still here, but with showers
We dodged them as we dipped into Starbucks
As usual we talked without much pause
Strange people or sounds, we made funny looks
And she was on her phone a lot. That sucks
Sometimes, but not too bad today. She had
Plum tomatoes, I even tried one, took
A little courage! Success makes us glad
And temporarily, being down is barred
Meanwhile we continue with his and hers
I began my Italian language book
I have a CD, pronunciations heard
Will help me get it right on Tuscan tours
Til we go there, the ticking of the clocks

3628 - Expansions

Slept at Vee's, short morning walk to the bus
Sunny day, very lucky, festivals
Are not nice in the rain and mud. Was nice
At Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, had our fills
Of ice cream and snacks we bought, heard some tales
From Steve Morris, New Order drummer, in
A hot marquee. Scientific details
Of the expanding universe within
Another airless auditorium
Heard a few bands in nearby tents, that plus
A couple of beers downed with rapid swills
Sat opposite the satellite dish, then
Headed to a grassy spot where there was
A good view of the main stage for late thrills

Jean-Michel Jarre was the headline act, but of as much interest to me was the constantly changing patterns on the Jodrell Bank giant telescope / satellite dish. The changing patterns were specially designed by Brian Eno

3627 - Take it easy, take it easy

I went in to work with new gold-brown hair
Was surprised by how few noticed its tint
That's good in the sense it's not too severe
But also disappointing it isn't
As eye-catching as I'd hoped when I spent
Money on it and looked in the mirror
And said 'That looks great!' - it was really meant -
To Lisa behind me, the hairdresser
Tonight's plan to go to Wilmslow on a
Pub crawl has been scuppered. It's only fair
I can't turn up at Vee's at midnight, won't
Get enough sleep before going to Cheshire
For the Bluedot Festival, sitting there
On the grass all day, hope no rainfall slant

3626 - Sun and hair

It's hot in here, these short-lived summer nights
At four o'clock, hastened to Spinningfields
To 'Mr' hairdressers to have highlights
I had backtracked from full hair dye, for squeals
Of horror from my daughter, Jo - appeals
That wrenched my heart, and in the morning when
I awoke, I repented of my feels
And agreed to downgrade - no blond locks. Then
Once sat in the black chair, a discussion
With Lisa changed my mind. My hair's too white
To have grey or white highlights, too concealed
And barely worth it they'd be, and so on
With the blond dye. We both waited for quite
A while, then washed it off, which then revealed...

3625 - Marble-ous

Another hot day. Got home, had a shower
Thought I was going out for a pub quiz
The venue, Marble Bar, Northern Quarter
But it's been called off, cos no quiz there is
I'm relieved, almost as much as Queen Liz
When she heard Di had died in the tunnel
Back in the 90s underneath Paris
Of trad royal behaviour no model
Of her affairs the tabloids were so full
Back to today, glad I'm in, recover
From late-ish night yesterday, and there is
A lot about to happen, a pub crawl
And then the Blue Dot Festival. Prepare
To learn Italian like the Azurris!

3624 - Fine time

The hottest day of the year - oh my God
Still, this won't happen again this summer
(Summer, what's summer?) at least, not this hot
Til me and Jo head to Florence, and there
Rest assured it'll be baking. But where
Will I park, how do I avoid fines, do
Not park on white lines, only blue, nightmare
Potentially, try to avoid police tow
Where your hired car's impounded and you go
To some out of the way place and pay lots
To get it back. Happened in Spain. Prefer
It not to happen again when with Jo
Tonight's comedy was so-so, was not
A total flop, but bit of a bummer

3623 - Food for snort

A warm day back at work, busy morning
Then less happening in the afternoon
Tomorrow, so they say, will be scorching
Maybe the hottest day? Almost as soon
As I got home, I dozed off with eyes on
The TV. Benefited from the nap
By quickly writing songs that should be fun
At tomorrow's comedy night, where claps
And cheers are currency, and if you're crap
You just get silent stares, awkward shuffling
Just eaten the last of the natto beans
Their sliminess reduced by being mixed up
In the pan with baked beans. I'll be eating
More, but first, some seaweed from Chinatown!

3622 - It ain't cool

It's turned out to be a really hot day
It'll be nice for the kids, a hot spell
Just as we're nearing the school holiday
I almost feel like a cold shower. Well
Almost. Well I said almost before, tell
You twice, there's no need to repeat, repeat
I repeat there's no need, that's a double
Repeat, quite a feat, quite sweet, yes my sweet
D'you like that three piece suit, that three piece suite
I would play this wordplay all day but they
Would feel fatigue, an antique you can't sell
I'm doing well down this well, it's complete
Or will be soon, I'm on it, sonnets may
Occupy me til I occupy hell

3621 - Train of distraught

A nice day out with Jo to Mum's, Greasby
Gloomy in the morning, sunny later
Spent ages in the restaurant, Ellie's
They took ages to serve us, but had our
Usual fun chat over chips for dinner
Followed by a dessert, chocolate pudding
Looked at a few old photos back at hers
Then left at six, finding ourselves sitting
On a train at Lime Street, the police calming
Down a bunch of drunk men being noisy
And almost getting violent, stuck in the
Station an extra half hour, thus getting
Jo home later than intended by me
Stayed overnight, left the morning after

Sat 16 July

3620 - Nasty in Nice

Sad evening last night in Nice, southern France
Somewhere that I would like to go next year
A lorry driver, such sad circumstance
The bad luck of the victims can't compare
To anything - it almost makes you scared
To leave the house, to take the slightest risk
To cross the road, or go just anywhere
You could get paranoid, create a list
You could get angry, and create a fist
Things change, and it's not always a romance
Things happen, they are rarely ever fair
Things, like Brexit, things that can get you pissed
Things like boils, things that just need to be lanced
It's just like everything we need to bear

Fri 15 July

3619 - Bean scene

I'm getting hungry but though I'm hungry
I'm not in the mood for more natto beans
It's something that I don't really fancy
So slimy, can't face them by any means
They're OK but you must create plate scenes
That successfully smother all that slime
The most obvious way is with gravy. Green
Mushy peas would do, sauce of any kind
Baked beans in tomato sauce do just fine
But still you know in the vicinity
Are those pesky, so slimy natto beans
You try not to notice them, but your mind
Can't be hoodwinked, your tongue it cleverly
Picks up the presence of those natto beans

3618 - The sunny side of Downing Street

New PM Day, Theresa May is in
Number Ten and is making appointments
So far we know the Chancellor's Hammond
And Johnson's got the Foreign job. Makes sense
In the sense he was Brexit, and he'll fence
And spar with the best of them, though he's seen
As a clown in many quarters, pretence
Even that he was really all that keen
To leave the EU. Live pictures being beamed
From a late sunny Downing Street, some in
Some out, Osborne out the back door, he ends
Back on the back benches, now the new queen
Is reigning secularly, her first grin
Now turned to steely focus, choosing friends

3617 - Natty bed

An annoying day on the whole but did
Plenty of work, with some quite good outcomes
No rain, so wore my shoes, not boots. I sped
Home via the supermarket, did some
Exercises, played uke quite well, awesome
Progress on the little red stringed fella
I have fun strumming, making his strings hum
I also washed Lou's sheets, getting smellier
Or they would be soon, that I can tell ya
Though later he turned up, unexpected
And wasn't pleased, should have stayed at his mum's
He must have argued with her, fell out, yeah?
He was pissed off that his bedding was hid
I promised to restore it with a zoom

3616 - Bullfighting in Britain

It's really hot in here, the heat is on
Just drying clothes on the radiator
In politics one race is on and one
Is over, the Tories being the latter
Theresa May's the new Prime Minister
While for some reason, Angela Eagle
Thinks she's more electable than Labour
Leader Jeremy Corbyn. Laughable!
'Brexit means Brexit' so she tells us all
Marvelous logic, against which no-one
May argue. MAY argue! Hee hee. Haw haw!
With that, she MAY not be too full of bull!
Interesting times, Brexit department soon
To split us from the EU's rules and law

3615 - Natto dread

A long day, back home eleven fifteen
Fun walk round town once more with Josephine
Went to Chinese supermarket for beans
Natto beans, and matcha tea (it's bright green!)
Tried both when at Vee's flat later this e'en
The beans were, without much sauce on, hard goin'
I'll mix them with my food when I'm eatin'
Them in future, maybe gravy, plate clean
No problem. I'm into the health food scene
Quinoa, natto, matcha, coconut, been
Trying them all, it's to preserve my skin
And bones in a fit state so to be seen
Losing my stomach fat, exercisin'
It's all good, hope I keep on, keep keepin'

3614 - Serene and angelic

The first main thing I did today was watch
The Hollow Crown - Richard II. Soon
Afterwards I felt energy dispatched
And dissipated. I tried to resume
My reading of 'The Beach' but little room
For it what with fatigue and Wimbledon
Serena beat Angelique, most assumed
She would, and she did, and with some aplomb
I played my uke after that, technique on
The up, with practice, shows you can self-teach
Can't be bothered with diagrams and runes
I just play, like some hillbilly, or brown
Blues man, maybe a blind man. I then fetched
D and N to Try Thai, good food, good fun

3613 - Youth of yesterday

A fairly quiet day at work, winding down
For the weekend - but busy week next week
(That's three weeks in one line!) Saw Golden Brown
Video from '82 just now. It's stuck
Clearly in my mind, though time's not gone quick
In fact, '82's ages ago now
But youth's memories are clear, they have mystique
And glamour, though shit came both fast and thick
Back then even more than now. Love Plus One
Was another old fave that I'll allow
Is cheesy but nice. It Ain't What You Do
Was shown, not seen that since I don't know how
Shakin' Stevens, fuck, not that boring clown
Again (no, thank God). He's hardly unique...

3612 - Uke can't touch this

My third day's practising the uke, what fun
Gradually playing it better each day
Did exercises too, toughening my tum
50 sit-ups the norm now, pleased to say
Ate my tea, just in time to watch France play
Germany, winning 2-0. France go through
To the final, against Portugal. They
Are favourites, but must watch that Ronaldo
That big battle's on Sunday night, you know
Not much time to rest - just three days and then
They'll have to fight once more - allez, allez!
Meanwhile, the job of PM's between two
Women, Theresa May, Andrea Leadsom
But the big favourite is Theresa May

3611 - Gnashes and Wales

An OK day at work, carried my coat
But didn't need to wear it. Quite a mild
Sort of day, not hot. Back home, was able to gloat
At Wales' defeat, kind of made me smile
After their rejoicing at England's vile
Exit against Iceland. Portugal make
The final, then, without showing much style
They'll play France or Germany. Played the uke
(My new hobby) - makes me feel that I'd like
To get a banjo next, and here's a thought
Why not a mandolin, too? Reconciled
To smaller, more unusual stringed things. Wake
Up folk by doing something different. Vote
For me, win by a country and western mile

3610 - Ukelele UK

Well here we are, it's approaching one o'
Clock in the morning. I felt tired today
A Union Learning Rep meeting over
The road at Trinity Bridge House, then they
Showed me a model office, floors, walls, grey
Comfy chairs everywhere, desks that move up
And down, even TV screens so that they
Can watch the news over lunch. Keeps the troops
Happy, so they say. Practised uke, then dropped
Off at the King's Arms by Dave, what for? For
The Worst Comedy Night. Managed to play
The uke easier than guitar, live, let's hope
I can play and sing live in the future
With a ukelele in the UK

3609 - Radio radio

Knackered - those pricks in the flat next door they
Banged the wall a few times, probably drunk
And crashing into bed last night. Was way
Close to dropping off but repeated thunks
And thuds and bangs disturbed my goal to sink
Into a deep sleep. Awake half the night
Listening to the radio - made me think
About poetry - most of it is shite
By common consent. Only old stuff's quite
Liked, known or understood, like oldsters pay
Only to watch an orchestra that clunks
And scrapes its way thru aged classics. Blight
Of tiredness notwithstanding, a great play
On guitar tonight - played like a mad monk!

3608 - Ingerland Mingerland

More misery for England football fans
If enough didn't exist already
France have scored four, first half, against Iceland
The team England froze in fear against. See
How utterly shit they are, comes to the
Inevitable crunch, they just crumble
They have the strength of custard in the sea
They have the wit of Alzheimer's mumble
They have the skill of litterbug Womble
At the disco they have St Vitus Dance
The England team - not 30 years, 50
Of hurt, humiliation, being humbled
Other teams thrash 'em, they pull down their pants
Three red lines on their arse, pure comedy

3607 - Deceived me into thinking I had something to protect

Showers and ex-world powers falling down
Tomorrow I'll go out and take a coat
We're all out, so they say, with joyful sound
As if walking off is reason to gloat
It was Britain's end when I placed my vote
But more voted to keep it connected
To the imagined national life support
In spite of decades we've genuflected
To the Queen and the States, unelected
Both by us. What anyway in that mound
Of crosses on paper is asked for? Float
Some theories if you like, all created
By the result, but the Queen and the pound
And sameness are treasured in all those hearts

3606 - Dark knight of the sole

It must be England's dark night of the soul
Not only has our football team crashed out
With no excuse whatever possible
Let's face it, we're shit at our national sport
With gentlemanly rules we just about
Managed, but hard work, camaraderie
Working, being together, we fall short
Outside of strict compulsion - the army
Maybe suits us OK with our duty
Drilled into our thick heads, backed up with sole
Of boot on backside, minimum of thought
Needed, and minimum of empathy
Out of the EU, and impossible
To win Eurovision, we're nerds or louts

Fri 1 July