4237 - Build 'em high

Feel OK today, got more energy
Might even go acting tonight although
It's Good Friday. Is it allowed? Don't ask me
It's cheap and it's fun, so I think I'll go
They said the venue would be changing to
Great Northern Warehouse, that's just up Deansgate
If they do that soon, that'll help, you know
It's a shorter walk, and that would be great
A nice n' easy kind of Friday night
Still Newton Street for now, centre city
While I'm in Salford, end of the rainbow
New flats everywhere, property is hot
Since I moved here, they've sprung up around me
Since my 2005 video

4236 - Waiting for my man

Expected a call all afternoon at
Work, but it didn't come, so half-past four
I headed home and then just sat
Waiting, but still no ring, oh what a bore
Where's the washing machine man? This is poor
So I rang him at half-six, and he said
He'd got my number wrong, and so my door
Hadn't opened to him today as led
To believe it would. No, it's been deferred
Til Easter Sunday. Spose I should be grate-
ful that he's available at Easter
But that same day's the moving in of Bart
That could be awkward in my little flat
A busy time, quite stressful, that's for sure

Thur 29 March 

4235 - The science of appliance

Very tired this afternoon, but I still
Did a lot this evening, washing machine
Saga continues. Found pliers but still
Couldn't loosen the screws despite tryin'
Pushed the machine back, ended up phonin'
A washing machine repair man, and he
Is coming round tomorrow afternoon
It'll be a relief to so quickly
Get it sorted before Bart moves in, the
Embarrassment of no machine, until
Days afterwards, after Easter, has been
On my mind. Played uke, ate quorn mince, lovely
Bought some salmon, best fried rather than grilled
Tomorrow night, I'll probably go actin'...

4234 - Song Sung Blue

After last night's late night, I had a bit
Of a lie-in, work went OK, and then
Felt tired, went home, napped on the sofa, sit
Back, settle down, close eyes, with TV on
Felt better, then it was time to go down
To the King's Arms for Worst Comedy Night
A good laugh, with the hopeless denizens
Of Nowheresville, laughing with all our might
At the shit banter, it could cause a fright
But no, it's all good fun, although it's shit
My stuff, largely from last night, was open
Mic gold, tried a new song or two. A right
Good singer turned up, quite the guitarist
Witty, but not as funny in the end

4233 - Deadline to headline

Well well, that was quite eventful, I'd say
Crazy mad day at work, application
Deadline for a new job, promotion way
Then home by 5 but no relaxation
Had to eat, then walk to far side of town
For an open mic night called Shark Comedy
I've meant to go for weeks, but have been down
With an infection, and it's been very
Cold too, snow and ice, and also windy
So it's been a long wait to have my say
But the MCs dragged it out, on and on
Saw an act by my acting chum, Amy
Sadly, she couldn't see my act, away
Cos it was late, but got good reaction

4232 - Four good screws

Nice sunny afternoon, clock's gone forward
So it's really light for just after four
Checked the washing machine, it was quite hard
Moving it cos it got stuck in the floor
But it seems stable enough. There are four
Screws in the back, looks like Cesar was right
They'll all have to be taken out before
I use the machine again, or it might
Break this time round as it spins out of sight
Rocks, rolls and takes off. Comedy-wise, ought
To stick with last week's stuff, not writing more
What's the point when for news this week's been quiet
This stuff's half-learnt, half-decent when re-read
The Putin and Ant and Dec stuff won't bore

4231 - Tunnel of all you need is love

Although I woke early and was quite tired
I knew I'd be OK because it was
A day when I'd be driving in a hired
Car, taking J to the Wirral, Grandma's
House, where we had good craic, was a real buzz
Jo played her indie music all the way
Her phone connected to some small speakers
Listened to her tracks on the motorway
Ate lunch in Greasby, I had pork belly
And chocolate bomb for dessert. Josie had
The idea to drive to Liverpool, caused
The possibility for me to say
Let's drive through the tunnel, and so we did
I'd been driven through it when a small lad

4230 - Acts of the impossibles

Couldn't be arsed with acting when I saw
England / Holland was on live TV, so
I messaged Darren, pulled out, and a roar
Of the lions was heard, albeit low
In confidence! Just played uke, and not slow
Were my fingers, also did exercise
I've done that now for three days in a row
I've opened Carla's wine, one of those buys
That's wasted, stood for three weeks and my eyes
Have barely seen it, it's not proved hard for
Me to leave it alone. Now I don't know
If I'll have one glass or pour more supplies
Of alcohol stomachwards. I don't care
More importantly, no smokes, no no no

4229 - I know the drill

Really went for it tonight uke-wise. How
Much further can I improve? Well, still lots
Of room to improve technique, and to grow
In confidence. As for tomorrow, what's
Lined up? Acting class, have to draw out pots
Of money for it, fifty quid's the bill
Still, that's hardly an exorbitant cost
For four weeks of nearly three hours of drill
In how to look like you mean it, look real
Not sure how many more I'll need to go
To though, maybe four more, then I'll be quits
All I want is the basic principle
And I'm almost there, like a milk-filled cow
Ready to be emptied with violent spurts

4228 - Wash it, mate

I felt healthy today, so when I got
Back home I did my first exercises
For two months. Last time I did it I hurt
My leg muscle so bad, was limping as
I trudged slowly along in the office
And since then I had a cold, and then I
Caught quite a bad case of tonsillitis
So this evening, a twinkle in my eye
I've done that, and done some washing, but why
Was the new machine so unstable. Lurched
All over the place as the spin progressed
For tea, a slice of mince and onion pie
Played uke, and confirmed the next lodger's Bart
A lad from Poland, moves in April First

4227 - It was a clean machine

A pleasant day, it's warmed up quite a bit
Tom Plumb came, plumbed in the washing machine
The old one's disconnected, decrepit
It's an old grey washing machine has-been
It's high and dryer, it's health isn't clean
From any useful life it has tumbled
Its last, stuck fast outside, and that's no spin
The time has now gone when my hands fumbled
Inside, after it made the flat rumble,
For clean clothes, ten years' use I got from it
Of washing machines it's been the white queen
But eventually this monarch crumbled
Things have come to a head in a basket
The new white washing machine looks pristeen

4226 - Uptown no thanking

Woke in the middle of the night, struggled
To get back to sleep, thought 'bout getting up
Thought, no it's too cold, no I'll stay snuggled
And eventually, I managed to drop
Off for a while. I thought that I had topped
Up my energy levels, and I would
Be able to do Shark Comedy. Flopped
Once I left the office. Felt OK but
The doc said I looked tired, and so I thought
I'd forget about going out, smuggle
Myself into the bar, uptown, wrapped up
Against the northern freeze, and then to put
Myself through stress waiting for the bugle
Call of the compere, hope I don't fuck up

4225 - Busy doin' nothing (number 1269)

A fairly busy day but not much done
Does that make sense? I think I'm trying to say
I did a lot but nothing that will come
To rival some great things back in the day
Like writing rules of some new sport to play
Composing a symphony or a waltz
Writing a classic novel or a play
But who cares, not everything is my fault
Best to take it all with a pinch of salt
Showed a Polish lad the flat, he might come
Here, I'll know by Tuesday. Need the money!!
It's been snowing this weekend. Hope it melts
And spring can begin with some warmth and sun
Pretty though snow is, it ain't Christmas Day!

4224 - Leaky boat

Life's a heady brew, drink it while you can
Intoxicating, if you take it in
And drink it all up from bottle or can
The more you take, the more it makes you spin
In sympathy with the globe revolving
It makes us feel sick of course, now and then
It's up to us to keep on strengthening
Keep growing, and when cold winds blow, we bend
Biding our time until the time comes when
It all ends, I mean all goes in the can
Our senses no longer record the scene
And it will not concern us what happens
We're all in this boat on this big ocean
So let's make the most until the sinking

4223 - Out and out fun

Out for a work lunch at Beastro, it's good
Value for money, might go there again
First weekend for a while I'm feeling good
Enough to go out and see Josephine
May be an opportunity to dine
At Beastro for a second day running
But back to Friday, after that, more goin'
Out, this time to drink, ended up missing
Acting class, first time for a while drinking
Now that I've taken all my pills, I could
Indulge, and had chats with Claire and Helen
Then later Steve turned up, an amusing
Cock-up of a day for him. Drunk by God
By the time I got home at God knows when

4222 - Ice cream for no-one

I'm nearing the end of my super pills
That have revived me from a throaty hell
Thanks to the NHS there were few bills
Along the way going from ill to well
A fun day at work with stories to tell
And the odd joke of course to make things cool
Oh bollocks, talking of cool things, it's still
In the freezer at work, my ice cream. Fool!
My cardy's in the King's Arms, I should call
In there and reclaim it, or someone will
Throw it away or keep it for themselves
Tonight played uke, went back to music school
On Spotify, some good oldies revealed
Forgotten sounds with insistent appeal

4221 - A cool room

Didn't need painkillers today for throat
Although slight headache, from last night's two pints?
Two pints is almost nothing. Surely not
Probably it's the mix of beer and meds - don't
Mix things like that, or you're missing the point
Feel better now, maybe it's the office
Was hot and stuffy today in the joint
My cooler flat is comparative bliss
Strange to say at a time of snow and ice
As this weekend may be, that I should gloat
About needing no heating. Must've joined
The land of the living again, I guess
Music playing, the kind that floats my boat
As the daily grind grows ever more faint

4220 - States of mind

All this poisoning nonsense, it's too much
I'm frightened to eat, I'm anorexic
These Russians rush in, and then they all rush
Out again, leaving stuff that makes you sick
Vlad Putin's a nice guy, he ain't a prick
Say RT TV Channel, which I watch
Or did, but now the signal's gone. Frantic
Reporting leaves your head real clean, brainwashed
Whether it's here or there, English or Scotch
Yankee or Yangtse, they all want to push
Your train of thought down their track, click clack click
Your freedom's fragile and easy to squash
We're tools of states run by the very rich
Competitive by nature, hear them bitch

4219 - Dosey dose

Felt better today, even though not got
Enough sleep last night. Long day's work and then
A longish evening, watched news, such a lot
Of fuss about poisoners, some Russian
Some say they had been sent on a mission
From the Kremlin to kill a former spy
And what's left of his family. Then on
With the ukulele, let fingers fly!
I'm getting slowly better, by and by
Ten past eleven's today's final slot
For another dose of penicillin
Til then I'm watchin' a documentary
'Bout roots rocker, Blacker Dread, who got put
In Brixton jail for money launderin'

4218 - Julius Sneezer

Wow, I feel so much better today, hey
In every possible way today, hey
I woke up and my throat didn't hurt, Bert
I didn't feel tired or cold, hey Arnold
I didn't need covering by a towel, Hywel
Painkillers? Barely need 'em now, mein frau
Went walking while it was sunny, honey
Tickets for Julius Caesar, Ebenezer
But got there too soon to buy 'em, Graham
This penicillin's killin' the germ, Derm
Been eatin' less, I'm no fat man, Batman
Can't wait to exercise and get fit, Britt
Improved my well-being ratio, Horatio
Wow, I feel so much better today, hey!

4217 - The cure

Today's been just a continuation
Of last night, really. So tired, kept dozing
Off. I'm off codeine now, I'm only on
Paracetamol and ibuprofen
Plus of course, the cure, my penicillin
Despite the heat being on, I was so cold
I had to use a towel as covering
Sat on the sofa, dozing. Teatime, bold
Enough to venture to Sainsburys, told
Myself I must get more painkillers in
Before night-time comes, guarantee sleeping
Being ill reminds me of childhood, told
By Mum I could skip school, tucked up, and soon
Happily daytime radio listening

4216 - Evening rain

This is a day late, cos last night I felt
Too tired to do much, combined with the pain
I sat on the sofa, only impelled
To keep taking the painkillers. Putin
Was on the box, a power-hungry man
They keep featuring on the news each day
The poisoning of an ex-spy by Russians
Still gathering evidence, but that's the way
It looks. Still talking about yesterday
Acting class, no chance. Had to be cancelled
Especially as they forecast evening rain
The class went ahead but I stayed away
Felt terribly cold and tired and unwell
Somehow got to sleep, in bed, warm again

Fri 9 March

4215 - This Boots was made for walk-in

The co-codamol has quite knocked me out
I've been taking it longer than I should
It's highly addictive, you're not allowed
To take it for more than three days, so said
The nurse at the NHS walk-in pad
Above Boots, as she examined my throat
And made me say 'Ah!' My tonsils looked bad
Inflamed, I got penicillin prescribed
Better than ten days in pain while I wait
For my doc's appointment - don't think I could
It hurts even with painkillers now. Hard
Concentrating at work, hard sleeping. Let's
Hope the penicillin kicks in real good
Tonight could be nasty, no rest in bed

4214 - The Railway Adults

Still feeling poorly, but four interviews
Done today in TBH with John G
And Lisa B. No energy to do
Much tonight. Felt OK last night, oddly
And enjoyed it being warmer than lately
Did well in the Railway pub quiz, even
Getting 10 out of 10 in geography
Three bottles of beer downed, but later, when
In bed, my sore throat made a swift return
Did the beer in my blood somehow undo
The painkillers' effect? Popped in to see
If I could get an appointment, but none
Til two Mondays away. Hope this pain goes
It's got worse today, quite noticeably

4213 - We had joy

Am waiting to go down The Railway for
The monthly pub quiz, what we used to win
But nowadays we just never come near
Five points behind, or is it nearer ten?
Are some of them cheating, using their phone?
Thank God it's back to normal, weather-wise
The Beast from the East and the snows are gone
From Manchester and Salford streets, and ice
Has melted and drained away like the sighs
Of love. As spring approaches with its store
Of light and life, new hope is still growing
Green shoots that never seem to compromise
Their aim is the sun, to catch what it pours
Upon the earth from far distant heaven

4212 - I can do that

Interviewing tomorrow, so today
Was mainly taken up with preparing
For that, reading what guidance has to say
I'm going to wash my hair, then selecting
A suit to wear, or maybe just something
A bit smart, like a shirt and tie combo
After all, I am not the ones trying
To impress wearing their best gear, oh no
Thank God, I'm sick of that shit, had to go
Through that ordeal enough not far away
Last autumn, bullshit feedback, just can't win
Said too much, or not enough, can't get through
Still waiting for that job to come my way
The one time I did get a good marking

4211 - Energy taxed

Just had to have some afternoon shut-eye
Two late nights, two nights not enough sleep, but
Now I feel better, especially since I
Dreamed I was at work, and two women sat
Opposite were playing percussion, tapped
The desktops with their hands in samba style
Now I have energy, and when I've typed
This, may play uke, or read, while the football
Is on the radio. Another swill
Of clothes by hand in the bath, getting by
Without a washing machine - mine's kaput
The new one, a Beko, won't get here til
Another week or thereabouts. Bye bye
Wenger - Arsenal have really lost the plot

4210 - Cold day in Hull

A long day, woke early for Saturday
6:30am, had breakfast, I caught
The news, then an 8am film they say
Is good, about aliens, should they abort
The human race, ultimate lesson taught
Us for our wicked ways, spreading evil
I don't want to give the end away but
I can't resist. It looked bad, ended well
But that's films. It was on Horror Channel
I don't think it was horror. Time of day
Maybe meant they can't show films of that sort
Likely to shock. Kids might be watching. Shall
We pretend they don't watch bad stuff these days?
Like adults, they just don't do what they ought

4209 - Going for cold

Last night Carla couldn't come - so the wine
Just stood there in the kitchen, left alone
Next weekend instead, that is party time
Tomorrow, meeting N, but tonight, some
Acting, run by Emma all on her own
Some fun exchanges, and a tricky scene
We all had to play, in our own way, none
Doing it quite the same. Lately it's been
Freeeeezing, like Arctic, babe, know what I mean?
Was glad to get home, not as many goin'
Out as normal, well that's what I reckon
To our warm homes at night, rightly fleein'
Got better meds from pharmacy, mornin'
Hopefully, a good night's sleep's still to come...

4208 - Present and incorrect

Still tired, and what with this cold weather, John
Quite rightly cancelled our meet-up tonight
Leaving just two people to see. First Stan
Who's viewing the flat. Second, Carla might
Stop by before her party, celebrate
Her birthday. Oh shit, I've not bought a card
Or any kind of present. A bit late
Now, but maybe when Stan's gone, afterwards
I can nip to Sainsburys. Will be hard
To buy a present, a small enough one
To fit in her bag. It might have to fight
For room in there with what others have bought
She's meeting Debbie first, I think, so when
She's done that, she can meet me in the flat!