5605 - The ultimate penultimate

New Year’s Eve Eve, 30th of January 

The penultimate day of ‘21

And it was significant though sadly 

Helen was too tired to join me for fun 

And see the Blackpool illuminations 

But it was horrid, grey, dark and raining ☔️ 

And I knew already - Neil had warned 

Me of how she was looking and feeling 

And I thought it wouldn’t be exciting 

Or even worth doing seeing as she

Was not happy or well. Then later on

She messaged again, apologising 

Saying she was unhappy. Live with me

Instead, I replied to the lovely hun 

Thur 30 January 

5604 - Day completely off

This was a day completely off, lazy

Perhaps but went shopping and cleaned the flat 

Looked in TK Maxx but little to see

Got two vouchers , forty quids worth, but that 

Might have to wait til I’m in town - you get 

A bigger store, more choice. And what else done?

Guitar and watching tv, that’s been it

Operation Daybreak was a good one

About the Czechs who killed Heydrich. The gun

Jamming was a tense moment, certainly 

Now there’s a series on Franco I’ll put

On, see if it’s good. Spose I can’t complain 

Can’t do much with this sore mouth anyway 

Painkillers are helping me get through it

5603 - Visiting Grandma

Not seen my mum (Josephine’s grandma) for

Quite a while, so a nice Christmas visit 

With J was great in my hired white car

My mouth is burnt and sore - whisky spirit 

Has burned quite badly the upper palate

Almost all food and drink is agony 

So though there were snacks I struggled to eat

Egg sandwiches but the crusts? Not for me!

No crisps, even nervous about Pepsi 😀

Robin was there too. So our group of four

Had a good chat before we had to flit

Took J back to Wilmslow, dark motorway 

Back home , watched Friday Dinner, football scores

And a murder film, A Is For Acid!

5602 - Bank holiday drive

Today was about collecting my car

From Budget Cars, at Manchester Airport 

To get there was a terrible palaver 

From Terminal 2, had to go by foot 

To Terminal 1, then I found the spot

Bus Stop D, to the car rental village 

A ten minute bus journey. I had got

A nice white Citroen. Jo had messaged 

Was I free, I said yes, and I arranged 

To drive the short distance to her house where

I picked her up. The first stop was Knutsford

Mostly closed, nothing to do. Some mileage 

To Stoke , then Leek, then Meerbrook and round there

The hills round Wincle. Country drives - great sport!

Mon 27 Dec

5601 - Boxing 🥊 Day highlights

Highlights? Bit of an exaggeration 

Since didn’t really do much, Boxing Day 

The main thing I recall, a marathon 

TV session, 3 films watched. These were they -

Somme, a World War One documentary 

Then Toryboy, then Brexitannia

Then ended viewing with Match of the Day

It was fun to sit there but not all there

As time grew late I started to beware 

Knowing I’d a car to collect in some 

Few hours from the airport on the next day 

So I shuffled reluctantly elsewhere 

Like bed, for instance. I was there by one

So those are my highlights of Boxing Day !

Sun 26 Dec

5600 - Christmas Day I must say

And so here we are once again, although 

This day’s no more frequent than 10th of March

Or 23rd of August, as we know 

But we mark its return and then make such

A big deal of it, like we’re kids who clutch

At presents and chocolates early morning 

As if that childlike excitement can switch

On decades later. It’s a gathering 

That’s only necessary if meeting 

Up with kids and grandkids, snow or no snow 

How did I entertain myself? I hatched 

A plan to cook roast spuds, and succeeding 

So tasty!  Want to cook more tomorrow 

I deserve a good cookery award badge!

Sat 25 Dec

5599 - Christmas Eve I do believe

Off work today, a Friday, did cleaning 

Plant watering, bit of reading (Complete Merde)

Then met Josephine in town, us eating 

And catching up at Wagamama- her

Decision of venue. My curry would 

Have been nicer even though it was spicy 

If with those pieces of pepper they had

Chopped them up a bit more. Walked on, then we

Saw a big pick n mix sweet stall. Costly 

Though. Had to hand most back, the price shocking 

At fifty-five quid for two bags. Unheard

Of, worse even than cinemas! Then she

Caught the Wilmslow train. 15k walking 

For me, furthest for quite a while, quite proud

Fri 24 December 

5598 - Energy returns!

After a few days smoking, and a clean 

Evening yesterday, woke at 6:15

Realising I’d slept 7 hours so could gain 

Some time by getting up. Last work day, then

It’s Christmas Eve, and I’m off work again 

Until the fourth of January. Yippee!

I reviewed what Kim did yesterday, seemed

Worth doing, cos there were errors plenty 

Then updated the slides for SLT

And then the satisfying thing, I’ve been 

In a great mood since applied for jobs. Soon

As I did that, I changed enthusiastically 

Into my gym clothes, went, did my routine 

Then back home, thrashed guitar something obscene 

5597 - Chop chop

Chops for tea, lamb of course, very tasty 

With rice, too, as the pasta has all gone 

Although compared to chicken it’s bony

And they were short on fat, so that’s no fun

I need to safeguard my liver and lungs

At least for one night, so maybe I can 

Go to the gym tomorrow when work’s done 

Desperate not just for fitness but to stand 

In the gym shower, wash my hair, clean again 

Can’t face my own shower - he’s made it dirty

Not cleaning it. Disgusting 🤢 Moving on

To the rest of tonight, a one night ban

On anything that might make me happy 

I’m bored already. Shame not round Helen’s

5596 - Fourth night

That’s the last of that and it took four nights 

Listening to Spotify in the bedroom 

The night is dark but inside there’s soft lights 

It’s hard to concentrate with these earphones 

It’s a selection of cover versions 

Tonight the musical mood is mellow 

Rare chance for chanteuses to fill the room 

Oh now a man’s singing but it’s quite slow 

What’s this song anyway? Well I don’t know 

There needs to be a host for parasites 

Yet I don’t recognise all of these tunes

More gentle acoustic guitar strum flow

Ah a Beatles song! That I recognise! 

And now someone is singing In My Room

5595 - Application application

I applied myself to my applying 

And that’s application application 

I hope they apply them to replying 

And that’s application application 

No reply’s application frustration 

A celebration was in store with haste

It was laid on without hesitation 

And furnished with the best possible taste 

The opportunity was not disgraced

The magic of music mystifying 

Stationary sensation a station 

At which a great time should and has been placed

But it can turn boring lying flying 

To get up can take some application 

5594 - Guitar afternoon

For a while there I couldn’t remember 

What I’d done today. Convinced I’d gone out 

But where?  My phone tells me I’ve gone nowhere 

And so rather than me IT is right 

Funny how such a guitar session might 

Be so soon forgotten though still so good 

This afternoon axe session was a beaut 

I played for around three hours in a mood

Of doing what I was born to do and should 

Have got into earlier. Okay, the year 

I got my first guitar, ‘82 it

Was, is an age ago, but still I would 

Like to have started it even earlier 

You must start young, try to reach the top spot 

5593 - Go Van Gogh

Went to the Van Gogh show, Media City

Should have been me and Helen but I met

Johnny and Claire there, not intentionally 

Helen sent them both her and my ticket 

Luckily we all got in at separate 

Times, three of us with two tickets. Nearly 

Another twist to the tale there! We sat

In this big marquee on the floor to see

A display of his paintings accompanied 

By music, quotes from his letters, a lot

Of plastic sunflowers, seemed quite poor to me

For 24 quid. Me, Claire and Johnny 

Went for a pint, so inevitably 

Had more back home. Watched Calibre. Great Scot!

Sat 18 Dec

5592 - Found rag

Made it up with Helen Friday morning 

While working and messaging Josephine 

Put successes on the team spreadsheet. Sing

My own praises for a change. I’ve not seen 

The opportunity too often. Been 

Trying to finish this stuff for so long 

Now heading towards Christmas with a grin 

Sadly didn’t put right all of the wrong 

Helen’ll miss the Van Gogh exhibition 

Mainly because the Covid’s worrying 

I’m mainly to blame. I acted quite mean 

Fri 17 Dec

5591 - Lost rag

I lost my rag last night with Helen. Sent

Some unpleasant messages following 

The non-record playing night that we spent 

Last Saturday and part Sunday morning 

It had grown in my head, got maddening 

I didn’t like the way the previous night 

She’d laughed about it, thought I was joking 

But I was annoyed, I wanted a fight 

It had to wait until today, my spite

Was now ready to burst. Released some pent 

Up anger in the morning while working 

And then started drinking while it’s still light 

And later on went into message rant

Sent some that were extremely insulting 

Thur 16 Dec

5590 - Covsquid Game

I continue with COVID Omicron 

And with Squid Game, though it’s frankly stupid

But felt much better. Cut hair in the morn

Before work. Worked okay, did what I did 

Then after that, you know what I fancied 

A bloody good session on the guitar 

So of the Omicron took little heed

Maybe tomorrow I’ll be in some bar

Getting pissed, my recovery’s come so far

But no, I’m isolating, must stay home 

No loss of appetite, keeping well-fed

Some fellow Friday nighters tested Ja

They’re on the sick, don’t need my test, not when

I’ve got all the symptoms. Isolated!

5589 - Have I caught the virus?

Just been reading symptoms of Omicron 

It fits closely with how I feel today 

Achy muscles, scratchy cough going on

Slight fever, tiredness lasting two days 

But didn’t sleep much last night, so I say

To myself,,that’s why I’m tired. Didn’t think 

I might’ve caught it, but those symptoms, they 

Convince me that I’ve been incubating 

It, and it’s now finally manifesting 

Itself. Quite excited, have hoped to come 

Down with it, get it over with, the fray

Won by my antibodies, I’m hoping 

So I’ll be immune. But seeing Helen 

May have to be postponed this Saturday 

5588 - Bug game

Watching Squid Game but feeling not so good 

Think I caught a bug. Coughed lots, now feel cold

Hot water bottle night for me. I should 

Shudder and shake less. Last night , seemed I rolled

The covers everywhere, sheet came loose. Spoiled 

Early start chances gone, but I thought I’d 

Be ok cos sleep returned. Brains feel boiled 

Though, and coldness is conquering all sides 

Gym on Wednesday unlikely. No bike rides

Or cross trainer or push-ups. Wish I could 

But I’ve caught a bug - don’t need to be told 

Maybe the pubs last Friday night complied 

(In there, no rules anyway), but was hard

To move, so packed that bugs spread uncontrolled 

5587 - Day of rest?

Sunday, the day of rest, but got no rest

Until some time after six thirty when 

It ended and a small couch was the best 

I could get. There was sick on the big one

But before you ask, no it wasn’t mine 

A surreal comedy-tinged real-life play 

I was shocked when someone told me the time 

Six thirty in the morning. No duvet 

The one she gave me had to throw away 

It had sick on it - well, I just detest 

A sicky duvet - I prefer them clean 

Bus home mid-afternoon. Always sad day 

When leaving hers. Now I am going to rest 

Three nights of misbehaviour must now end!

5586 - Long day’s session into day

Had a good night, had a good night, had a

Good night. Repetition by The Fall played

And repetition characterised the 

Whole proceedings. Like, Where’s my card

Where’s she, where’s he, where are they, do we need 

To go out in the car and get them here

And get this and that, needed to keep speed

Down, but strangely, down became up, strange fear 

Gripped me, but I couldn’t ask. Then from where

To safety, Royle Family or crime film noir

Breathless when breath needed the most, it made

The Velvets the only solution, clear

White light - need to see where to put my head 

Sat 11 Dec

5585 - Christmas do’s and don’ts

It’s office Christmas do time once again 

Mealtime 1pm down Abel Heywood 

A pub in the Northern Quarter. Was one

Crowded place as the evening went on. Could 

Have stayed but the team leader said we should 

Relocate somewhere else. The Unicorn 

Was where he led us. We weren’t consulted 

But it worked out well, space to sit, and fun

Was had by all. Got told off by someone 

Though, hand on her leg, she said can’t be done 

So I had to remove it, though I had

Touched her two years ago when she was drunk 

Maybe it was too soon, she’d not yet gone 

Down the beery slope to want to act bad

Fri 10 Dec 

5584 - Cold play

I’m sitting in my bedroom listening to 

Jacqes Brel and knocking back the good red wine 

It’s cold to be sure with the window view 

But I can’t help it, winter is so fine  

Nobody can stop it, earth has a line

It must follow and we’re prisoners on it

We must tolerate higher powers, find

A way to get through. Though the cold is shit 

We can’t argue against global visit

On its course from the red to the deep blue

No, this is what each generation minds

They invent Christmas to lift their spirit 

And Slade do their bit, and it does revive you 

With Father Christmas nonsense from old time 

5583 - Slim gym

I’m still quite slim from going down the gym

And though I’ve taken two months off, I’m back 

Like I was never gone, but I’m taking 

Things easier than before, or heart attack 

Is a risk. Press-ups strength I seemed to lack 

But that could be because of cross-trainer

Strain on different arm muscles. Meant to stick

To 20 minutes cycling but never

Got off the saddle until the half-hour

Was up. Likewise the half hour following 

Taken up on the cross-trainer, but stuck 

To my resolve to take things easier 

A cool way to spend a midweek evening 

Enjoyed it though the night was cold and black 

5582 - Yo Yo

I was like a yo yo today, walked to

The office and then walked back home again 

Then walked to the office again anew

Then home again, again, the reason bein’

I left my laptop charger there. Seein’

It missin’ from my bag on emptyin’ it

When I got home the first time, felt like cryin’

But you have to deal with this type of shit

Sometimes in life, an’ so the road I hit

In the cold wind, hoping I didn’t do 

Damage to my achey right leg with an

Unnecessary strain on it. It hurt

Slightly, will take painkillers later. Two

Should be enough to nullify the pain 

5581 - I did what I had to do

Yes I did what I had to do , sure thing

I worked hard finishing the work I had

By the end was I glad at finishing 

This piece of work that almost drove me mad

In fact there’s been worse work. Wasn’t so bad

But some stupid meetings got in the way 

Preventin me from finishing it good 

And early. At least I had things to say

In those meetings, proved I was awake. They

Can’t half be tedious, mind-numbingly boring 

In the office tomorrow so I’m glad

I can move on to other work. The day

In the office is usually time wasting 

Anyway. Too much talk, not enough did….

5580 - Active Sunday

It’s been an active Sunday, not just sat

Gym and swim this morning but right leg sore

From long walks. I think, I’ve noticed it hurt

For weeks now. I thought walking was fine for 

My health, unlike running, but my leg’s poor 

So no more long walks for a while. Clothes washed

Then plucked up willpower to unpack speakers 

That have been sat there in their cardboard box

For weeks. Sorted out my bedroom with lots

Of cleaning, moving things, a fluffy mat

Now covers all my CDs. The idea

To make it groovier-looking. Got the cords

And cables ready, speakers, keyboard. Might 

Add coloured lights for studio atmosphere !

5579 - Brrr 🥶

There’s nothing much to say today but Brrr 🥶 

Another day in this prolonged cold spell 

Woke up to Gerard‘a clothing everywhere 

Put it on radiators. Then got well

Into reading Name of the Rose. I felt

I needed new books quick so I bought four

For 50p each. Guitar session, full

Three hours, played Spotify faves of the year 

Hope to set up keyboard soon, with speakers 

Tomorrow after keep fit, I’ll be there

In my room, tinkling ivories. Been a real 

Delay. Bought keys in June. Lazy bugger!

Finished that book. Started new one - the cars

Of the 70s! Then watched EFL

5578 - Another cold walk

Worked well for a while but then my willpower 

Crumbled on a Friday afternoon so

I nipped to the shop but too cold for beer

Decided on wine, less pissiing to do 

Sat outside for a while but turning blue 

So listened to my music safe inside 

Spotify’s year-end fave artists review 

Beatles, Sparks, Fifth Dimension tracks beside 

Podcast interviews. Then I went outside 

Time to stretch my legs in the cold weather 

Genesis, Paul Weller, Abba, come, go

Through my ears on my Shanks’ pony ride

Once back I fried diced beef for my dinner 

With curry sauce. Some left for tomorrow 

5577 - Once more battling the cold in the flat

Once more battling the cold in this here flat

Trying to limit the times I turn it on

The strange thing I find is if you go out

When it felt cold inside before, it can

Often seem warm inside when you return 

I just conducted this experiment 

Was really chilling out just sitting down 

Watching a film on London gangsters. Went

To Sainsbury’s, got curry ingredients 

For tomorrow, a Friday teatime treat 

A nice hot mouth at least will be such fun 

And stomach too, when the curry descends

I need to defrost the fridge but will that 

Be possible in this cold? Dunno, man…

5576 - San Miguel

So I started off with a bottle of wine 

I didn’t finish it but got quite pissed 

I headed to town and I met Helen 

Outside the Lost Dene and we reminisced 

Over a pint or two, nothing was missed 

Then we moved on to the Mitre close to 

Manchester Cathedral where the concert is

The first half was Corelli, Mozart too

Then Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, I’ve not viewed 

It live before but now I have and then 

The Mitre once again but she was whisked 

Off by an Uber, leaving me with you

Know who, myself, and I’m sat here alone 

Pissed, need to get home soon, oh how I wish!