I don’t normally write the blog in a “I’ve done this” style. Lets face it, when I do, no-one, including me, is interested in what I say.

Even so.

Just back from the pub. Back from several pubs. I decided it would be good to see people. No-one’s phone was answered though, nor email, so that didn’t help. The first pub was full of people watching some sort of football game and not people I know. So I came back, enjoying the bike ride if nothing else.

Then to somewhere in town. Allegedly jazz. Could have been good. Wasn’t. Still, it was fun dodging pedestrians on the bike.

And so finally to the pubs around the corner. After all, I do actually know people who live around the corner, and although I seem only rarely to see them, on the occasions when it does happen it is sometimes in the pub.

But no.

The last pub, the Lescar, had a DJ. It also had a barmaid who looked like sporty spice. But mainly it had a DJ. Unfortunately, the DJ’s talents extended to hiding 30 seconds of genius amongst an endless tirade of shit. So I came home. Which is a shame. As I’m now bored.

Enough trite snippety musing. Back to trite poetry and writing.

Woo.

One time it had been raining. Was raining. Fairly hard, but it was Wales so it was what we expected. Each time we saw a storm cloud we blamed the cubs, or the scouts. They were bound to be camping, somewhere, and that was normally the problem.

We’d seen the scouts earlier in the day. They were looking miserable, in a field, for their field misery badge.

But this was our holiday. The red rover, when it worked, was big enough for us all to sit comfortably and have our packed lunch, all salad and sandwiches, probably some hard boiled eggs and roast beef, and maybe some marmite and jam.

We’d had that, on a road high in the hills, trapped between a million sets of gates that we were careful to open and close to stop the sheep or the farmers from escaping, which meant that one of us had to get out of the car act as gatekeeper. That day I had escaped, pretty much. We’d laughed as the car had gone over the cattle grids, and had ended up, in the early afternoon, by Harlich castle.

This was thee nearest castle to where we were staying. Coincidentally, or maybe because of its location, it was also our favourite. We wanted to look round. The rain was coming down, but this didn’t seem to matter. So we parked, paid up, and tramped up the wooden stairs from the front, where once there had been a moat. If the weather continued much as it was, it would soon be full again.

It must have been the early 1980s. Folding macs, that could then be attached to a belt, were all the rage. At least in our house. Always be prepared. Never know when Arkala will try to drown you. We all had green and blue macs, but Dad’s was red, and bright red at that.

The castle was fairly quiet that day, because most people didn’t want to battle the rain. “Follow the little red man” called out the leader, and we followed him around the grounds as he repeated his cry, pied piper style but without the necessity to kill us all at the end of the story.

It was maybe the quickest that we had ever looked around the place, but we did it, and we were pleased.

Later, when we were home, we sat in the big lounge and watched TV before bed, and wondered whether the scout tents could float.

Vampire beatles

I love you

yeah, yeah, yeah

I love you

yeah, yeah, yeah

and I know that it will last

thoughout the night

When I am here

I make you feel alright

until you see my teeth, and

I hold you in my bite

cos I love you

yeah, yeah, yeah

I love you

yeah, yeah, yeah

and I know that it will last

thoughout the night

(Repeat ad nauseum for the next 30 years.)

Fixed vision

when you lie back on the hill top
and watch the clouds move
with uncertain speed
sun baking your skin

the birds can be heard
sometimes seen
as they fly, overhead
and
the sounds of the trees
catching the wind

staring out there
on a beautiful day
makes you realise
just exactly how
small
is the world
that still you can’t master

Saving plan

I am saving all my money for a new life
a place with satin sheets
and a butler

I’m looking ahead
for the time when all the bills will be paid
and the food in the cupboard
will be edible

I like the thought
that all this will change
what there is now
and the scope for the future

so I’m staking it all
at one quid a go
sometimes more
on the lottery, and bingo

– You are in a web of snippety musings.

– In front of you there is a portal into

– another world.

Look around.

– There is nothing of any note here.

Call out

– Your colleagues in the office ask what

– is wrong

Examine portal

– The portal lists words in white on a

– black background.

– Some words are underlined.

Read words

– The words do not make sense.

Shout “Nads”

– There is no need to bring all adventure

– games down to the same level.