deep hibernation
breath freezes outside blanket
slow rhythmic breathing
wondering whether
cup of tea will make itself
stare into darkness
October 27, 2019
Waiting for spring
February 4, 2015
The next adventure
So starts the next phase. The next adventure. Southbound through a freezing cold English countryside to catch the Eurostar to Paris. City of romance. Hannah is about to start a 6 month stint working for Air France at Charles De Gaulle Airport and she needs to find accommodation.
Dozens of castles are for sale in Italy, apparently.
Adventurous
Seemingly random words and phrases on a journey
The fields en route to the coast are bereft of animals. There is very little grass for them to eat.
Sheep!
going underground
rresurface into grrey frrench febrruary
it’s a month with not much going for it. batten down those hatches. shove another chair leg on the fire, Doreen.
winter has beauty only when it is at its harshest
winter has beauty only at its harshest
winter, harsh beauty
gap in cloud cover above
blue sky
hope
mistletoe visible through barren branches
passed a war cemetery with perhaps 40 or 50 gravestones
February 16, 2013
The frosted trees of Welwyn
The rich folk of the gardens of Welwyn
Think much of their festive frost
And the trees in the parks that surround them
Are painted white and to hell with the cost
January 17, 2013
The gentle snow
The gentle snow fell,
brushing my cheeks
laid bare, the light caress
of a cold lover. Emotionless.
Miniature flakes
filled the sky,
icy promise.
February 4, 2012
a moment in time
when temperatures drop
Greying sky and temperature drop. Shop girl moves pavement display inside. Few pedestrians circulate though two cyclists skid to halt by bookies. Man carries three bags for life. I feel draught and adjust shirt under coat. Baby cries outside post office. Hands in pocket dirty road home city needs a clean. Garage sells all coal. Soups stock’s out in supermarket. A nation anticipates snow.
crowded café
crowded café, quiet murmur
newspapers, smartphones, bacon sandwiches
outside, bright Saturday morning
sun competes with sharp frost,
most customers sit alone
TV switches on, intrudes
nobody watches, except I watch people
and pictures on wall
murmur volume grows
competing with ignorant TV
noisy advertisments
music switches on kitchen
in preference
I notice lights, wonder if dark without
11 am in February
January 22, 2012
Dark Saturday afternoon on Tritton Road
It’s January and everywhere is dark and wet and miserable.
The Lincoln slate sky covers a time of drabness day,
Flat blue-red-brick- beige-grey-dark in the paint-damp-run drizzle,
Orange branding tries vainly to B&Q brighten the desperate place,
Over the neon road, lights just make it though the gloom:
SCS, Pets at Home, Starbucks, Staples, Comet, PC World, Currys
Countrywide conformity reflected in dark and miserable grey.
January 16, 2012
The end of a cold winter’s afternoon, take two – Chambers Farm Woods, Sunday 15th January
A walk in the woods
Lit by winters candle
Subtle colours
Show the frozen way
A breath of purpose
Clouds the trail before us
Hasten home
As night descends on day
January 14, 2012
The end of a cold winter’s afternoon
The half frosted field
And bright twilight
Of the cold winter afternoon
Shadows lengthen
Invisibility cloaks
February 27, 2011
reflections off the bank
wanlit lake, mists, frost, empty trees, swans, frozen sheep, county gate, footpath, bracken bronze copper, hurdle, reflections off the bank
winter, not always dull – beauty lies in its depth.
January 23, 2011
January 7, 2011
A filthy night
A filthy night,
Of penetrating damp,
Ruins the chest,
Kills weak souls,
Bring back ice,
Cleansing frost,
Pristine killer,
Silent execution.
December 26, 2010
year end
The crisp,
quiet ending to a year
that reached crescendo,
celebrated not lamented,
the flickering fire,
log fed, crackles,
fat bellies sprawl
and nothing moves,
a cold induced lock-down
pending new hope.
December 18, 2010
Snow!
As I was asleep in bed,
The little snow fairies came,
They danced in the air,
Bringing snowflakes falling everywhere.
I woke up next morning and guess what I saw,
What the little snow fairies had made,
On the way to the pool (to train of course),
My dad we’re not going to get there,
How disappointed I was but I still got to play in the snow.
So if you look out your window,
And see a land of white,
You’ll know that the snow fairies came.
December 12, 2010
After the snow
The worst has arrived.
Not the drifting, car-swallowing, pristine flurrying whiteness
of the Christmas card
nor the cold cosy backdrop to dim lanterned carollers,
woolly scarves and cheeks aglow.
Instead
ugly ice melt pavement rinks,
reappearing dirty greenery,
pitiful frozen survivors
and a long way to go ‘til spring.