Today I am going to be ‘pre-assessed’,

So with luck my problems will be addressed,

It’s quaintly referred to as the ‘pre-op’,

Which suggests that my bladder stone’s up for the chop,

And a date will be set to whip out the stone,

So then I can afford to be ‘home alone’,

I don’t want another darned week to be lost,

So reader, I beg you, keep your fingers crossed!

Quite Intelligent? Oh, for heaven’s sake, please!

This show will titillate, test and tease,

It’ll make you laugh, I think you’ll find,

Whilst challenging memory, stretching your mind,

I might be prone to hyperbole,

But it’s one of the best shows on British TV,

It’ll challenge, amuse and edify,

It’s the programme presented by Stephen Fry,

To this show superlatives only apply,

It’s disconcerting, diverting, subverting Q.I.

If you want to know what I really love,

What fits poached egg and muffin like a well-worn glove,

Then my dear, my own true love,

Make me hollandaise.

Supposing though, you have a steak,

Of which you think I might partake,

My darling, please, give me a break,

And make me some bearnaise.

There’s nothing like these marvellous sauces,

If you don’t know how to make them, then hold your horses,

They beautify all savoury courses,

Serving them always pays.

There’s simply nothing like this spear,

To make me grin from ear to ear,

Like many another foodie nutter,

I like it steamed, then drenched in butter,

Then give it just a lemon squeeze,

Asparagus? Ooh, lord, yes please!

I have used Seth Johnson’s photos to illustrate my poems several times, so I thought it was about time I encouraged you to visit his blog…

Please let me introduce to you Seth Snap,

A blog that’s a sophisticated trap,

Because you’re seduced by its wonderful photos,

Every one of which simply brilliantly shows,

A singular, idiosyncratic view,

That makes you see the world anew.

He is a truly gifted amateur,

And you will become a connoisseur,

Of birds, of trees, of houses on hills,

Of moons, of woods, of babbling rills.

So I suggest you go and acquaint yourself,

And don’t leave this blog on the’maybe shelf’!

It’s a blog of beauty, a blog of vision,

A blog of photographic verve and precision!

[ http://www.sethsnap.com ]

YOU.

You make me brave.

You make me strong.

You make me fearless.

You make me believe that anything’s possible.

That there is nothing I cannot do,

I will accomplish the unimaginable.

Conquer the world.

And all this since the moment

You vanquished me….

It is my darling heart’s birthday today, and this is one of my birthday presents to her….Happy Birthday my darling, the truly wonderful Anita-Clare Field!

My past’s contained in sound bites,
Wed, yet not a pigeon pair,
Fights and sleights, yet few insights,
It felt like solitaire.

Then you walked into my life,
A wounded creature too,
You too’d felt heartache, torture, strife,
Felt the world askew.

I think we saved each other,
From feeling lost and sad,
And scared and kind of smothered,
In a place gone bad and mad.

And now, each time I see your face,
It’s like the world’s been forged anew,
And all my happiness and grace,
Is bound firmly up in you.

I feel like we share everything,
Goals and views and schemes,
I feel my future’s on the wing,
We’ll achieve our hopes and dreams.

No longer feeling I’m alone,
Walking a solitary path,
Everywhere WE are is home,
YOU, its heart, its hearth.

The extraordinary Jemima Layzell wanted to be an author. She is now, but sadly posthumously. She died, unexpectedly, from a brain haemorrhage last year. However, at the age of 13 she decided she wanted to be an organ donor. She saved the lives of eight people and transformed the lives of two more. I urge you to buy her book. It has been endorsed by two children’s laureates, Dame Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Morpurgo. Her book is published today and available via Amazon. Today would have been her birthday. Our thoughts are with Harvey, Sophy and Amelia, who survive her. Please share this, it needs to reach as many people as possible.

Today I am honouring Jemima Layzell,

She wanted to write and she does it well.

She’s prodigiously gifted, as you will see,

If you buy her extraordinarily prescient diary.

Just before she died she told her dad,

That if she did, it would make her glad,

To donate her organs to keep others alive,

That her death would permit others to survive..

A mature approach, and very bold,

Astonishing for one only 13 years old.

Her parents made this fervent wish arrive,

Thanks to them and her, 10 people now thrive.

And now they’ve fulfilled her second dream,

To be a part of academe.

So gentle reader, buy her book,

I assure you it is definitely worth a look.

An iris is a stunning thing,

Delicate as a mayfly’s wing,

The French adore their fleur de lys,

‘Cause they make a gorgeous centrepiece,

I particularly like the purple one,

With a splash of yellow, like the sun,

It’s nature in a grand design, 

It’s regal, yes, it’s palatine,

So make me happy, make me smile,

Give me this flower of grace and style.

I’ve always loved a lily,

It makes me slightly mad,

That they are used at funerals,

At moments that are sad.

Particularly, my favourite one,

Pure and just off white,

Its fragrance fills the room it’s in,

A source of great delight.

I’ve made a promise to my darling,

That when I have moved in,

I’ll buy a bouquet every week,

So let the fun begin!