It is the early summer

There’s new leaves on the trees

The days are long and sunny

And everything is green.

There’s gentle rain at night time

It falls while we’re asleep.

Enough to get the ground wet

And water all our crops.

We’re both retired from work now

Our days are all our own

We’ll fill the week with good days out

And perfect times at home.

I’ll be patient in the shops

My wife will not get cross.

I will not do such stupid things

Or make such daft mistakes.

I’ll have a good week running

Five good days or more

A longish run on Sunday

Thirty miles a week.

Intervals on Tuesday

Eight by three or such

Sixty second rest breaks

Running with the club.

Saturday is ParkRun

A 5k time trial test

First male over 70

Cos I’ll be at my best.

A little time for writing

The words will simply flow

Ideas come quickly to my head

And on the page they’ll go.

We’ll do nice things together

Perhaps a lovely meal

With time for friends and family

And perhaps a drink or two.

We’ll have nice meals together

And feed of crops we’ve grown

Some time on our allotment

Picking in the sun.

We’ll leave room for surprises

Pleasant ones of course

Time for conversation

And to have a laugh.

Sometimes I will sit and think

At other times just sit

Relaxing’s not so difficult

Just find the time to stop.

I’ll maybe find a thing to watch

Or fiddle with my phone.

I’ll listen to an audio book

Or have the radio on.

A favourite place the garden room

I’ll maybe watch the birds

Or simply watch the grass grow

And drink in all the flowers.

I listen to my body

And if I’m really tired

I’ll try to put my feet up

And have a little sleep.

At night there is no problem

I’m early to my bed

I simply lay my head down

And then I’m fast asleep.

It’s not that I’m not active

I almost always am

But finding time to sit and rest‘s

Important to the plan.

I do a lot of exercise

And love to work the soil

Those things can relax me too

But you can’t beat sitting down.

Another word I’d like to ban

The stupid short word ‘uni’

If you can’t do four syllables

You don’t deserve to be there.

There’s no such thing as ‘uni’

It’s uni-vers-it-y.

Why must you use Australian slang?

Have you even been there?

Now it’s universal

The proper word has gone

You’re supposed to be intelligent

But look at what you’ve done.

Let’s have English words back

Forget this dreadful slang.

Let’s have proper joined up words!

I’m sorry everyone.

I love to be an old git

Complain about the young

But surely it’s not so very hard

To get around your tongue.

If I had to drop one word

The word I’d drop is ‘try’.

It is an ineffectual word

And here’s the reason why.

You only ever use the word

If unsure you’ll succeed.

It’s commitment builds success

You ought to say, ‘I WILL’.

Don’t let others get away

With saying that they’ll try.

You have to know they really will

Or know the reasons why.

I would make one exception

And that’s to save a game.

No point playing rugby

If you can’t score a try.

Cross the line- you score a try

For that you get five points

And a chance to shoot at goal

And get another two.

When you set up

to kick the points

You have to know you will.

The chances are you

Won’t succeed

if you only think

‘I’ll try.’

I’m not sure that you’d call it a grudge

But a niggle I certainly do

It’s rankled me for many a year

Though it may seem small to you.

Picture me in Germany

at an English speaking school.

Three years into secondary school

So thirteen years or so.

I’d changed schools

for the umpteenth time

Cos that’s what army kids do.

So my new school is in Germany

What do you think they do?

They won’t let me do a German class

They say it’s Latin for you.

You know a bit of Latin

And we need more in that class

We won’t be teaching German to you

Though you’re living in Germany.

To put the thing in context

It’s a very big army base.

Joint Headquarters, Germany

The biggest base there was.

You’d more likely meet Canadians

Or U.S on the base

You’d rarely see a German there

Afraid that was the case.

So I did fine with English

The Latin not so much

Although it’s helped with word games

With learning grammar and such.

So three whole years in Germany

And I barely speak a word

Picked up a bit just here and there

But really it’s absurd!

I did a bit back in England

And have dabbled a little since

But I wasted an opportunity

And it really doesn’t make sense.

I know it’s been a long time

I won’t be taking revenge

But is it wrong it niggles me still

And I still get cross a bit?

I’m happy living where I do

And wouldn’t want to move

But if you’re talking perfect homes

Perhaps there’d be some tweaks.

Location is important

The thing you can not change

Improve a property all you like

But’ll still be where it is.

I like to be near water

With river or coastal walks

But not at risk of flooding

So higher ground or slope.

Accessible to countryside

But close to town and shops

With equal chance of solitude

Or somewhere with some life.

Well away from flight paths

Unwelcome traffic noise

But handy for the motorways

The odd weekend away.

Not too far from family

To visit or have here

With plenty room for them to stay

For family parties here.

The house should be quite spacious

And full of light and air

But easily manageable

Quite easy to keep clean.

I’d like to have good neighbours

But prefer my house detached

With a good secluded garden

That wraps the house around.

A good mix in the garden

Of trees and blooms and shrubs

A decent lawn where kids can play

A patio for us.

I think perhaps four bedrooms

With study and exercise space

A choice of places to relax

To suit our different moods.

A decent modern kitchen

With work and storage space

And also a utility room

For washing clothes and veg.

I think a second bathroom

Will help when we have guests

And plenty off road parking

With space for visiting cars.

I’d want to have good wi fi

Decent internet speed

A good sized television

And speakers in each room.

I’d want it nicely furnished

Though please don’t make me choose!

My wife would have to style it

She’ll do it to my taste.

So that would be just perfect

But like I said at first

I’m pretty happy with what I’ve got

And wouldn’t want to move.

There’s things that make me happy

There’s things that make me glad

But things that make me teary eyed

Why, mostly they’re contrived.

Usually some soppy film

Is what will make me cry

A grown man usually sensible

Feels tears come to his eye.

It’s sheer manipulation

A clever writer’s trick.

Pull yourself together man.

Stop it now. Just quit.

The joy of seeing children born

A friend you found again.

Nothing makes you cry like this.

It makes so little sense.