Tag: dailyprompt

We’ll have a Finnish Christmas – Hyvää joulua to you.

Do you or your family make any special dishes for the holidays?

Christmas is the usual time

We’d have a special meal

But we will be in Finland

This coming Christmas tide.

We won’t be eating Turkey

The star’s a Christmas Ham

Probably glazed with mustard

They call it Joulukinkku.

And probably a Gravalax

Smoked Salmon on the side

A special beetroot salad

And maybe meatballs too.

There’ll be special casseroles

Of potato, carrot, swede.

I think they’re sweet and creamy

But I don’t know how they’re made.

I know Rice porridge features

Maybe Gingerbread biscuits

And pastries with prune jam.

Mulled wine with almonds and raisins

And coffee to finish off.

The other thing to get used to

When we’ll eat the meal.

We would eat on Christmas Day

They eat the day before.

Hyvää joulua!

I won’t give up my precious sleep!

If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time?

I am not a bot

I need my sleep!

You’ve got me quite

wound up!

For goodness sake

If I’d more time

I’d use it for more sleep.

To be asleep is wonderful

It is our chance to dream.

It’s time to sort our muddled brain

Our time to recreate!

Stuff your productivity

It’s not what I am for!!

You don’t like unproductive hours?

You want us to work more.

I am not a unit

I’m a human being!

I won’t give up my precious sleep.

Be off! Leave me alone!

The only time I ever waste

Is when I am awake.

It’s not a waste to be asleep

Be off for goodness sake.

Listing peeves is easy but really – only three?

Name your top three pet peeves.

You’re really living dangerously

To ask old gits like me.

We‘ll conjure peeves too easily

The difficulty is three.

It’s hard to pick priorities

Or rank them in a list

So here’s a few picked randomly

I’ll have a go persist.

First there is the telly

Those formulaic shows

They’re full of virtue signalling

Regardless of the plot.

They’ll feature every target group

But just to give a nod

Forget the social issues

But the numbers must add up.

Not that there’ll be Asians

Asians do not count

The quota for ethnicity‘s

Already been made up.

Worst of all the adverts

They look so very false

Casting to a formula

That never quite adds up.

If it’s sport they have to have

A female front it up.

Some of them are very good

But really – every time?

Then another peeve of mine

Is little verbal ticks.

And people who’re too lazy

To say what’s on their mind.

They’ll be like, ‘Well you know’

Although I really don’t.

They can’t be bothered to tell me

So the chances are I won’t!

They pepper conversations

With ‘you know’ and with ‘like’

Or fail to finish sentences

And simply tail them off.

So they’re like simply talking

But like with nothing to say

And I’m like hardly listening

And want to get away.

Third inconsiderate shoppers

Who carelessly block aisles

With trolleys at right angles

That no one can get past.

Or else they stop to have a chat

Right where you want to go

Oblivious of surroundings

It makes me cross you know.

I’m in charge of trolleys

It’s what I do in shops

And all my concentration’s on

Just staying out the way.

And so it is annoying

When others aren’t the same.

It puts me in a real bad mood

And that is such a shame.

Then of course there’s queuing

And getting out the store.

Why not get your money out

While waiting in the line?

Have consideration

for those queued up behind.

Did you forget you’d have to pay?

Have your money out.

But I forgot – you’ve coupons

And so much paperwork!

Not to mention catching up

And chatting with the clerk.

Blimey get me out of here

Shopping is a bore!

And while you’ve got me trapped in here

I’ve thought of number four!

Supermarkets – hell on Earth

For those who don’t hear well.

Hard enough to hear above

The wretched throbbing fridge.

But then there’s pointless musak

Why do you do that?!!

Drowning out my partner’s words

So I can’t hear at all.

I said you shouldn’t ask old gits.

I think I’d better stop.

The trouble with old age you see

Is we get peeved a lot!

So now a proper answer

Who are your favourite people?

So now a proper answer

To what you meant to ask.

I won’t say whose ‘most favourite’

Cos ‘favourite’ means the most.

The people I most favour

Our grandkids. Why of course!

There’s nothing that I more enjoy

Than to watch them growing up.

The babies, so amazing

They learn so very fast

And every time you see them

They’ll be into something new.

To see them all developing

Is really such a joy.

We slowly see who they will be

And how they’ll look grown up.

Starting out to nursery

Where they’ll meet other kids

Watching the new friends they make

And how they’ll shape their lives.

Getting older, off to school

That is quite a thing.

But each of them is really bright.

I’m very proud of them.

My eldest is at secondary school

A real important time

I know she’ll make the most of it

And she will do just fine.

Another is in Sweden

My wife’s grandchild this time

Old enough to visit us

They both enjoy that time.

And so between the two of us

Currently there’s six

Two of mine are twins of course

So we have fun with that.

Of course they’re ‘current’ favourites

Don’t see that changing much.

I’m sure we’ll stay in touch with them

Even when grown up.

They’re in the grammar police.

Who are your current most favourite people?

My current ‘most favourite’ people

Are in the grammar police!

They’d really hate your prompt today

With two superlatives!

If someone is your favourite

It means you like them most.

You needn’t say ‘most favourite’

They’ll have you. You’ll be toast!

No one likes a pedant

Except perhaps for me.

But silly phrases such as this

Just really grate with me.

I’ll be over it later

And answer properly

But my ‘current’ favourite people

Are coming after you!

Deer me…

What are your favourite animals?

I’m not a fan of keeping pets

Prefer my animals free.

If I had to choose one

Perhaps it’s deer for me.

The great stag is magnificent

With his imposing horns.

While it is the sweetest sight

To see a baby fawn.

It’s an awesome site to see

Two deer locking horns.

Or catch a site of several score

As they flock across a road.

We’re lucky that around us

There’s many a great Deer Park

The Great Park near at Windsor,

Richmond, Bushy Parks

Or else in the New Forest

Which isn’t very far.

The Parks were made for hunting

Where Royalty chased the deer

So deer have shaped the landscape

The countryside round here.

It cheers me up to see them.

Although they must be managed

They live in safety now.

A rugged coastal path.

Beach or mountains? Which do you prefer? Why?

Mountain’s are inspiring

With panoramic views.

I’m up for scenic cable cars

But not that keen to ski.

I will not dangle from a rope

Or freeze too happily

So have to say that all in all

The mountains aren’t for me.

I’m more a fan of beaches

But can only take so much

The sun and sea relaxing

But I have to take a book.

Sometimes it’s just perfect

Soaking up the sun.

I can be a beach bum

Every now and then.

But I am not a swimmer

And I don’t go in the sea.

I love the sounds and watching waves

But don’t go in the sea.

And so the rugged coastal path

Is where I’d rather be.

With all the sounds of wind and waves

But changing scenery.

My life will not be threatened

It’s not a mountain side

I am up and active

Yet still beside the sea.

We like to feed the family with food that we have grown.

What are your family’s top 3 favourite meals?

Our family’s grown

They’ve fled the nest

So when they are at home

Well that will be a special feast

We’ll pull out all the stops.

The stand out choice will be a roast

With all our home grown veg.

Beef perhaps the favourite

But could be pork or lamb.

Chicken’s not so special

We have it all the time.

Turkey is for Christmas

It can be any meat.

But starting are the vegetables

Because we grow a lot.

The plates will all be groaning

We’ll serve them piping hot.

Of course there’s roast potatoes

And plenty of parsnips too.

Our special favourite roasted squash

And then there’s green veg too.

There’s runner beans in season

And chard or maybe kale

Sometimes it is cabbage

Or maybe cauliflower.

Of course it all needs gravy

And appropriate sauce.

Proper English mustard

Or perhaps Horse Radish sauce.

That is just the starters

There’s pudding still to come.

It likely be a crumble

With soft fruit that we have grown.

So roast will be the standby

But there’s other favourites too.

My wife has lived in India

And can cook a curry well.

We have all the spices

And my wife knows what to do.

A favourite is Jalfrezi

But she’ll make others too.

We’ll usually have a meat dish

And she’ll add a veg one too.

Served with rice and chapatis perhaps

Or sometimes we’ll have naan.

Her special Dal Makhani

Indian friends say is good.

She’d win an Indian husband

So they like to say.

For afters maybe ice cream

We have our own machine

And can knock out different flavours

Again with fruit we’ve grown.

And now to make a third choice

My wife’s own party piece

She likes to make Basque Chicken

And that is really nice.

Chicken and Chorrizzo

Baked with lots of rice

I once gave you the recipe

What is not to like?

Perhaps we’ll finish this off

With home made apple pie.

Of course we grow the apples.

As you’d expect I’d say.

Charles Dickens

If you could meet a historical figure, who would it be and why?

Today I’ll say Charles Dickens

This question comes around!

A writer and campaigner

An interesting man.

Such a cast of characters

We’ve learned to know and love.

The very word Dickensian

Will conjure them all up.

Himself a great performer

He’d do instalments live

Performing all the characters.

Would he do that for me?

A writer and campaigner

He championed the poor.

The misery of the workhouse

He laid at people’s door.

And then of course there’s Christmas

Traditions he’d invent.

The best bits of the season

Are largely down to him.

He certainly wasn’t flawless

We know he had his faults.

But would I like to meet him?

Most certainly of course.

In the end you trust your gut…

Do you trust your instincts?

Do I trust my instincts?

I guess I often do.

Too often I’m in auto drive

And scarcely think at all.

You have to make decisions.

We make them all the time.

If we overthink them

Will they get made at all.

We’re guided by our instincts

By what we’ve learned before

But in the end you trust your gut

You just get on and do.

Of course we get it wrong sometimes

And ought to stop and think

But mostly, each and every day

We just do what feels right.

For really big decisions

We should weigh all the facts

But knowing when to stop and think

Well that’s an instinct too.