All we had was a gentle breeze
The branches and the leaves it teased
Tall grasses swayed in unison
Enjoying the warmth from the sun

Bees flitted from flower to flower
Making the most of every hour
Birds perched in the trees so high
Raising their voices to the sky

Nature in its simple way
Made it such a lovely day
Yesterday is in the past
But in my memory it will last

The spring it came and now it's gone
Accompanied by a blackbird's song,
The blossom was indeed superb,
That's from where the songbird was heard.
As the blossom quietly faded away
The singing reduced, I am sorry to say,
Then to our delight it started up again
Even in the midst of heavy rain.
I really must do my best to find out
What has this bird to sing about,
Then I found the reason, he had a mate,
They were perched together on my garden gate,
I wondered, would they make their home with me?
All I could was do wait and see.
Unhindered by inspectors and planning consent
Hard at work they both went,
Mud and string, straw as well,
Made the home where they would dwell.
They built it against my garage wall
Almost in full view of all.
I am glad he chose my garden for his home,
I will guard them as I would my own.

The sun is shining,
And I am reclining
In my old deckchair.
No longer do I have a care,
There's another reason why
It's shining from a clear blue sky,
As I relax beneath its rays.
It's one of those rare wonderful days
Where, sadly in this land of ours,
The sun is measured only in hours.
So whatever you are doing, put it down,
Lie beneath it and lose that frown.
Remember in this life few things are free,
But this the best of all is, to you and me.

On Monday when we awoke
From behind the clouds the sun did poke,
It stayed like this all the day,
It neither came or went away.
Tuesday was a different game,
Periodically we had some rain,
Just enough to keep us in
And say when will our summer begin?
Wednesday we said the summer has started,
The sun it shone, we were lighthearted,
There wasn't a cloud in sight,
The garden was a wonderful sight.
Thursday again the sun it shone,
To the delight of everyone,
Deck chairs came out of sheds,
People lay on their sunbeds.
Friday too was a lovely day,
It could not be faulted in any way,
Our thoughts turned to a barbeque,
So let's invite a friend or two.
Saturday arrived, the sky was blue,
This time accompanied by a cloud or two.
Our friends arrived by six,
By now the weather was playing tricks.
The barbeque was duly lit,
The chicken placed upon the spit,
The weather then played its master card,
It started raining ever so hard.
So we were all forced indoors,
Whilst outside it pours and pours.
Sunday is another day, and come what may
I am booking a holiday far, far away.

Good health is something that cannot be bought,
By everyone it appears to be sought,
Food packets carry reams of advice,
Ignore the fact that it may not taste nice,
'Eat our product, it's good for the heart',
The side effect, it makes you fart!
'The ingredients in our cereal are good,
They revitalise your blood.'
'Do you get up to the toilet at night?
This drink of ours, will put you right.'
'Do you sleep the sleep of the just?
If not then our product is a must.'
This advice comes from every quarter,
They even do it now with water,
It's don't eat this and don't eat that,
Because in all these they say there's fat.
To me I find the most unhealthy meal,
To my taste buds, has the most appeal.
So bring on the steak and chips,
Never mind the size of my hips.
My Dad who lived until he was eighty eight
Never questioned what he ate.
His advice was exercise for long life,
Plus a good cook, for a wife.

Aldeburgh town I find sublime,
A place where you go back in time,
In summer, hollyhox stand tall and proud,
There's nothing brash, or nothing loud,
Painted cottages you can find around,
Where silence is the only sound.
People from the city come there to relax,
Away from the sounds of the PC and fax.
Of industry they don't appear to have heard,
In fact to residents, it's a dirty word.
So I say, stay exactly as you are,
Your only enemy is the car.

Having achieved the age of 78,
In the distance, is life's exit gate.
There are things you should have done,
Some serious, some full of fun.
But, being alive, it's not too late,
Before you reach that one way gate.
Make some ripples in life's pool,
Don't act your age, play the fool,
Don't use your age as an excuse,
Do outrageous things, cut loose.
People will say, he's gone mad,
Don't you think it's quite sad?
Give them time, and, after a while
You will find they begin to smile,
In their hearts they will envy you
And wish that they could join in too.
Life's future is in your hands,
It's up to you to give commands.

Politicians breed like rabbits
And soon develop nasty habits.
They will knock on your door, stand on the step,
Telling you that the other parties are inept.
Vote for me is their theme and line,
I, being the voter, will decide, is mine.
They look you in the eye and say
Under us you are better off today.
They will tell you the person they did replace
Was nothing but a waste of space.
Words in a torrent, from their lips will pour,
Whilst you stand there and prop up the door.
Their party has done nothing wrong,
Why do they sing the same old song?
Do they think we are deaf and blind?
That we have not even got a mind?
That our memory is that bad?
Do you like me find that rather sad?
Education was once a main theme,
That could now be termed a dream.
Some will be so desperate for our vote
They will almost grab us by the throat.
Do they really believe what they say?
And forget it and us, as they walk away?
I am inclined to believe the latter,
Because things they promise never matter.
Talk is cheap,so they say,
It is when politicians come your way.
Beware of the one who promises too much,
Because he is talking double Dutch,
When in power for his party he will vote,
For once more he has you by the throat.

It seemed like only yesterday
We visited the Wirral Way,
To Park Gate at the mouth of the Dee
Some long time friends to meet and see.
Tuesday the 7th I will long remember,
A warm, balmy day in September.
Our friends chose the Boat House, at which to dine,
To partake of a little food and wine.
We talked of everything from this to that,
It even included the household cat!
All day the sun it shone
Embracing nearly every one,
Where we sat in a window seat
The view of Wales was such a treat,
Reeds swayed in a gentle breeze,
Birds flew over them with such ease,
Of swallows there was a multitude,
Catching insects for their food,
Others sat on wires in a line,
A sign of their coming departure time.
Park Gate is a birdwatcher's delight,
From break of day to dark of night.
It's also that to myself and wife
We took a brief look at another life,
Where nature and humans combine
Helped by the warm sunshine.

As we open our curtains, what do we see?
Tinges of brown, in every green tree,
It's September and autum is on its way,
More and more brown will appear every day.
Nature's calender is rarely wrong,
The commercial one, sings a different song.
In shops and garden centres by the score
They have curtained off areas of the floor.
Curiosity got the better of me,
So I took a peep, this mystery to see.
It only took one quick sharp glance
For my thoughts three months to advance,
Plastic holly and mistletoe littered the floor,
Christmas cards in racks displayed by the score.
So to an assistant I quickly went,
Enquiring 'What goes on in that tent?'
She replied 'Be here on October the first,
You will be given something to quench your thirst,
It will be to celebrate Father Christmas' arrival,
Because we are in the game of survival.
If you look around you will find
All shops and stores, are of the same mind.