Monthly Archives: May 2025

This work of Poe initially seemed to be quite naive,but as it went on and the strength of the language he used and the various scenarios of fraudulent behaviour which to the modern day computer savvy  might seem ridiculously simple and then it hit me.

Poe had generated in my mind the face of “Nigel Farage”. Perhaps we’re not so sophisticated after all.

As some of you already know,

I like to listen to birds as I go,

A friendly chirp ,a flirty tweet

The noises they make are most sweet

It struck me though how we’ve lost some sound

As there were birds here that used to abound

The capercaillie you will never hear howl,

Thankfully,we still have the screech of an owl,

The Kentish Plover has now long gone,

In the late  nineteen seventies it sang it’s final

song,

The slender Billed Curlew did not survive,

Its habitat and lifestyle took a dive,

And in the decade that Tina sang minus  Ike

The Red Backed Shrike took it’s final hike.

Now as I breathe  and gently doze,

All I  hear are  cackling crows,

They’ve even learned to imitate my  car alarm

Oh my have we done nature some  harm,

The poor wryneck ,a sparrow sized woodpecker,

No longer stops to breed here though a

sometimes visitor

The conditions aren’t right to have their young,

So they  fly in and then move on ,

I started this poem when I saw a duck

They seem to thrive and  I wish them luck,

But we need such varied habitat to attract species

The  birds,once native, are  sensitive

creatures

It would strike my heart just like an arrow,

If we were to lose our humble sparrow.

And as I watch the magpie duck and dive,

A wily bird who uses humans to survive.

For is  that is our future  in this

competitive World,

An Arthur Daly type of bird.

Ah….some beautiful views and sunny weather ,hearty food made with good local ingredients and sandy beaches,long walks and all sorts of scenery and fauna to make your heart sing.A great holiday you would think?

Reality is it certainly is not perfect.

Nearly had my dogs paws lacerated by glass outside the Penzance Lido wall, couldn’t believe how close we were to having what would have been a disaster for us and our dog.It was clear glass too.

I screamed at my partner  to come to a  halt just in time.Someone had obviously swept the glass  into the side.

Dogs sniff and follow other dogs smells against  walls,so shame when the breakage happened ,someone didn’t make the effort to   clear it up and not just leave it.

Then the likelihood,it was someone on alcohol or drugs that had left it there. And there’s the rub, alcohol and drugs, they are wreaking havoc on our society and it’s the young and disenfranchised that turn to them, because their life just isn’t giving them what they need.Perhaps it never will?

Another incident, a young man,high on alcohol and marijuana launched himself across the road out of a beer garden and nearly poked my partner in the eye with the reefer he was holding in his hand.

“Sorry Man” as he turned around and proceeded shouting at his friends on an outside table,that he was going to the Watering Hole for the music and he would see them up there.

It was then his girlfriend appeared and bumped into me, but she was annoyed and just kept going to follow her errant boyfriend.

Finally, a campervan in the Car Park at Perranporth as we returned to our car was all set up , with two girls in it.

I was greeted by a big smiley face and a hello from one of the girls, she was pretty high and I smiled and said hello. I thought that’s not the normal grouchy look you get from people in a  car park who are upset because you got the last spot in the shade. Still it was very pleasant and she seemed nice.

I proviso my thought though with the fact that she was probably dealing drugs and she thought I was walking towards her to make a purchase,not just return to my car.She circled around for a while and then got back into the Campervan and sat totally out of it with the other girl, heaven knows who was driving.

And there’s the rub, here I am loving the fresh air, the sea,the sand and all the weather and scenery has to offer.Meanwhile these young people’s lives are being defined by bad choices and misguided values which lead them to think that to be “out of life” is far more exciting to be “in life”.

I hope the light one day will come through.

Well yes, probably, but then again all I’ve got to say is I’m at Peace

And it’s not because I’m not making an effort it’s because life feels like waves gently lapping against me and continuing on their journey wherever they go.

I am glad to see and feel them and grateful for the lessons that the tide and the sea have taught me.

Hearing Common Chaffinch,Blackbird, Thrush, European Robin and Greater Spotted Woodpecker

Yes here we are stuck in a field

No view to send on your Internet feed

With your fancy camper you will travel,

I hope your plans don’t unravel

But actually my field is very nice

To contemplate and challenge every vice

I look at the daisies and breathe the air

Funny about the view I really don’t care,

Enjoyment isn’t about who you show

Of that I’m sure you’ll never know

It’s not a view worth sending to your friend

And there dear sir I see the end,

My little dog you tried to wind up

He’s not the one I’d call a pup

He knows many things and likes a fuss,

And I’m so glad he belongs to us.

I know there is a need for all animals to be looked after, but basically there are some people who just shouldn’t bother.

Firstly,if you think somehow they are going to be a trophy to show off ,don’t bother.Yes they can be good looking and powerful but they have so much more to them than that.They are complete beings and they have a gamut of emotions and must have  the opportunity to exercise them and themselves.In other words shoving them in a room with food and water is just not going to work.

Secondly, from birth ,they will be taught rules, the mother wants them to know how to behave within their little group.When they are weaned they can learn other behaviours which are important if they are to interact well with humans.It is worth spending the time with them.If you are not willing to do that, just don’t get a dog,or any other animal for that matter.

Thirdly, don’t encourage bad behaviour for your fun and amusement.It’s neither clever or attractive and very often edges on cruelty It will be the animal who will suffer in the end.So just don’t.

I’m reading Edgar Allen Poe,

There  are many stories  and I have a long way to

go

Bernice and Bon have left their mark

For the stories they are really dark,

Bernice a tale of love struck down

Bon,Bon  a philosopher meets a devil clown,

How deep the man must have felt

What imagination the man was dealt,

His time was bad ,there wasn’t much hope,

Radiation with  no understanding of an isotope,

His obsession with death was quite real,

His words so complex  that make you feel,

Life was  always very much on edge,

And death was present behind every hedge.

We all admire executives who cut costs, even those at the bottom of the ladder look up and say well that must be the way to get on.

So they adapt their behaviour, however well meant to being more efficient and in the end waste more resources

Even on holiday, they consider  working remote is best isn’t it.They leave the tap running on the water supply in the middle of the field, and walk away with the water spraying half its contents on the grass. Leaving their water butt to fill itself.What a waste of water and also leaving a sodden mess for the next person.

They get on with something else, but they are multitasking! They are being efficient.

No you are not, you have learned how not to behave from those above you.You have lost your calm thoughtfulness about your effect on others.

You proudly walk back to the tap having wasted water and ruined the grass

My Dog is a fussy eater,

He says I should be neater

Clean bowls,fresh water and a napkin,

I’m in trouble if I forget his  ramekin.

For camping we often go

Into the wilds and he feigns woe,

Strange noises in the middle of the night

A worried look from a badger fight

The first few days he’ll refuse to eat

Not even the most tasty treat,

His owners turn pale and worry so

And review our plans ,perhaps we’ll go

Home and let him have his cosy fire

For that must be his heart’s desire,

Then  his adventure mode kicks in,

To town we let him go a  sniffin,

At the  Butchers Shop he stops and salivates chillingly ,

We enter ,in truth ,somewhat unwillingly,

But a cut of beef is on his mind,

It doesn’t need to be of the best kind,

The Butcher smiles and gives him a sample,

He wolf’s it down ,the supply is ample,

A kilo please I meekly say,

That should last us at least one day,

So a hearty stew(for us) and raw breakfast too

What are we vegetarians supposed to do,

But visit daily to ensure his health

Enter the Butcher in an act of stealth,

The dog however is on  first name terms

He’s eating now like he has worms,

We visit daily the quaint little town,

Forget the trees and the beautiful down,

We’ve a butcher’s bill to pay,

And fresh meat on tap each sunny day.