The Food Diary - Janet

Let's go down to McDonald's.
Get a breakfast takeaway.
It's got tomato in it.
So, that's one of my five a day.

For a snack, maybe something light
A sausage roll or Cornish pasty.
I'll add a bit of salad
then the calories won't be nasty.

For lunch I fancy battered fish
with a bag of golden chips.
If we eat them standing up, they
won't end up on our hips.

Perhaps a pizza would be good.
Deep pan and extra cheesy.
Though when I take a great big bite
my chin gets really greasy.

I'm sure afternoon tea will be the thing.
Two scones and clotted cream.
Topped with a dollop of fruity jam.
Part of my health regime.

For dinner we'll have an Indian curry and
Peshwari naan, would be nice.
To make it extra healthy
We'll have unsalted basmati rice.

So, before we head off to bed.
Hot chocolate to help us sleep.
As we've been really good today
we'll have two biscuits as a treat!

Janet

The Two Hardest Words - Rod Ferbrache

There are words in our language that are hard to pronounce,
There are some which are harder to spell
And some so familiar they roll off the tongue,
Words that we know so well
We have words that describe the way that we feel
To explain just the person we are.
Phrases sum up our opinion of folk,
That express to them that we care.

Descriptions are used to tell of a scene
That we visited when abroad.
We excitedly tell of a bargain we had
Buying something we could afford
Then we give reasons of why we did this,
Or our actions caused us to do that.
It might be a jumper we liked the look of,
Or for a wedding we purchased a hat.

Can we remember a day go by
When never a word that we spoke?
Silence for us is unnatural and strange,
For we're generally socially folk.
Yet sometimes we hear of people we know
Who have fallen out with each other?
It's sometimes between brothers and sisters,
Or worse, between father and mother.

Some words were spoken that cut to the quick,
That once uttered could not be retrieved.
A rift was created, an unbridgeable gap,
At least that's the lie they believed.
Years go by not a word was spoken,
The distance between them grows
In fact it is possible so long has time past,
If you ask, nobody knows -
The reason behind the silence
Why one does not speak to the other
The matter could so easily be solved,
But nobody seems to bother.

As I said at the start we have different words,
Some seem so hard to tell
But it isn't always the length of the words,
Or the fact that we cannot spell.
There comes a time when we refuse to admit
That we are in the wrong.
We only need to speak two words,
Yet it seems to take so long.

You see, those two little words are the hardest two words,
And by some are never spoken
And because these two words are the hardest two words
Many relationships remain broken.
What are those two words? The hardest two words?
Do we really need to worry?
Well yes, we do, for those two little words
Are just simply "I'm sorry".

Rod Ferbrache

Be Like a Robin - Diane Scantlebury

Bold little robin
Puff up your chest,
Be proud of the red badge of honour
That emblazons your breast,
Even in weather inclement
You never stop,
Through rain, sleet or snow
You’ll skip and you’ll hop,

Brave little robin
When times are harsh,
You’ll not abandon the land
Like the swallow,
Your stoic example
Is one we should follow,

When all seems lost
And love has grown cold,
Keep hope in your heart
And like the robin be bold,
At life’s high hurdles
We may falter and fall,
But think of the robin
The bravest of all,

In the face of adversity
Learn how to fly,
Cling firm to opportunity
Don’t let it pass by,
Even if life proves hard
And your wits test,
Be like a robin
Be bold, be brave,
Puff up your chest!

Diane Scantlebury

The Carousel Horse - Judith Anne Finetti

On a wet Easter Monday morning
Pasquetta in Italy- but nothing special over here
Down at a nearly deserted Longue Hougue
Rusty the carousel rocking horse sat forlorn and abandoned
He had obviously been well loved by generations of children
Judging by his flaky metal exterior
Especially where children had spurred him on
To go faster and faster

Quickly placed in the back of the car
And once home sneaked in through the front door

Then two weeks of careful restoration work with loving care
No quick paint spray job for Rusty
Tempting as this may have seemed
Each detail of his noble head picked out and preserved

The two youngest grandchildren were entranced
And with seven grandchildren on board the chance of great grandchildren can`t be far off-
God willing, when they are ready

Had it been a week day Rusty would have already been bundled into a lorry for swift destruction

What luck that boredom and the now daily round of recycling
Took over and he found a new and permanent home

Judith Anne Finetti

Tantrums - Ian Duquemin

"Begone" said the wind to the leaves on the tree
"That rustling of yours, it is bothering me"
The leaves spiralled down to the soil on the ground
Scattered on earth, they danced without sound
"Begone" said the wind to the branches of the tree
"That creaking you make, it is bothering me"
The branches broke down and they cracked and they groaned
Falling to earth they collided and moaned
"Begone" said the wind to the grandest of tree
"You could not stand my rage or the tantrums of me"
The tree stood its ground and it's roots bedded in
The wind could not penetrate the rough rugged skin
"Begone" said the tree to the wind overhead
The wind not amused at the words that were said
It ran out of puff... as the tree stood up tall
Defying the wind... and refusing to fall

Ian Duquemin