Curly's Capers

Life is a playlist   Life is a playlist. A  constantly changing menu  amongst those old friends and family ties. In younger days health hardly ever made the list; except perhaps  for that sprained ankle or  sudden unexplained rash. But now in my snowdrop days, the list seems awash with  blood tests and further  appointments. There are dietary shuffles to. Porridge has replaced donuts  wine gums still makes the odd appearance, but are largely overtaken  By an expanding fruit bowl. These days,  treats have new names. My 'desert island disc ' selections  Point to changing tastes. Buddy Holly  Eddie Cochran  and The Shadows  No longer make my charts. But after all these years   The guitar still works My emotional chords The players may change But my love of the instrument  Has never waned. Bring on Joe Walsh, Gary Lucas a...

First up today. Report on my two Football Teams: Newcastle: lost to Fulham 1-0. A very poor start, even allowing for a ground that in the past has not favoured them, They should have made a  greater effort and shown a tighter cohesion . Need to improve quickly   4/ 10. Cheltenham: drew with Leyton Orient. Came back from an early goal, when they looked like being outclassed and overwhelmed, to gain the upper hand in the second half. Played with great heart and team spirit. Very impressed    8/ 10. Premier League 2016/7 1  Manchester United ( 7/2 ) 2  Manchester City     ( 5/2 ) 3  Chelsea                  ( 13/2 ) 4 Liverpool                 ( 9/ 1 ) Latest odds (11/ 8 ) from Oddschecker. Just make Man Utd to gain top spot at the expense of rivals Man. City.  If Jose allows freedom to his players, has goal-scoring opportunities  e...

Hey Ho !  Well bless my boots ! The footie season is back with us again. I have got to say,  each of the lower divisions  look trappy affairs, when it comes to spotting the winners. For what it's worth ( not much) here are my selections for glory: LEAGUE 2 Champions:  Doncaster Rovers   ( 9/ 1 ) Runners up :  Plymouth (16/ 1 ) Each Way :     Cheltenham Town    ( 25 /1 ) The bookies make Portsmouth favourites, but they can be unreliable over a season. I prefer the chances of near neighbours and rivals Plymouth.  Doncaster are always there or thereabouts and generally  set a high standard. They will do for me. Cheltenham ( Robins) have just re-entered the league. They arrive brimful of confidence and if they make a good start, they can trouble the best. LEAGUE 1 Champions : Sheffield United (6 / 1 ) Runners up:   Millwall  (  11/ 1 ) Each Way:     Coventry   ( 18 / 1 ) ...

Page one It is foretold . All things have rhythms . The urgency of passion, The avian need for nests, The daily opening and closing  of the lily pad.  The slow and gradual growth of plants and trees. It is foretold.  We are controlled by seasons . A cycle of change. Spring rains wake the soil. causing green shoots to rise, stretching  like sleepers from the moist earth. It is foretold. Summer sun will tan and darken the shoots to golden brown. The wheat will rise and ripen. Their heads will caress the  prairie wind in an endless undulating dance to the horizon. It is foretold . In a stygian blackness  nitrogen- rich yellow thunder  spears will anoint the earth and  pods will awake and open  seeding the sky with plague. Leaving the wheat to crumble and die in the iron-fist of the winter frost. It is foretold. As numbers decline like shoals o...

The trouble with a place or feature, which is close to where you live is that you  don't visit it too often. Such was the case with Berkeley Castle, which was only about six miles away from Cam near Dursley, where I lived for eleven years. Indeed, our youngest daughter d. had never visited, she claimed. So it was to rectify this admission, that last Wednesday ( 29/ 06/ '16 ) we set sail for Berkeley, now twenty four miles away. I remembered that close to the castle was the redoubtable Salutation Inn. It had earned the title of ' Camra pub of the year 2014 ' and was one establishment I had not visited. Salutation As you can see from the link above it offers real ale and real 'home cooked ' food. The interior is small in size, with  two rooms, bar and lounge. Because of this you cannot book a table in advance. We sat in the bar area and enjoyed the 'dish of the day' which was pork chops ( sourced from their own pigs) cooked with cider and must...

Dipping Time Under a watery porridge sun with fruit fluffy clouds and gazebo warmth, plans are made. Chairs uncoupled.  Bottles spread. Victuals Collected. Oven ready. Sunday best attire Gowns a-spendour Shoes shiny in step with frocks and coats. Let the dance begin. By the porch we meet and greet and  sally forth to pews a-plenty. Camera clicks intrude the silence. A prayerful time. Promises are made A signing of the cross A sign of things to come. The font beckons and liquid refreshment will  soon be at hand. The spirit descends. She is sprinkled with Aquae Vitae The eternal re-birth has begun, A candle is lit. Light has entered her world as we bathe in her glow. Yestertime memories flood our consciousness.  With light steps and thankful hearts we make our way  back to celebrate this  unfolding  day. Ck 22/ 06 / '16 {{{{{{{{{{{}} A Major Rel...

Black Ants Black ants crawling over white sand The music of the beach. Whose pulse reaches the forest floor energising  the forms who, feed and move to   places In silent motion. The trees, like elephants listen to the breeze aware of changes in the colour palette. The pond, a doorway to the earth beneath.  water reflecting through  branches with  swaying scented air. The clearing, a moment in time's spiral crushed under the march of nature. A mad gavotte of mud and slime mark the passage  of multi-peds. The journey of life continues. The distance from crawl to tall is small but Its effect is profound releasing the butterfly  of consciousness  Once our roots are strong we branch out aware we know and are known. The orchard years brings fruit and growth We yield our substance dropping seeds and make our mark upon the papyrus of knowledge. The seasons pass, the juice ...