World Cup Haiku

 A haiku for every England game at the 2026 World Cup

England v Croatia

Kane at the double

Blood and thunder second half

An enthralling start

England v Ghana

Sleepy-time England

At Ghanaian tea party

Settle for a point

England v Panama

A man with a plan?

Tuchel's England top the group

Kane beats Lineker

England v DR Congo

Defence breached early

England leave it late to win

Kane's lighting strikes twice

England v Mexico

Breathless performance

Azteca nightmares banished

Squeaky voice time

England v Norway

Jude; not so obscure

Holding back the Viking tide

England sail on

England v Argentina

Lions take the lead

But feed control to the GOAT

Messi masterclass

England v France

Lions rampant start

French response makes England sweat

Match of the World Cup?

A Shot In The Arm

Hope is in the air

Confidence building daily

A shot in the arm

My wife and I both had our first vaccine doses this week. I had AZ whilst my wife had Pfizer today. I had a day or so of fever and a general fluey feeling but supposedly Pfizer has few side affects. It remains to be seen what difference the vaccines actually make against covid, but we will find that out in time I'm sure. 

It's hard not to feel the general vibe of confidence in the air though I'm not sure how much the warmer weather has to do with that. I took the baby out for a walk at the weekend and was stopped a couple of times for a chat by some of our elderly neighbours. Their attitudes were almost childlike and they seemed thrilled to be outside and interacting with others. I can understand where they are coming from.

I do hope that this is not a false dawn, and that even though future outbreaks are likely, they remain short and flat.

Also added are a couple of  photo's from my walk at the weekend, from Frank's Park, near Belvedere.

NaPoWriMo Day 12 - "Hard"

The prompt:

Finally, our prompt (optional, as always). I’m calling this one “Past and Future.” This prompt challenges you to write a poem using at least one word/concept/idea from each of two specialty dictionaries: Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary and the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction. A hat tip to Cathy Park Hong for a tweet that pointed me to the science fiction dictionary and to Hoa Nguyen for introducing me to the Classical Dictionary. 

I have to say this wasn't the most inspiring prompt for me, alongside working and dealing with kids at home for the holidays. Plus I have been feeling completely overwhelmed and stressed today, so all I can give is a little Haiku and hope for the best tomorrow:

Want to hide away
Hollowed out; nothing to give
Life is hard today

A Limited Peace

Well, at least things didn't kick off too much in America following the inauguration last week. Nothing has been reported anyway.

Back home, the chaos of home schooling continues, with some days extremely stressful indeed. Especially since you don't really know how hard to push or what is expected of your child to be able to do. Although watching them at work does give you a bit more of an insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

Indeed, it gives you an insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the class teachers as well and without naming names some certainly have more weaknesses than strengths.

The baby has been awkward over the last week. It's probably another of those developmental things, especially coming in the last few weeks before he turns one, but he's woken up far more in the evenings than he was, meaning less relaxation time and sleep for my wife.

He's walking so much more though (and picking up speed), and his play is definitely getting a lot more focussed. He's started making animal noises when playing with particular one's - bee (buzz), tiger (grrr) - as well as making vroom noises with a car.

I've certainly been fortunate across the last year to be able to work from home and see him develop, something I never really got with the other two. Things which always happened when I was at work, I now get to see first hand. He's also just as happy giving me a hug at certain times, whereas the girls just wanted mummy. They are still a bit like that too and sometimes refuse to let me even try to help me with things.

Peace is a limited thing at the moment, confined to when they're all asleep, or in those brief moments when they are concentrating. In some ways I think the world is like that too right now. We are all getting over Christmas, but when February comes and the awful death toll of Covid and Brexit start to bite here in the UK, and the Trump supporters have regathered in USA, I think things will sadly heat up again.

In other news, it actually snowed today - albeit briefly.

Protest is quiet
But the atmosphere prickles
A limited peace

Though it never lasts for long
A limited peace
Floating gently to the ground

A limited peace

The kids are quiet

Snowflakes are quiet

Starting Again

I'm back on the blog!
I've been away for a while, mostly because I felt pretty burned out mentally and had nothing really in the tank for writing words or poems - or anything much to be honest.
But I've had a chance to spend some time not thinking, and then a little more thinking, and am ready to start again.
This has also coincided with beginning to write a diary, since May 1st. It seemed an apt date since it is connected to Spring and new beginnings.
I have always been able to keep up with writing a diary while on my travels, and yet at home and doing normal things, it has always been a struggle. I'm not completely sure why. Perhaps it's because similar things happen every day, whereas when you travel you are always coming across something new, or a new experience.
Perhaps it's to do with not being able to set aside time, whereas when you travel there is always down time when you can have a coffee and think about what is going on. Perhaps it's just some sort of mental block.
Either way, I'm trying hard to keep at it and have even thought about some times in the day when I know I will be able to jot down a few words.
In a similar way, I've been thinking about this blog more. For a long time it has simply been poems, with the odd thought and a few more photo's thrown in, but I want to bring it back to something closer to a diary, but with some poems accompanying what I write.
Hence the new tag line "Thoughts of life and family; reformed into poetry".
So, keeping on the subject of how I want this blog to pan out, and mixing it into new beginnings, here is a Haiku to start:

A Spring beginning;
For rhythms of life laid out;
In weekly verses

Invention

Creates in the mind
All that wasn't there before
Invention

Bike

The bike wheel of life.
Skids on the Autumn leaf fall.
Unwary rider.

New Project

Following last year's regular "almost" poem-a-day deluge, I've been quiet for a month on this blog, trying to work out a new project; One that will not take too much time away from my usual day job of being a Dad, especially since a second one is on the way in not too many months.

Anyway after some time of thought and reflection I have decided to put together some collections of Haiku over the coming year. Each collection will have its own subject area and they will be available as PDF downloads.

Here is a link to my downloads page from the blog and as you can see, the first collection is already available.

New collections will appear from time to time on the blog, depending on when I can spare the time to write and post, so please bear with me.

Indian

Autumnal sunshine
Red-rimmed leaves and golden light
Indian summer

Blue and hazy skies
Spring from chilly dark mornings
The mixed up seasons

Warmer themes reprised
Before the requiem hymn
As the year plays out

Atmosphere

Sultry sensation
Of humid, breathless, mornings
Thickened atmosphere

Edgy mutterings
Within uneasy quarters
Pressure unrelieved

And as it lingers
With potential storm building
Raindrops are required

Crumble

Guilty feelings press
Twisting in swirling circles
Do you do enough?

Senses overwhelmed
Detached and lost for actions
Failing your duties

Helplessly watching
Barely providing support
Worthless to the side

Esteem battered down
Violent winds of worry
Confidence storm lashed

Tirade of self doubt
Mocking sandy foundations
When will it crumble?

Winter

Contrails scour the sky
Tinged with raspberries and cream
On a blue background

The air is stillness
Frost growing on the meadows
Crystal sparkling grass

Thickening cold seeps
Branching from my fingertips
Numbed and chilly hands

Dreams of buttered toast
And warmed duvets snuggle safe
On a Winter's morn