Liverpool

Strawberry Field Gates



And did those Cuban heels in four four time
Walk along Mathew Street down to
The Cavern, where I’m sitting now
Thinking about the Beatles' fame?
And did the ferry’s chugging beat
Fill Ringo’s head with Mersey sound?
And in the Anglican Cathedral shop?
Did Paul sign postcards with his name?

And passing by the Rubber Soul Café
Did John think that name would make a great LP?
And did George walk these corridors, and once stay in
This Travel Inn - the same as me?

Who Lived in a House Like This?



The man living in Paul’s house
Looks a bit like Paul
(He may or may not be related.)

John’s house has a blue plaque.
For that honour
You have to be twenty years dead

Ringo’s house has a satellite dish
It is white
And quite understated

George’s house has a nice hanging basket
A purple plastic bag
And it's painted a mystical red

Back to the Future

Hi, fellow bloggers and interested passers-by. Well, that was a hectic Yule. But a very nice winter break. A very nice visit to meet our old pals and fellow bloggers Michael, Hazel and Archie (see flobberlog blog) – then to other very nice old pals (not quite as old – that is old in the sense of having known them a long time of course) near Manchester – and then a few days in Liverpool which was very nice. We went to an Everton FC match – and watched them win in the last minute of extra time, I got a special hug from the Everton supporter sitting next to me – then we did the tour of Anfield which is, in case you didn’t know, home to the greatest soccer team of all time – L I V E R P O O L . There I touched the precious sign as I walked through the players’ tunnel to the ground and sat in the managers seat in the dug-out. Very nice.

We also visited the two cathedrals, both built last century – so very new. The Anglican cathedral is the second largest in the world and built along traditional lines and the Catholic cathedral looks a bit like a large concrete space capsule from the outside – but is very atmospheric inside – with lots of stained glass and coloured light.

But for me the best bits were the Beatle-related touristy fan-type things. Saw the Fab Four’s birthplaces, went to the Cavern, went on the Beatles tour – stuff like that. It was magical. It was mysterious. It was fab.

So now it’s back to work. Band rehearsal last night where we were filmed for Hungarian TV. It was for Ken, of course, to publicise his new book. They did get a nice shot of my fingers, tho', whizzing up and down the keyboard. It's the Creative Writing course tonight. And at this moment I’m busy trying to gather my working life into some semblance of order. Sort out a few poems for the blog. Sort out what I’m going to be doing over the next few months. But more of that anon – no doubt.
In the meantime – hope everyone’s new year is off to a great start - those of us lucky enough to have that privilege of course.
See you soon.

So That Was Christmas

And so 2004 comes to an end. With an international disaster, the scale of which makes blogging and every day life seem rather insubstantial and meaningless. But we glean whatever meaning we can from our daily preoccupations and trundle along, being thankful, those of us who have plenty, for what we have. Our prayers going to the survivors and to the victims’ families and friends.

For Christmas I gave Jill a 10 track CD of love songs and poems. I intend to make it the basis of a full-length CD and book of poems. No doubt I’ll be testing a few out on this blog. Did lots of family stuff. My grandchildren came to stay which was wonderful. Favourite presents – a 4DVD Marx Brothers set – including my favourite three of their films – the new Bob Dylan book – Family Food, Heston Blumenthal’s book – and some interesting CDs.
How about you?

What did I do in 2004? Not as much as I’d have liked. I must get organised for 2005 and get a few projects finished, move a few things from the back burner to the front.

Over the next couple of days I hope to finish the Molecules’ album. I did a rough mix before Crimble but it sounded terrible and then I ran out of time.

New Year’s Eve at James’s – the Molecules’ guest lead guitarist then a very interesting start to the New Year. A visit to the A1 Wastepaper Company, and Michael, Hazel and Archie. I’ll keep you posted. As, no doubt, will Michael.

Season's Greetings to one and all.



Roger, Jill and Judy Dog step into a snowy Breughel scene.

Not a lot to report. Jill’s shoulder is still bad, which is not good news. It’s been like it for several weeks now, since she slipped over on some leaves in London. It doesn’t seem to be responding to treatment very well.
Last night James came over and added the lead guitar to the Molecules album. Although we’re off that as a name. How about What Wanda Wants? Any good as a name? Spent today working on it. It’s nearly done. It’s a bit of a mess. I think it might be an anti-climax. Doubts, eh? I expect it was the same with Paul and John.
Other than that just general preparations for Saturday. This could well be the last blog until after Christmas - although hopefully I'll pay a call on my new blog acquaintances and friends in the next couple of days. Have a good one everybody.

Damn Right I Got the Blues



After the country set we did our usual rocky-blues thing. You can just see me on the left in the rather fetching country-style shirt. The photos didn't come out very well in the dark.

The Country Band. Yeeeehaaa!!!



As promised absolutely ages ago. Here are the country babes. Left - Jann, the birthday girl, and Marie-Claire who helped make it all possible.