In response to an overwhelming avalanche of requests (Thanks Annon & Lois - or whoever) here is the latest published pome.

Echoes of my Father

Fragments of a time of life long past
Hints of what was and hearts so brave
Young eager faces, bright and keen
All now dust and to us lost
Wavering images of honest bravery

I lost my father well before I thought
How much I wanted to know
About his story and the part
He played in serving Britain’s need
At Gallipoli, before his wound

Browning photos in a box at last
Discovered spur me on to save
His memory. Oh had I been
Told of duty at what cost
Of men who fought against sheer knavery

A faded paper foretells how they fought
Facing death at dice’s throw
The smart cloth and bright buttons’ art
Picture them brave before they feed
War’s mill, life’s dreams lost in savage sound

My Father pictured on his favourite horse
I know his Army number but
A war beyond the one to end all war
Destroyed his records and stole from me
His story. Fragments left fuel my remembrance

(Hides behind pillow and quivers a lot) Well, Henry’s been after me again and I have, indeed, been delinquent. I’ve also been delinquent about going to the gym. There’s been a lot going on and I can’t get it all straight in my head.

Part of it is that I’ve been ‘volunteered’ again. I went to a business do and met the Director for Economic Development for Poole. (Reverent silence) After a bit of chat he volunteered me for DorMen. Which sounded like big blokes with tattoos in dinner jackets smashing stroppy people in the face. Nope. Dor(set) Men(tors) for Business. In other words trying to help people with small businesses who have problems. Fascinating.

So last week I had a lady dressmaker, a couple making hand-built kayaks and a painter / artist. Phew.

Meanwhile Herself is off to another Dolls House Fair. She’s giving it a lot of wellie - and doing v. well.

Health-wise I had a serious blood test and a meeting with the Doc. I’m STILL overweight but the rest of it is much better. I saw ‘Buster’ on the tv who is still working at 100 years of age. That would be good. Hmm.

Delighted to read Henry’s blogs and the question of publication. All I have to offer is that another poem has been published. Knowing how wickedly difficult it is to have one’s poetry published (other than by self-publishing) I’m quite chuffed. I must find time to write more.

I think this blog is rather flat - which may be part of the reason why I’ve not posted for a month. Nothing moving to say - unless I get on a hobby-horse!! And I’ve got a few of those. Mainly about the worst government (no cap. g for this lot) that we’ve ever had which is destroying my country. So we won’t go there.

Well, for good or ill I’m here. I’ve been having my nose rubbed in the truth that people work from their perception of others, not ‘facts’. So perhaps we should stop, step back, and challenge our perceptions of others. We could well be wrong about them.

It’s good to be back again. Go in peace. Dad