A - Z APRIL 2013 - Z

ZINNIA

(Zumba instructor from nearby town)

Twice a week she drove for a quarter of an hour

Through the back lanes parallel to the River Stour

From the large market town with its railway station

Fast express trains that could take her, on a whim, to London

Traversing the narrow country lanes with hedges so high

She goes through the routine lunging from feet to thigh

Motivating everyone to move in time to Latin music

Arms and legs into some sort of style, frantic, rhythmic

As she parked the car, she saw Winston pack up his gear

She’d love to follow his ‘chi’ to the pub or elsewhere

Never mind, she’d heard he was married with a kid

So she won't go there, she knows he’s off the grid

Her biological clock was ticking fast and furious

She knew time was flying by in her thirties

She was fit, active and quite a pretty young woman

She would not end up a lonely spinster and barren.

A - Z APRIL 2013 - Y

YVONNE

(Neighbour on the other side of Bill and Ellen)

Yvonne was glad she decided to come out tonight

She needed a bit of laughter after such a fight

It wasn’t worth it some days she thought

She should know by now there was no comfort

Making friends isn't easy and she tries so hard

Sometimes it’s like wading through a lump of lard

What does it take to be accepted?

When you’re considered to be slightly eccentric

She wasn't different or strange

She was unique and too old to change

Her life was what it was and not that bad

She saw others all happy and felt sad

Then she picked herself up and dusted herself down

Next week she’d arranged a trip on the train to town

Perhaps Harrods or the Ritz for tea

Oh, dream on girl, dream on you silly-Billy.

    

A - Z APRIL 2013 - X

XAVIER

(Cousin of Amber on father’s side)

I don't see why I have to stay with my cousins

They’d better not treat me like one of their pet orphans

My dad left my mum and she can’t cope

All week she just sat and cried and moped

I’m supposed to play with Harry all nice and friendly

Then that Amber, so stuck up, wants to be all chummy

 But she won't let me on her laptop to play my games, it’s not fair

Harry is hogging the X-box although he’s been told to share

I’ll tell Aunty Carol and she’ll try to hug me

I can't let them see I’m upset so I try to be chatty

I just want to go home and be with my mum

I promise I won’t be a problem.

A - Z APRIL 2013 - W

WINSTON

(Tai Chi Instructor, new to the village)

He thought he was lucky to rent Rickyard Cottage

He wanted a fresh start, to leave behind any baggage

Winston wondered how long it would take

He hoped against hope he hadn't made a mistake

He wanted to be accepted as part of the community

He did his best with his instructor training in Tai Chi

He unlocked the door to the village hall

That old smell of must and many years of footfalls

Assailed his nostrils, evoking past memories

Of trying to push against social boundaries

Luckily this new group he was teaching were receptive

To a new way steeped in the old ways to become more active

Gentle, low impact exercises, improving flexibility

Alleviating stress, developing lung capacity

Hearing the laughter of his first students arriving

He started his MP3 with River of Qi playing.

A - Z APRIL 2013 - V

VINCE

(Graham’s friend)

Hey, mate, fancy coming out for a pint

I’ll meet you in the pub about eight.

Vince knew he wouldn’t get a text reply

Graham wouldn’t resist a pint and a pie

He might bring Carol with him if she wasn't busy

He wished he could find a woman just as classy

They compared notes on their respective jobs and work

They moaned and groaned some and said what irked

Then they thanked their blessings for being employed these days

The double dip recession made it hard for people in lots of ways

The conversation moved around to food and lunch on Sunday

Vince was pleased to be invited to spend the day

A home cooked roast lunch with all the trimmings

A bottle of red wine in his hand would be quite fitting.

A - Z APRIL 2013 - U

URSULA

(Wife of Nelson)

Ursula placed her hat on her head at a slightly rakish angle

Today she felt little bit frisky and not so formal

She might be a farmer’s wife and pillar of the community

Some secrets were well hidden in a bottle of brandy

She shrugged off those feelings and got in her little car

Driving through single lane tracks it wasn’t far

Starting her shift in the village shop catering for all and sundry

She knew all the gossip from the old ladies to the croupy babies

She loved the farm but also liked spending time away

From the daily grind and hassle of milking twice daily

Enjoying outside conversation, peeking in to other people’s lives

She knows how lucky she is and she will survive

Her husband might be a man of few words but his touch,

Gentle as it is, has come to mean so very much.

A - Z APRIL 2013 - T

TOBY

(Suzy’s boyfriend)

He saved his work and looked at his mobile phone

Smiled to himself as he heard Suzy’s ring tone

He was only half way through this essay

It wasn’t easy to find the words he needed to convey

The messages that whirled around in his brain

Sometimes the thoughts came so fast like an express train

This was only his first year at college he had to get it right

He’d worked so long and so hard he had to keep up the fight

Darren was going to ask his manager for an application form

It would be great to earn some money and help pay his way

His parents didn’t begrudge him but it was tough some days

They were so proud of him getting to college

They would scrimp and scrape and somehow manage

Sometimes it was rather a responsibility being the only son

The pressure was on but he really was a lucky person.

A - Z APRIL 2013 - S

SUZY

(Daugter of publicans, Queenie and Roger, friends with Amber and Pauline)

Suzy waved her hand towards the bar at her dad

He wiggled his fingers back at her pointing to his iPad

She giggled to herself at her dad’s comical stance

She knew he was trying to master the Gangnam style dance

She’d have to tell Amber and Pauline in a few minutes

She would drop by the village shop and buy some chocolates

She had money in her purse from helping in the pub kitchen

Next weekend she’d be working hard for the Easter preparations

No time for socialising, her boyfriend would understand though

He was quiet and thoughtful and her unsung hero

They were as different as chalk and cheese

Somehow they fitted together with ease

She’d text him in a minute or two

Just to say ‘luv you.’

The three girls were known as the lovely threesome

Everybody could see what lovely women they would become.



ROGER

(Landlord of the pub, husband of Queenie, father of Suzy)

Five more minutes Roger thought he’d spend on the Quiz Night

He wanted the questions to be family friendly and right

Then he’d go to the cellar and change the beer barrels

His eye was taken by the sight of two grey squirrels

Bounding up the tree to their drey

He could watch them all day

He looked at the calendar and started to muse

There were a few weekend activities still to chase and pursue

Pies and pints didn't have the profit margin

Perhaps he could organise a Silent Auction

A music night, a summer barbecue to bring in outside punters

They could offer a breakfast menu for the summer campers

He ran down the stairs to the bar, he’d pull pints and take orders

Chatting with customers, listening to old Nelson’s tales of farmers

This is what he was always born to do

He caught Queenie’s eye and mouthed ‘I love you.’

A - Z APRIL 2013 - Q

QUEENIE

(Landlady of the village pub, wife of Roger, mother of Suzy)

Another splash of red lipstick, a touch of rouge across her cheeks

She patted down her hair pleased with this week’s

Trip to the hairdresser, her age she desperately tries to keep at bay

Pilates, Yoga, now going for Zumba and Tai Chi during the day

Her daughter came later in her life so look alike sisters they can’t be

She needs to accept her chronological age and not be so blowsy

Running a pub isn’t easy to say the least

They were freehold and not subject to a brewery lease

It brings its own headaches day-to-day balancing the books

With the hot headed temperament of the pub’s cooks

Their name was made on locally sourced food

Home cooked to perfection and highly valued.

The hours are long but she’s always ready with a smile

She sees a text from her daughter and opens her mobile.

A - Z APRIL 2013 - P

PAULINE

(Amber’s best friend since Primary School)

Pauline closed down her laptop and plugged in her iPod

She listened to country artists and was thought to be odd

As well as reading the classics and talking like a dictionary

Mathematically challenged neither could she be called arty

From an early age Amber had taken her under her wing

Shown her how to study, enjoy life and find time for laughing

She loved being round Amber’s house

Where she didn’t have to be  as quiet as a mouse

Because her parents worked from home every day

There was no leeway for any type of horseplay.

She moved from her desk and bounded on to her bed

Her turn would come Amber had said

She didn't want to go out with a blockhead

She started to daydream about a boyfriend to cuddle

She checked the book titles on her index on the Kindle.

She would lose herself in one the great romantic fictions

Not Dickens, she was in the mood for an Austen.

A - Z APRIL 2013 - O

OLIVE

(Neighbour of Bill and Ellen)

She tweaked the net curtains back to the middle

Nodded sagely to herself as she thought, there’s trouble

Those brothers had such a hard time

It’s a wonder they didn't do any crime

She wonders what Bill gets up to on his computer

It’s such a shame he’s married and not a bachelor

She would have been quite a catch for such a chap

Ellen got there first and he was a feather in her cap

Il Divo were singing on their latest album

That was money well spent on her Bose Hi-Fi system

Rudely interrupting their dulcet tones came the beeping

Of the kitchen timer along with the smell of her cooking.

She’d take the cake round to Bill’s and hope for a cup of coffee

She’d chat away to him and talk bravely about her family.

A - Z APRIL 2013 - N

NELSON

(Local dairy farmer, specialising in Guernsey cows, husband of Ursula)

Nelson heaved himself off the tractor and scratched his head

His flat cap tilted slightly at an angle as he walked to the cowshed

His healthy herd of Guernsey cows kept his niche market supplied

They paid slightly extra for premium milk from the countryside

They thought it was nostalgic hearing his rural burr and accent

Some months it was hard to scrape enough to pay the rent

To diversify he also sold free range eggs from the chickens

Who were allowed to roam free but wouldn't earn him millions

He was lucky to know the old country ways

He could look at the sky and tell the weather for the coming days

Older traditions were fast declining

Some old timers would still turn their hand to poaching

He finished his tea from his thermos flask

Climbed back on to his tractor and continued his task.