A REVIEW OF NOVEMBER 2008!!

THE 100TH POST OF THIS POETIC BLOG!!!

Well, I've been saving this one up for a while - as I knew November would be busy and I also knew that the next thing I posted would be my 100th post on the blog since we began back in 2002. I won't be dwelling much at this stage on the past posts; however I am putting together a collection of all the poems that I've posted on this site over the years as a sort of retrospective and hope that'll be ready by next year. It's something I've been working on for a while and was intending to release after the 5th anniversary, last year - however it's been a bit of a back burner project and already we're nearly 2 years further down the line.

Anyway - it's been a busy month and so I'll just run you through some of it and include a new poem at the end!!

Wednesday 5th November 2008

Above. Busy on the radio again. This time in FM!

I returned to Radio Wey on this day and read the first chapter of one of my Mouse of Commons blog-adventures; GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE SANDCASTLE OF DOOM, as well as one of the new poems: THE BEAR WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, which I'd only written 2 or 3 days previously. Interviewing me was Tim Mitchell and Tim's other guests that evening were a band called The Red Stripes. We were also broadcast live on fm radio and I am told that we were live and loud as far away as a stand at an exhibition at Birmingham NEC. Which is kind of a nice thought considering my history of Birmingham and the years I spent running around the Midlands at University and beyond, filming my beloved Sutton Park series.

Thursday 6th November to Sunday 9th November 2008

Above. It would be wrong to say that I couldn't bear Oslo.

The day after the radio show, Calum, Neph and I travelled to Oslo, partly for my birthday and partly so that Neph could attend a heavy metal festival; although the band he had gone all the way to see actually never played. The weather was rather bleak and the food and drink rather expensive; but I did take a few nice photos - came up with plans for a future Mouse of Commons short story and completed one or two new poems; including one called SOLO IN OSLO...

Below. We saw all sorts of things in Oslo!

Monday 10th November 2008

My birthday! By this point we had returned to the UK and Calum and I travelled to Tunbridge Wells for a day trip and a swift burger at Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Sadly it was a rather wet old day and my duffle coat got so soaked that I was leaving little blue dye trails around the town and ended up having to buy new trousers. Just the same; I did complete a new poem called DISGUSTING OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS...

Friday 14th November to Saturday 15th November 2008

Unfortunately the book launch for GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER became a pre-book launch, as my proofreader, Chris, had started a busy new job and hadn't had enough time to finish all the checks. That said I had made up an unproofed copy for photo-opportunities and we returned to The Fitzroy Tavern on the friday (and again for a smaller affair on the saturday) to celebrate that and also my birthday; before going on to Popstarz for a bit of a boogie. GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER should be out before Christmas, but they'll be more news about that on the Mouse of Commons site soon.

Below. Lots of photos from around the time of the book launch. Thanks to Tom, Miles, Calum, Gibson, Gareth, Andrew, Harry, Steve, Neph, Ross and Lloyd and to everyone who came along to Popstarz afterwards.

Tuesday 18th November 2008

On Tuesday the 18th I headed to the Poetry Cafe near Covent Garden for their Open Mike night; which was very enjoyable and people seemed to enjoy the three poems that I read. I started with old favourite: THE TRUE LIGHT, before reading another very new poem CHILLI PEPPER FINGERS, before finishing with a more recent favourite: MY DOG IN A DRESS. Kirk did a video of my reading and I'll add a link below; thanks Kirk - I was really pleased with the video; actually I was really pleased with how much fun the whole evening was! I'm DEFINITELY going again!! :)

http://www.vimeo.com/2364144

Wednesday 19th - Thursday 20th November 2008

Above. Before the library conference...

I attended a library conference on these days in Guildford, but there was quite a lot of waiting around involved and I wrote a whole host of new poems during the two days and have continued to do so when I returned. New titles include: ANNABEL LUCRETIA, THE BALLAD OF SIR SIMON DE YETI, CREDIT-CRUNCH BOY-BAND, THE CURSE OF LOVELY LOLA, THE DAGENHAM DIVA, FRONT PAGE NEWS, GOLD-DIGGER, NICE TO KNOW, NIGHTSHADE, OH NIGHTSHADE, OLDER, NOT WISER, PLANET ADMIN, POSITION CLOSED, SEXY EXECUTIVE, TOO SLUSHY FOR SNOWMEN and A WASP IN A WIG...

Above. After the library conference...

I intend to start December off on a positive note by signing up for the next open mike session at the Poetry Cafe on Tuesday 2nd December and also working hard to get the next collection completed. I already have over 40 new pieces and am busy working on more this week and so, at this rate, I would expect to have the new book ready by February/March 2008, rather than by the summer.

Here's one of the new poems and a little bit topical, it is too - being that we are entering winter...

I began this one in February 2007, but it never really properly got off the ground...

I hope you like it!!

Thanks for everyone's support and keep reading and checking the blog over the next few months, years, decades, centuries; won't you?

Paul x


TOO SLUSHY FOR SNOWMEN…

It’s TOO slushy for snowmen…
They just sit around, it’s cruel…
Bits that once were firm fall off of them…
And they just slosh around in a pool!
It’s not fair on them, even slightly…
What sort of career path, now, is that?
When it’s TOO slushy for a snowman…
And their head melts inside their hat!


It’s TOO slushy for snowmen…
All the Christmas carols people hum…
But very soon there comes a thaw –
Then they must know the end has come…
They must know their time is fleeting!
When their noses start to run…
When it’s TOO slushy for snowmen;
Well, they curse that dratted sun!


It’s TOO slushy for snowmen…
They’re praying for the frost!
But with all these nasty milder winters;
All hope, my friend, it’s swiftly lost!
A snowball mind it floods with panic…
Suddenly life becomes a muddle!
When it’s TOO slushy for snowmen;
Well, very soon you’re just a puddle…