FIRST CUP OF TEA

Old-school AI, the Magic 8-Ball of brews, the soothsayer, where you'll find all the answers you'll ever need at the bottom of that first cup, particularly the answer to the question - 'Shall I have another cup?'

FIRST CUP OF TEA

And my first ponder of the day - who gets our lost hour? It must have gone somewhere. Is it kept in a drawer for when the clocks go back again in the autumn? Has it gone Down Under to play with the Australians? It'll probably be down the back of our sofas. Most things are. 

ADONIS

Adonis was the son of Kings,

And probably his sister.

He might have been good-looking 

But he had six-finger blisters!

FIRST CUP OF TEA

My first few ponders of the day...

How many sips in an average mug?

Will it rain today?

I think there's about 25.

Hmm. There's washing needs doing.

Maybe 30.

It can wait until tomorrow.

Will it rain tomorrow? 

Nah. Probably 25.

Probably.

THE ̶R̶H̶Y̶M̶I̶N̶G̶ FEATS OF A WAKING POET

I wake to a weekend full of joy and  promise,

But nothing rhymes with 'promise',

Well, maybe there's 'pumice'.

But that's not right for an early morning tweet.

Who really wants to read about the rubbing of feet? 🤔🦶🦶

FIRST CUP OF TEA

One single ponder

to start the day,

leads to two single ponders

I think I'll stay.

Two single ponders

now turns into three,

and this is the magic

of that first cup of tea.

FIRST CUP OF TEA

"Of all the cups in all the world, this teabag had to stroll into mine." - what Humphrey Bogart said off set during the filming of Casablanca - probably. ☕

WAVES AND PARTICLES

Light is both wave and a particle 

I read it in an interesting article

I think that it means

It flows in Time's stream

But at night it just hides - which is farcical.

FIRST CUP OF TEA

Today I think I'll ruminate, then cogitate, then ponder. Then it should be time for a second cup. ☕☕

FIRST CUP OF TEA

Pondering's starter motor. ☕

BONDAGE CLUB INVITE

I decided to decline the invitation to the local bondage club.

I thought, "Why knot?"

TEARS ALONG THE DOTTED LINES

TEARS ALONG THE DOTTED LINES

A young man races

Tears along the dotted lines

Of aspiration.

TEARS ALONG THE DOTTED LINE

A widower sobs

Tears along the dotted lines

Of separation.

TAKING STOCK

My bedroom wall clock ticks

My bedroom wall clock tocks

And in between those two small sounds,

Well, that's where life takes stock.

FIRST CUP OF TEA

The John Lewis of cuppas - never knowingly under-slurped. ☕

SUNDAY'S VASELINE

Someone's smeared Vaseline on Sunday's filter and it's ready for its misty-eyed close-up. The rain has retreated, muttering to itself that we haven't seen the last of it. A bird hops across a wall as if it's spring operated - which it is, if you think carefully about it.

BRIEF ENCOUNTERS

The gardens at Kerr Towers have burst into bloom. Nature's intricate weaving skills are on display. My Yellow Ladies reveal a Rorschach Test of rich red dots on a pale silken frame. All this effort to attract a bee for the briefest of encounters.

The rest of its time is ours.

FIRST CUP OF TEA

Like all true friends, words are often not needed, merely their warm, reassuring presence.

FIRST CUP OF TEA

First ponder of the day - do Australians stir their cuppa anticlockwise? 

🤔🇦🇺☕

JEALOUS DAYS

Thursday desperately wants to be Friday - a much cooler day who personally knows the weekend! Thursday's so desperate to be Friday that it's sometimes heard to say "Not long 'til the weekend, eh?"

Friday thinks Thursday is silly.

Friday desperately wants to be Saturday...

FIRST CUP OF TEA

Thursday's ponder; do you think those monkeys ever did finish getting that piano up the stairs?

FIRST CUP OF TEA

Pre-pondering perfection. ☕

THE EDGES OF SEMBLANCE

I wake pre-dawn to a world of dark outlines. Trees and buildings in their simplest form. Light hesitating at the edges of semblance, as if it has just arrived from outer space (spoiler: it has just arrived from outer space) and doesn't quite know which bits it should colour in.

FIRST CUP OF TEA

the anticipation of the first

the expectation of a second

the possibility of a third.

there's a lot more going into your first cup than just tea and boiling water. ☕

STUPID BOY

March - so much brighter than its older brother. It's rumoured they're thinking of having February tested. The sun rises with more confidence, clouds part with greater ease. In fact there are so few clouds this March it's thought February forgot to put the order in. Stupid boy.

SCHOOL SWEAR WORDS

I misunderstood the meaning of calligraphy at school and filled out a page of swear words.

Then I found out what cursive meant.

FIRST CUP OF TEA

Where pondering comes to keep fit.

AN ODE TO A PANCAKE ON PANCAKE DAY

Happy flipping birthday, pancake

Greetings, and all that

I hope you get all that you want

And that you turn out flat.

I know you find the day exciting,

Fun and so appealing

But can I ask you very nicely

Come down from that 

ceiling.

FIRST CUP OF TEA

Scientists have finally cracked the DNA code of tea - 

20% imagination

20% pondering

20% relaxation

20% satisfaction

5% magic

5% mystery

5% awe

5% ahhhhh

POETRY FINDS

I'm on Substack a lot these days. Someone described it as social media for those who read whole books, which I found both funny & possibly true.

I came across this poem, The Two-Headed Calf, written by Laura Gilpin in 1977. I was moved by its simplicity and its power.

A FINAL REMINDER

To many, Monday's arrival is as welcome as an overdue bill landing on the doormat. Another week at the coalface. Now that I'm no longer able to work due to ill health, I recall all the times I hated Mondays. But now I wish the postman would deliver just one final urgent reminder.

QUIET PLEASE!

Sundays Light has an easier time than most. Reflecting off of fewer cars on the road and fewer people rushing around, it gets to choose where it settles. Once it's settled it's rarely disturbed. Sundays Noise takes heed and reverberations are kept to a minimum. Library Sunday.

FIRST CUP OF TEA

Sponsored by The Union Of Amalgamated Ponderers and Imagineers. ☕✊

THE SPRING CLEANER

February's finally left. How does the shortest month always feel like the longest? The party guest nobody remembers inviting. Always hogs the music. Always drinks your good booze. 

But now March is here. Our spring cleaner. They'll tidy up the mess and they'll stick to water.