REFLECTIONS and RHYME

Do you have an odd sock pile in your home? If so, this one is for you. Its quirky little tale about one such odd sock who is desperate to find his long lost other half. A children’s story really, but also enjoyed by adults. I have made this one into a book with illustrations and it can be found on Amazon.co.uk. If you enjoy my poems, please buy me a coffee by clicking here!   Thank you and Merry C...

This poem captures the excitement when as children, we woke to an eerily quiet world and a strange light around the closed curtains and at that moment, we just knew that it had snowed in the night! From there came the frenzy of debate as to whether school would be closed and the possibility of being able to have a snow day. The story follows the thoughts, feelings and joy of one such day from it’s...

I used to sit upstairs sometimes just in the dark at night and hear the barks of the dogs through the window. One would begin, echoing through the cold and still night air and then another would answer it and so it went on. I found these communications to be a great comfort when I felt lonely as a child growing up and they gave me the feeling that I was a part of something far bigger than me. If y...

This poem is about a wonderful encounter which I had with a wild mountain Hare a couple of Christmases ago. It was such a special meeting and was a beautiful escape from the Christmas build up, which sometimes can be overwhelming. If you enjoy my poems, please buy me a coffee by clicking here!   Thank you!

Unusually for me, a slightly darker poem about the “ progress” of man and of his lack of care for the world and his refusal to ease up. If nothing else, I hope that this poem makes us ask ourselves- is it really progress or is it in fact less. A couple of Wordsworth’s choice words are used in this poem as even back in his day, he was cautioning the world on the dark side of “ progress”. I would re...

Remember back in the day when Bonfire Night was a simpler affair, just family and a few friends in the garden with a small bonfire, a guy which you had made yourself and a box of Standard fireworks? Remember the excitement of buying a box with your mum or dad and then opening it at home and feasting your eyes on the contents? Remember the bonfire toffee, perhaps toffee apples and for some reason,...

Did you used to go “Trick or Treating” on Halloween with your friends? If so, this poem might bring back some great memories for you. Remember when you spent weeks getting your costumes ready, thinking of tricks and the treats which you might get? The dark cold night, the banging of gates and running around the houses with your bag of goodies? Ghosts, cats, witches, zombies, they were all there. I...

This poem contains my musings on the speed of life today and how this is often propelled by seasons and events happening before their time. The appearance of Christmas decorations in the shops in August is one example, Summer holiday adverts at Christmas is another. It just feels like we need to slow down and put things back into their rightful seasons again. If you enjoy my poems, please buy me a...

This poem is for all of those sisters out there who have been so supportive over the years and been there when we needed them most. I hope it brings back a few memories of you and your sister, or brother for that matter. If you like my work, please buy me a coffee by clicking here!

A short and simple poem extolling the virtues of some of the small and simple things in life. In a world that is so busy, it's good, I think, sometimes just to be reminded that they are still there. I would really appreciate it if you would Buy Me a Coffee by clicking here!

In addition to writing poetry and short stories, I have also worked as a Speech Therapist in the area of special needs for over thirty- five years and also have family experience of some of the conditions mentioned in this poem. Whilst aimed at children, the main themes here are applicable to all. These are that is that its ok to be different and that you can still succeed in life if your brain ju...

This poem is a reflection on Autumn, both in the Uk and around the world. It also looks back at the kind of Autumn days that I remember as a child.   If you have enjoyed this poem, please buy me a coffee by clicking here!

This poem contains my thoughts and musings on the end of Summer turning slowly in to the Autumn. As with all things in life, we must learn to say goodbye, whilst then embracing the new for as long as we can.   If you have enjoyed this poem, please buy me a coffee by clicking here!

This poem has a look at the many treasures which we have in our beautiful county of Derbyshire and also at the treasures within these obvious treasures which may be missed. I guess it is about the smaller, quieter delights which are all around us if we know where to look and if we sometimes take the time to stop, notice and enjoy them. If you enjoy my poems, please buy me a coffee by clicking here...

Here is the next poem which is basically about my experience of secondary school, the good bits and the not so good. I’m sure that it will jog old memories of that first day there, the giant uniforms, the feelings of being someone very small in a huge place and many other recollections. Perhaps you remember the dominant gang who seemed to rule the roost, or some of the lovely teachers ( and not so...

This is a delightful piece of reminiscence for those of you, like me who have always had a sweet tooth! I’ll bet there are a number of sweets in this poem which you had completely forgotten about, but which will bring back a load of happy memories regarding where you were and who you were with when you used to buy them. Supporting me through Buy Me a Coffee would really be appreciated!

This is a reflective poem and is basically an ode to the people we grew up with way back when and how they and the times we had together remain with us.  Even now, these memories can give us strength when needed through the ups and downs of today. If you like my poems, please buy me a coffee by clicking here!

This is a look back at a wonderful childhood in Derbyshire, which I hope many can empathise with, wherever your countryside upbringing was and if you didn’t grow up in the countryside, I hope you enjoy the pictures in your mind which I have tried to create here. The long days when we would set off early and get back at dusk without anyone really worrying for our safety because if we had any proble...

This is a short poem, which I wrote for my mum when she was alive.  From somewhere in her past she had the first line in her head, but after extensive research, I couldn’t find anything with that line in it, so I started with that first line and wrote the poem myself. It combines memories from her childhood and mine in Baslow where there was a field up the road which we called "the Bunny Bank" bec...

This poem is a gardener’s delight, at least that is what I initially set to to write about. However, as I continued to write, I realised that it is about other things too. It is about the solace which being amongst nature can bring and the calming effect which it has for us. It is also about our connection to the nature all around us and it to us, the oneness of everything. It looks at the joys an...

This poem is a nostalgic walk around my old Primary school classroom. I only have to close my eyes and I am back there with the sights, smells and feelings experienced. Everything from the clanking radiators, the store cupboard and the smell of dinner cooking next door, gets a mention. Do you remember the smell of the plasticine and the sound of the blackboard revolving, along with the kindly voic...

This poem is about the pre-school nursery which I went to in the hamlet of Bubnell, England,  when I was 2 or 3 years old. It covers my old memories and  also musings as to what happened to the teddy that I used to play with. A little more melancholy perhaps.

This is a poem about some of the curve balls that life can send us and how we can get through such tough situations or have to learn to adapt and find a new way of living with things that can’t be fixed. It also looks at some of the good things which can ultimately come out of such situations—things which you probably would never have noticed before life changed.

This poem will take you back to carnival time, wherever you went to yours and wherever you might still go to now to join in the fun. Can you hear the crowds cheering and see the bunting blowing in the wind, as the variety of floats, walkers and marching bands go past? I hope this poem re-captures for you some of the joy and energy of a summer carnival day wherever and whatever that means for you

I loved writing this poem because I was immediately back on our local "rec" in Baslow, and could see the bunting blowing in the wind and hear the children shouting! I hope it takes you back to the egg and spoon race, the sack race, the infamous tug of war, the tiny tot’s race and of course, the embarrassment of watching your mum and dad in the parent’s race. You’ll remember the anxiety, the fear,...