Sunday 6 September 2015

IN CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTH OF OUR FIRST GRANDSON AUGUST 9 2015


 IN CELEBRATION OF THE COMING OF JOSEF RHYS

 

Monday’s child is fair of face

Mum-to-be swims

a mile,  freckle-smiling

checks her pulse.

 Not Monday’s child.

 

Tuesday’s child is full of grace

Mum-to-be watches breakfast TV, texts

by return of post, and yawns.

 Not Tuesday’s child.

 

Wednesday’s child is full of woe

Mum-to-be wobble-walks

to a Barnes café, drinks

NCT latté with other Mums in-waiting.

 Not Wednesday’s child.

 

Thursday’s child has far to go

Mum-to-be finger-winds

her hair, glances scullers rowing

up the Thames to Kew.

 Not Thursday’s child.

 

Friday’s child is loving and giving

Mum-to-be drums a tune

on her rolling tum, wonders

if her baby will ever come;

has acu-pressure and a sweep.

 Not Friday’s child.

 

Saturday’s child works hard for a living

Mum-to-be feels the squeeze, contractions,

labour pain- goes into hospital-

and home again.

 Not Saturday’s child.

 
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day

is bonny & blithe, good and gay

Mum-to-be breathes air and gas

with Dad’s help pushes hard;

At 10.20 the world welcomes Josef Rhys

Sunday’s child.                                                                                          

Friday 4 September 2015

AN EYE OPENING VOYAGE


 This year I went on a Saga cruise to the Baltic States. I wrote an article about my experience which is published in this month's Telegraph-the monthly journal of Nautilus International-the professional magazine of Seafarers. See www.nautilusint.org.    In the September issue Page 20 under the section Seafarers' Rights. Please feel free to circulate the article among your friends and colleagues and write your views to the editor. I have already had feedback from a seafarer telling of his worrying experience working on the Saga Sapphire. I would like to persuade Nautilus to take up the campaign of Cruise Sweatships.