the parlor

step into the parlor

relax and enjoy lively parlor conversation

appreciate the parlor decor

feel the love that created the parlor

raise a glass in honor of the parlor decorator

feel the energy woven into the parlor fabric

admire the parlor artistry of the color and texture selections

listen to cool parlor jazz as you sip on fine wines

play loud rock music with your parlor Manhattan cocktail

cruise the blues with your parlor moonshine whisky

tell your tallest parlor tales as friends listen intensely

share your parlor secrets with trusted confidents

spill the beans in the parlor without staining your reputation

create your own safe parlor confession booth

sleep over and wake up contented

drift back into the parlor at dawn

watch the parlor sunrise

drink your parlor morning coffee and plan the day

chill a while in the parlor

take afternoon tea with the parlor ladies of leisure

read a good book in the parlor

write a parlor poem or a short story

the parlor hears all

but the parlor never tells

welcome to the parlor

planning the mountain climb from my chair

somedays I wake up with low energy

feeling lethargic and unmotivated

particularly after a restless night

stumbling through the day in a fog

I used to push back hard on those feelings

forcing myself to get things done

desperately trying to overcome the lethargy

threatening myself with guilt for under achieving

I have learned to embrace the low energy days

when my body cries slow down l now take heed

I do not answer the door when Mr. Guilt comes knocking

no need to climb the mountain today

the list of things to do for today can be rescheduled

pushed onto a high energy day when I will get more done

besides its good to sit back sometimes and just look at the mountain from my chair

I will work out the path for the big climb tomorrow 

booze cruise

Sunny day

Party planned

Friends arrive

Load boat

Party supplies

Lively conversation

Smiling faces

Boat launch

Calm waters

No wind

Booze cruise

Happy people

Loud music

Endless laughter

Motoring on

Slight breeze

Music louder

Crazy dansing

Serving shots

Inhibitions lost

Stiff breeze

Choppy waters

No panic

Party continues

Captain drinking

Radio blinking

Strong winds

Big waves

Boat heaving

Alcohol flows

Party continues

Skies darken

Big storm

Heavy rain

Lightning strikes

Party stops

Worried faces

Gales blowing

Massive waves

Boat heaving

Panic strikes

People overboard

Boat capsizes

Wind calms

Storm over

People clinging

Against hull

Boating rescue

All survived

Boat destroyed

Lives saved

Lesson learned

Check weather

Before boating

happiness recipe

I came across this recipe recently. Its very simple and anybody can make it. Interestingly the ingredients do not include relationships, money or material possessions.  Note that it recommends serving to everybody you know which implies that you will achieve your own happiness by giving to others. 

Ingredients

2 heaped cups of Patience

1 heart full of Love

2 handfuls of Generosity

1 headful of Understanding

a dash of Laughter

an endless supply of Kindness

plenty of Faith

Instructions

Combine patience, love, and generosity with understanding. Add a dash of laughter and sprinkle generously with kindness. Add plenty of Faith and mix well. Spread over a lifetime and serve everybody you know.

Random Song lines (and the memories they bring me)

Nights in white satin

(School days studying at home in the summer heat)

Anarchy in the UK

(college days and punk rock)

Let me introduce to you, the act we have known for all these years

(Liverpool city centre drab shops)

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away

(my first love affair)

Lets go surfin now

(California sunshine)

Donald where’s yer troosers

(Crazy fun Robert Burn’s birthday parties)

You’ll never walk alone

(grown men crying at the start of Liverpool football club games)

I’ll give you all I’ve got to give

(rainy days at school)

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas

(Snow, log fire, tinsel, sherry, mince pies and presents)

Don’t stop believin

(singing really loud and off key with inebriated friends)

Excuse me while I kiss the sky

(the smell of funny cigarettes)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

(Family new year’s eve parties with lots of Scotch whisky)

Love is the drug for me

(My wedding)

Parklife

(Patricia and Norman arrival celebration)

School’s out forever

(my last day at school)

Livin on a prayer

(Dancing in the sand and spilling beer at Seacrets in Ocean City)

My heart is drenched wine

(Getting divorced)

You would never break the chain

(Watching formula One motor racing on BBC TV)

Its

(Monty Python)

Smoke on the water

(Boating on Turville Creek with Norby and Maria)

its no fun living in somebody else’s window

there I was sitting inside for what seemed like an eternity

waiting for the cable company to show up

we had been sent new TV cable boxes and a modem

supposedly to fix our erratic TV reception

but after hours on the phone being walked through the installation

we still could not get the TV to work properly

they finally gave up and agreed to send a technician

promising to come within a two hour window

but they often break their promises

sometimes not showing up at all

would today be any different I wondered  

I thought about using the two hour window myself

next time I need an appointment for the doctor

I will give them a two hour window for my arrival

and the doctor must be ready for me as soon as I show up

it will be the same when I go to the dentist or attorney

no more hanging around in waiting rooms

they can all wait for me to show up

If I get to the place at the start of the window

I will sit outside in my car for an hour or more

breezing in with five minutes left in the window

I was thinking of going out for dinner that nightt

A reservation for 7pm is too tight for me

lets say anytime between 6 and 8 pm 

then I might see a movie after dinner

the screening time was 9.30 pm but would call the theatre

telling them to hold off starting the movie until I show up

sometime in my two hour window

this will start a revolution

everybody will live in their own little windows

just a few clicks and the Uber driver is on his way

to pick you up somewhere between 3 and 5 pm

If you get seriously ill just call 911 and ask for an ambulance

they will show up with flashing lights sometime in the next two hours 

then there was a knock at the door

it was the cable company technition

he arrived bang in the middle of the window

quickly repairing the bad cable connection in the street outside

he did the install of the new equipment himself in minutes

he was courteous and explained every button on the new remotes

making sure we were comfortable operating everything

I asked him what he thought about the appointment window thing

surprisingly he confessed that it was obviously infuriating for customers

revealing they were piloting a new system to keep customers better informed

sending multiple text updates to accurately predict technician arrival times

so that customers no longer had to wait around for hours in the dark

I was so happy to learn that the cable company was breaking windows

lets hope others will follow suit

its no fun living in somebody else’s window

red wine and lies

she poured a large glass of red wine

looking out of the window

the city below was bustling 

people going home from work

others going out for the evening

all walking with a purpose

she wished she was one of them

her heart sank as she glanced at the clock

he will be home soon she thought

time for another wine and a fake welcoming smile

by the time his key was in the door

she had started a third large glass

how was your day honey he asked

oh nothing exciting she answered

how was yours she said to change the subject

he rambled on about his working day

she pretended to listen as she consulted her phone

the text message she was waiting for suddenly popped in

come to my place at eight

she answered ok with a stream of kisses

her husband was still taking about work

as she rummaged in the kitchen 

there is pizza in the oven for you honey

I am going out to see my sister

she is depressed and needs cheering up

fine he said give her my best

as she drove across town she called her sister

no reply so she left a voicemail

hey sis if he asks say I was with you all evening thanks

soon she was in her lover’s arms

for a few hours of stolen pleasure

when she got back home her husband was still up

how is your sister doing he asked

oh she is doing better we talked the whole evening

she poured another glass of wine

his face was full of sadness

whats up with you she asked

he paused looking at her with total disdain

I guess you forgot your sister is away all this week

she bit her lip not knowing what further lies to tell

he opened up his laptop and typed a few commands

would you like to see where your car has been all evening 

unlike you the tracking device does not lie

what vintage are your memories

they say travel broadens the mind

exposing you to previously unseen things

diving into different cultures

taking you out of your comfort zone

it can also create long lasting memories

we took a trip to Portugal in 2018

exploring the cities of Lisbon and Porto

visiting wineries and tasting delicious port wine

we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary

in a small town called Pinhoa 

deep in the heart of the wine country

on the banks of the river Douro

eating lunch in a small restaurant overlooking the river

followed by an afternoon stroll through the town

chatting to the non-English speaking store owners

communicating through gestures pointing and smiles 

we stumbled upon a wine store

the owner spoke perfect English

helping us chose a rare ten year old vintage port

directing us to a late afternoon river boat cruise

boarding a small traditional flat bottomed Rabelo boat

originally used to transport people and goods 

on the shallow fast moving waters of the Douro river

which has since been calmed by many dams

there was only one other couple on that boat

a father and daughter from South America

touring Europe to celebrate his retirement

chatting as the boat glided through breathtaking scenery

the boat captain miraculously had clean glasses

toasting our 10th anniversary with our new friends

sipping on 10 year old vintage port

swapping life stories in the short one hour trip

declaring 2008 to be a fine vintage year

 making lifelong memories on the Douro river

1,000 Cheeky Monkeys!!!!!

today we reached the big milestone of 1,000 postings on Cheeky Monkey Poetry!

this is enough material for 10 poetry books!

our first post was on May 31, 2021

its been a wild ride over the last three years

here are some of the events that occurred during this period

the Covid 19 Pandemic declined and officially ended

Russia invaded Ukraine

Cheeky Monkey Poetry attracted over 300 followers

Apple Stock reached $3 trillion

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock

Sam Obrien and JH Huzzah made guest appearances on Cheeky Monkey Poetry

the word game Wordle went viral

microplastics were discovered in human blood

the titan tourist submarine imploded

Cheeky Monkey Poetry followers made over 2,600 likes and 1,000 comments

Roe v. Wade was overturned

Queen Elizabeth II died

Nasa sent a rocket to an asteroid

Elon Musk bought Twitter

5 short stories appeared on Cheeky Monkey Poetry

world population reached 8 billion

Argentina won the world cup

earthquakes in Syria and Turkey killed 50,000 people

Hamas invaded Israel and a war started

former President Trump went on trial in New York

Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp retired

more than 220,000 words were published on Cheeky Monkey Poetry

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a big thank you to our website production team Addison and Abby

what started as a daily poem for one year challenge just kept rolling

we are planning a major overhaul of the website later this year

we hope you continue to enjoy these daily musings

STAY CHEEKY MY FRIENDS