Insomnia uninvited

Awake 3am

Tossing turning

Body tired

Thoughts churning 

Bathroom break

House quiet

Lay down

Close eyes

Count sheep

Give up

Too many

Mind wanders

Negative emotions

Quickly banished

Think positive

Check time

Still dark

Breathe deep

Happy thoughts

Invite sleep

Sleep declines

Sip water

Stay hydrated

Check time

Almost 4am

Open phone

Big mistake

Start surfing

Read emails

Mostly junk

Check calendar

Full day

Need sleep

Phone off

Close eyes

Need sleep

Body fatigued

Mind racing

Check pulse

Normal rate

Feels faster

Another mistake

Now listening

Heart beating

Ears tuned

Loud pulse

Face throbbing

Drink water

Stay hydrated

Must pee

Bathroom tiles

Feel cold

Bare feet

Lay down

Check time

5.30am

Dawn breaks

Birds sing

Sleep hopeless

Get up

Make tea

Open laptop

Write poem

Quick edit

Publish now

Cheeky Monkey

Check time

6.30am

Today will

Be long

Will sleep

Well tonight

Red dress in Times Square – Part 3

Emily told Egor not to reach out to the CIA again

just to go about your normal business and wait to be contacted

he left room 407 a few minutes before another man arrived

Emily answered the door and let him in

he sat and watched TV with no sound

while Emily activated the speaker simulating their conversation

she removed the video recording device from the bathroom

plugged it into her laptop and downloaded the data

the recording was converted to a transcript

Emily checked it for accuracy

before encrypting an email to CIA HQ

her fake client left after an hour of watching silent TV

soon after another fake client arrived

the speaker played more fake conversations

 while Emily hacked into the hotel security cameras

she saw the listening device being removed from outside her door

she continued writing her report after the second fake client left

her back up team was in the bar downstairs

she read the text from them

The Russians just left we can stand down now

Emily wrapped up her report

recommending that Egor’s data be followed up

she noted his watchers had given up at 1.30 am

the lazy KGB agents concluded that Egor was just seeing a hooker

a few days later there was chaos on Wall street

a virus shut down all the trading computers

stocks were sent tumbling

Russian short sellers made millions

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

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