Sandy’s Scribbles

Pic: Tangerine Towers on my 50th birthday - the rascals! :) A year of our lives (almost) lockdown has cost It’s easy to focus on what we have lost Yet in between all of the things we can’t do There’s been lessons aplenty and eyes opened too Who knew we’d be pros at both Zooming and Teamsing? Who knew we’d be learning to yoga by streaming? New skills in web quizzing and DIY fixing In making and baking and then, ooh Joe Wixing! But deeper than this something else has changed too Our day to day lives we are looking at new Depending on where we’re in life’s journey now New questions are being asked: what, where, when and how? Those who were furloughed soon realised with shock  They missed simple comforts of being ‘on clock’   The routine of working gives purpose to all When this is removed, we’re more likely to fall For managers mid, sudden remoteness meant That managing people was even more rent  With challenges never encountered before They learned on the job while rem...

Photo: is my other half doing ‘calm’ which he is very good at. Me not so much - this poem is a reminder to myself! When young we give it not a thought We live our lives, the pace is fraught It passes through our fingers so The minutes, hours and days they go The only time we note its flow Is when it’s   going way too slow Whenever we are forced to wait We want time to accelerate   ‘I don’t have time’ we often say I’ll do it - promise - another day   I don’t have time, please ask your Dad He doesn’t either, oh, how sad We rush through life and years are missed Donated to our to do lists   Before we know it time has flown Our age is high, our children grown   Where did it go, we then will cry? Why did I let it all fly by? It’s too late now, we can’t turn back The clock has ticked, as is its knack Your bucket list won’t tick itself The things YOU want stay on the shelf Don’t put them off, procrastinate   Or it will soon be all too late So stop and think and sm...

(First published to celebrate National Poetry Day in 2015, hence the reference to holidays! 🤦‍♀️) Twitter is the wondrous thing I turn to for most everything From plumbers, painters, cleaners too I holler and, with no ado You heed my call and bring me peeps Who salve my worries; aid my sleeps  And when of literature I'm low I turn to you and shout and lo! You answer with your best advice And I Kindle up in ne'er a trice  In business could I cope without My advisor's army, true and stout? Who send me leads and useful bods To aid my biz against the odds Who watch and hear and always help And calm me down whene'er I yelp Who retweet all info quests And find me Tangerines - the best! Apprentices you send our way And companies where they spend their day  Plus speakers for our bright young things Thus info which their learning brings Of ‘BREAKING NEWS!!’ or football scores Who has died? Who divorced? Where can I find a genuine fake? A Tangerine branded HUGE cupcake? A hotel ...

I miss hugging people ... much more than I thought I miss going to the pub ... much more than I ought I miss all my lovely friends... and phone calls just don’t cut it I miss ... normality? ... there’s no other way to put it I miss all my colleagues, meeting in a room I miss all the banter, you can’t get on a Zoom I miss the office kitchen chat while the kettle does its boil I miss the laugh and joke that a ‘you’re on mute’ can’t spoil I miss smiling at a stranger, that’s not blocked by a mask I miss knowing how life works, without having to ask I miss reaching out a hand, to comfort someone near I miss feeling safe and sure for those I hold most dear But missing all these things will not be for much longer And missing them the way we have must surely make us stronger And when we’re free to hug and laugh and share a caring touch We’ll notice every time we do and value it so much

(in limerick style) Dear women of a certain age ... You sometimes feel your years You sometimes feel your tears You’ve had your share Of things to bear And lived through many fears Your hormones run amok You hear your body clock Your thermostat Has gone kerplat! Your temperature’s ad hoc Your body maps your past And you can’t move as fast Gravity’s hit And done its bit You fear the die is cast BUT dear women of a certain age...  You know more who you are You know for every scar... You worry less And manage stress Because you’ve come this far  You know your friends are true They’ve lived their lives with you  Their losses, gains Their joys and pains Their kids are your kids too Your worries are still here But you’ve learned to handle fear You know this scare This latest mare Will quite soon disappear So dear women of a certain age...  Please don’t stay in the past We know that life goes fast Let’s try to live Each day and give Ourselves a hug at last We really are so ...