October
The great Kiwi reunion in Spain
It was Halloween night and we couldn't refrain
Naturally we dressed up as American tourists
Maps, cameras and Hawaiian shirts for the purists
Sandals, shorts and matching long white socks
Red wine to aid in the beer detox
Always a treat to be with fellow country-folk
More sophisticated than an artichoke
I took the tube with my bags overflowing
I wore too many layers; the exertion was showing
I arrived at the airport with three hours to spare
I had my book and a sandwich so I didn't care
The flight revealed a beautiful Spain from the sky
Fields of olives and tomatoes ready to supply
Very little interrogation from the customs man
A bus into town and the Granada adventure began
Finally got to see Liam play football
Chesterfield v Charlton; it was more of a brawl
He played well I thought, one of his team's best
Chesterfield conceded after being high-pressed
They went on to lose and the fans were furious
Some left early, which I found rather curious
Then off to meet up with a new acting friend
A nice finish to the final London weekend
Whiskey, to the untrained throat
Can be the equivalent of swallowing a goat
The burn slides down like a flaming bar of soap
You sip cautiously, seeing if you can cope
The molten liquid cools to a glow
Now you've got the feeling that so many know
The warmth emanates and you lean back and smile
'Ah, I haven't tasted that in a while'
So long for now, my UK home
A place friendlier than a garden gnome
To Jenny, my surrogate mother abroad
Thanks for all the places we explored
To Graham, enjoy all that retirement brings
Be safe on the plane - take your water wings
To Mark and Lara and everyone I've seen
For the laughs, the madness and everything in between
I feel confident about making soup
There's always room for a late regroup
You know exactly what you're dealing with
You can forge your destiny like a blacksmith
At my disposal was a fresh butternut
I began by giving it a light haircut
Then added all manner of edible delight
I feel my butternut soup stole the spotlight
When your Aunty says 'Don't let her jump in the mud pool'
There can be only one outcome (it's just the rule)
Amber and I went off on a walk through the forest
She bounded through the flora with the nose of a florist
The next minute she's covered from ear to tail
In the mud from the pool hidden just off the trail
And thus I returned to a dumbfounded Aunty
With a brown golden retriever, tongue wagging with glee
The laptop charger broke
Poems fade like smoke
Panic turns to troubleshooting
My cousin's room is ripe for looting
No charger there, I'll have to find
A replacement on the interwebular online
That's now done; it's on its way
The poems are back on track compadre
A pro footballer's workout
My body is thrown about
I've forgotten how to skip
Liam's dishing out some lip
My noodle legs give way
A rather dismal display
Then a sauna/steam combo
As my heart rate starts to slow
Chesterfield, 'The Chez' - call it what you like
Making my way up was a bit of a hike
Ollie and I went there to see the mighty Chesterfield FC
Play top of the table Scunthorpe who defeated us by three
Unfortunately my friend Liam didn't make it off the bench
Some of the crowd's chants were wittier than Judy Dench
Later we entered the smokiest dance floor I've ever seen
No doubt to hide the majority that were under 18
The final day of a marvellous week
And a final scene to hone all technique
Myself and Jennifer - a soon-to-be star
She was a fired-up sister ready to spar
I played the brother who's under police scrutiny
Already miserable and now facing sister mutiny
We shouted and laughed and flew through the scene
Pumped with adrenaline and too much caffeine
First day of filming and look who's up first
Trying desperately to do it better than we rehearsed
I played a campaign manager getting blackmailed
I tried to charm my way out but that inevitably failed
The spark wasn't there but we gave it a good go
I think perhaps I needed to be sporting a mo
It was good to be back working on set
Even if the scene becomes something to forget
The third day we dove right into the world
Of acting technique and the madness unfurled
We harnessed power from the stillness of walls
We spoke of fickle cats and dogs with balls
The elements provided physical metaphors
Air a gentle gait, fire fighting a cause
Water wringing out entrenched feeling
Earth age and wisdom, a calm healing
Second day in, and things got spicy
Maximum effort as the course was pricey
We were split into pairs then given two lines
A scene staying within those verbal confines
Ours turned bleak, covering alcohol abuse
We wished we'd put our five minutes to more use
Then we were given our scripts for the showreel scenes
I was happy with my lot, bounced home like a sack of beans
Twelve nervous face and one ready to impart
Her experience to those who love the art
The Actor's Studio, a week of exploration
Of personal development and group collaboration
Day one we recounted a memory of choice
Under intense scrutiny and with a faltering voice
I told the tale of encountering goats on Outward Bound
I didn't quite nail it as I was tightly wound
Cuzzy Mark took the dog for a walk
And watched my golf ball like a hawk
Let's just say I saw a lot of the course
Bunkers that showed very little remorse
I got to know the trees and the long grass
My driving was somewhat less than world class
We pulled the pin after the drizzle came
Always nice to hang out all the same
A kind soul moved on today
Trevor; words simply cannot convey
Such a gentle man who never heard
Me say even a single word
I'll miss his unrestrained bellowing voice
Every sporting victory that we rejoiced
His smile, his bear hugs, his endless love
Trevor I'll look for you above
Nothing screams home like a roast
Homeliness warmer than a fresh piece of toast
A glass of wine and a fire burning
The glow of displaced family returning
Elbows banging as everyone squeezes in
Struggling to hear someone over the din
A guitar floating around to play
A Sunday feel regardless of the day
My first London gig hit the spot
Tasty as a mid-season apricot
The blues rang out through a crowded bar
Callous yet comforting, like an old scar
Piers and I rocked the dance floor
Then later, as we went to explore
We found an old busker bellowing to life
We joined him in song, sharing his strife
An admin day to get things done
I had a huge list, ticked off just one
Bowl of cereal, shadows moving
Funky music to get things grooving
Productivity went down the drain
Mario Kart on, I couldn't refrain
I made some rather delicious rolls
Time to reassess these goals