Another triumph for the Booming Lovelies at Cranleigh Arts Centre on Wednesday night.
The above pictures are us rehearsing like mad last week at the Arts Centre.
With 40 plus tickets sold, we were a little nervous. We had a big audience indeed.
Armed with our souvenir booklet, we were ready to take on the world..(I think!)..
Seated in the immaculate green room upstairs, we tried not to be nervous as we heard people arriving one floor below!
Facing a whole room of people will always be unnerving but once Trisha kicked off with the marvellous Cold Soup and The Joy of Sex, we began to relax.
I was on next with Beryl the Peril, my first ever idol, then Sharron read her fantastic piece The Tree-Lined Village Square. A great favourite of my guest and companion for night, Peter St James.
This is a montage of us performing. Also the corridor at the arts centre which, when full of nerves, seemed terribly long. And I got in a shot of our books which literally went like hot cakes!
This is me with my pal Peter just before the show. How I would have loved a stiff pre-performance G&T but I was driving. Bore! So I had to make do with sparkly water.
Thank you, Sharron and Trisha for including me in The Booming Lovelies. A unique experience.
We Booming Lovelies look forward to performing at the Guildford Institute on 13th May. Watch this space!
Thanks for tuning in, PL’s. We’ll be back with more poetry antics real soon…..
Please be advised that these above are not my drawings. Aren’t they beautiful?! Such another era.
I don’t understand why Girl Annual had such a dull cover when there was so much beauty inside. It really didn’t advertise that very well for the newcomer.
I’ve penned a tongue-in-cheek tribute to this long gone publication…
Oh Girl Annual number Eight
With your signature red cover
A bygone age for young girls
Before they took on a lover
Guide members in smart uniform
And ballet scholars in a leotard
Immaculately drawn in black ink
Before these girls grew hard
No problem pages, just cooking tips
Recipes with margarine and lard
Canny blonde nurses in splendid capes
In Monochrome strips they starred
Infinite advice for the prepubescent
on sewing a patchwork cover
Sporting gals winning trophies
Before their bodies they did discover
Claudia of the Circus, Sally of the Seas
I fed on these stories with a passion
But even the ardent of readers grow up
And you went out of fashion!
Now, Poetry Lovers, can you guess which one is me in the above pictures?
Thanks for tuning in, and reading my little tribute. We’ll be back with more poetry adventures real soon….
I expect like Christmas, childhood Easters come back to you. Weren’t the Easter Eggs much better then?! I got some fabulous ones – shaped like a clock and a house.
They’re so bland these days, I haven’t even seen one in a mug! We used those for a long time after Easter.
I’ve cobbled a little piece together to put how tantalising those eggs were sitting there until Easter Sunday. Just a fun piece (and I think I’ve invented a new form!).
Read on and Happy Easter…..
Hot Cross buns on Good Friday
chocolate eggs still out of range
but what I found really strange
was why it’s a normal day on Saturday ?!
Easter Eggs boxed and silver wrapped
sitting there on the family sideboard
my own personal cherished hoard
they had charm everything else lacked
being schooless was an extra joy
and gave the excuse to savour more
those chocolate objects by the back door
only surpassed by Christmas and toys
I did say it was cobbled together!
Thanks for tuning in, PL’s. We’ll be back with more poetry adventures real soon. In the meantime, enjoy your Easter…
Welcome back to the talk show studio. Today, our special guest is talented poet Roger Waldron…
( rapturous applauseas our esteemed guest walks somewhat cautiously down the lighted stairs )
Welcome to the show, Roger. Thank you so much for agreeing to be our guest.
Love those platform shoes! You’ve been to Man at C&A again, haven’t you?!
Now Roger, do fill us in on your background
Hello Heather, thank you so much for inviting me.
(Roger eases off his shoes)
I grew up in North Sheffield with my mum, dad and older brother. I still live in the area with Jane. Our grown-up children and their families also live in Sheffield.
I left school at 15 years old, without any qualifications. I didn’t take to school that well and they didn’t take to me – it didn’t matter because I was going to be a footballer.
After leaving school I went to work as an apprentice plumber for the council, but plumbing wasn’t for me, so after serving my 5 years, I left. I spent 18 months working in the steelworks before going on to work for a well-known telecommunications outfit where I spent the next 23 years moving through the ranks. I started as a telephone engineer which meant I dug roads and repaired cables, making sure that everyone was connected to their phones (hopefully…)
I moved to another company and became a supervisor/project manager which meant travelling round the north of England meeting lots of amazing people.
Now I’m retired and I am Head Gardener at both my children’s houses, look after our grandchildren and grand-dogs. I enjoy reading – I’m addicted to second-hand book shops – and writing poetry.
Oh I love them too. You find the most wonderful treasures buried there.
You’ve had a very full career, when did poetry become a part of your life?
I’ve always said, my education began when John Lennon walked up to a microphone and sang “Don’t Let Me Down.” Music has always been a big influence for me. I don’t remember doing poetry at school and if we did it would have gone in one ear and out the other.
In the early 1980s, Ian McMillan hosted a show on Radio Sheffield and asked for people to send in their poetry. I did this under a pen-name – Stan Cummings. At the time, I was digging holes and repairing cables and I’d listen to the radio with my workmates. I didn’t want them to know that the poems that were being read out were mine but then the secret was out when Rotherham libraries published a pamphlet “The 9’oclock from Rotherham.” I was also published in various poetry magazines of the time.
I then stopped writing for a long-time due to work and family life. But in 2018, I began to write again, I haven’t stopped since.
I follow Ian on Twitter. That’s fascinating, Roger. We’ve never had a poet on here who’s been “outed” before.
Who are your biggest influences?
Musicians are my biggest influences – including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and of course being from Sheffield, Pulp and The Arctic Monkeys.
Poetry wise, my influences include Ian McMillan and Geoff Hattersley – as they are both from South Yorkshire – Selima Hill, Brendan Cleary, Fred Voss, Frank O’Hara and Carl Burkitt etc etc . All these poets write about the ‘everyday’ and I like to think that I do the same.
Oh Frank O’Hara – swoon! And you do, Roger. You achieve that same edgy style.
Tell us how ‘The C&A Years’ came about, and are you working on anything at the moment ?
I had been published by Dreich Magazine (thanks Jack Caradoc) so when I heard they were running a competition to publish a pamphlet, I sent off a bunch of my poems. My poems were chosen, and “My C&A Years” was published. I knew which poem needed to be at the beginning, which one I wanted in the middle and then which one should be at the end but then there’s no order to them or theme.
The poems are about everyday life and the people I meet along the way. People always say I have a story for every occasion. I always write the same poem but hopefully with different words.
I am always writing. At the moment, I am looking for a publisher for the pamphlet “Notes from Under a Continental Quilt.”
I loved the C&A years, and I look forward to your next pamphlet. I remember everyone calling them Continental Quilts once! Very exotic at the time.
What is the best poetry gig you have done and the worst?
The best one is always going to be the next! One good memory is of a recent poetry night at Theatre Deli in Sheffield. They had a power-cut which meant that I had to stand behind the bar and read my poems as it was the only place that had lights. That suited my poetry fine as people have said they picture me sat at a bar reading my poetry.
The worst one was quite a few years ago in Halifax in West Yorkshire. The room was full. But when the audience realised we were from South Yorkshire, everyone left apart from three women, and then halfway through the performance they said, “We don’t like poetry” and walked out. “Poetry to an empty room” that sounds like a title for my next pamphlet.
Oh Roger! That’s terrible! So much for poets being supportive! What a mean-spirited thing to do!
However, I love that image of you reading behind the bar.
And like all bad experiences, something positive came out of that – a potential pamphlet. Talk about a learning curve!
What can I say, Roger? Thank you for being such a wonderful guest
( Ecstatic applause)
Now what are you doing tonight, Roger? A poetry disco perhaps?
Actually, Heather, I’m going to meet Dobby at a club. She can get me in anywhere apparently.
So that’s where she’s gone?! And I’m not invited, am I?!
(Our esteemed guest shifts awkwardly)
Oh don’t worry, I’m used to it. Another night in front of Z Cars!
And another round of applause for Roger Waldron, Poetry Lovers
(audience cheer wholeheartedly as Roger elegantly ascends the lighted stairs)
Wasn’t Roger a terrific guest?! Do treat yourselves to a copy of The C&A Years A truly terrific collection.
Follow Roger on Twitter on @rogerthereg
Thanks for tuning in, PL’s and listening to another fascinating poet. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon…..
I know hairdressing techniques have changed unrecognisably over the years, and a good thing too.
However, there is one thing I can’t get round and that is models flaunting their dark roots! The photos on my own hairdresser’s walls are full of half blonde and half dark roots.
What the Hell?! That was always a No-No! Such a slovenly crime once. I didn’t dare go out the door with one peek of a natural root. Always covered them up in interesting and difficult ways.
Anyway, I’ve penned a poem about this outrage. Do read on
Roots
Roots, like red and green,
should never ever be seen
But they’re dotted round the hairdressers
Photos of models in half-dark tresses
It used be to looked on as slovenly
A sign of neglect and being unlovely
Why did I stand for hours using a paintbrush?!
With foul smelling packet colour bought in a rush
Anything to get them covered up and gone
So my bleached blonde was groomed and shone
Now glamorous girls let them all show
Making sure the whole world would know
I’ve missed the bus for this semi dark haired foray
Because unfortunately now my roots would be grey
HM 2024
Phew! Enjoyed that little tirade! The World is changing so much but I thought hair roots would stay intact(!). I think there’s a hair piece in all of us, so poems on a postcard please…..
Thanks for tuning in, PL’s. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon……
Yes indeed. How often do you see clothes on the line now? Our laundry rituals have changed drastically, some for the better, (no more putting shirts through mangles), but on the other hand, we’ve lost something else. Those billowing sheets hanging out and that fresh outdoor smell.
Clever poet Trisha Broomfield puts this over succinctly in her lovely detailed nostalgic piece What Happened to those Drying Days?
Today we have a cracking new collection from prolific poet Tony Josolyne.
A regular reader at Poetry Performance in Tedddington, we eagerly awaited this new and varied collection. And Tony did not disappoint. I’ve given Recalcitrant Verse a well-deserved hot review. (Dobby does not approve of the cover!)
Read on….
Recalcitrant Verse
by Tony Josolyne
A very apt title for this vibrant collection, with the subtitle nothing is quite what it seems. What very true words as we open up to a moving foreword written by Poetry Performance founder Anne Warrington. Followed by a concise preface by the the poet Tony Josolyne. We are then presented with a wealth of significant subheadings, that present humorous, poignant and thought provoking pieces.
Under the heading of Human Behaviour, the poet gives us a childhood memory in Grandfather’s Beard and a wartime one in Wallasey 1941 under the Warfare section. This chapter includes an idiom of Sir Frances Drake’s exchange with Queen Bess in Drakes Pride, with fascinating detail.
The sub headed sections, such as Insurance, carry very relevant issues and sadly, every day hazards such as in Travel Insurance. Through the frustration, there is still a bleak and ironic humour. The clever skit on Wordsworth in Food for Thought is irresistible, and when we encounter The Law, there is more dark wit in Reasonable Force.
Under the Faith and Belief heading, we are drawn into The Youngest Sailor. A fascinating account of how baby Moses was adopted, a modernised version of the Old Testament story. The Show Business chapter is a personal favourite with the hilarious CCTV concerning an outraged actor, and The Casting Couch, a reflection of changing times and power shifts.
There is a wealth of poetic variation under Miscellaneous, the wonderful Excuses jumps out at the reader. A very human situation indeed.
Climate is a very fitting section to end this intriguing collection, particularly A Climate Crisis, reminding us of the devastating bush fires in the Adelaide Hills of Australia in 2019/20. Chilling the reader at how easy it is to forget these terrible incidents.
A succinct collection, and one to be read again and again.
Thanks for reading the review, PL’s. And for a real treat, get yourself a copy of Recalcitrant Verse. Contact me for any orders…..
Nothing’s more heartwarming than sitting down with a Broons book on a cold afternoon. Next to my Beryl the Peril annuals, that is.
That charming huge family of 11, located in a flat somewhere in Scotland, with so much detail in their inked drawings, characters and warm humour.
There’s a few things that have bothered me over the years as I read that iconic comic strip, and I’ve put it into words below. Very tongue-in-cheek, natch. Do read on…..
The Broons
Oh Broons family of the Sunday Post
Your stories warm me like hot toast
I always yearned so much to be Maggie
Daphne I confess, I found a bit baggy
But ungainly sisters have nicer clothes
And a generous warm heart, I suppose
Home perms and the latest dress
No wonder your bedroom was a mess
It’s handsome Joe who gets romance
Taking sweet lasses to the local dance
Inoffensive Hen just seems a bit old
To be living still in the family fold
A cramped Victorian tenement flat
No room to spare for even one cat
Housing eleven, with Grandpa round often
The matriarch Maw did sometimes soften
I suspect that the forthright Bairn is older
The twins simply getting cheekier and bolder
Horace and all his advanced knowledge
Should surely now be at college?!
Paw Broon loves Granny Souter sweets
Brings them home sometimes as treats
Occasionally when I think your plots are silly
I remind myself I prefer you to ‘Oor Willie’
Thanks for letting me grow up with you, Broons.
And thank you, PL’s for reading this. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon…….
Welcome back to the Talk Show Studio. Our guest today is clever and prolific poet Andrew Evzona
(Rapturous applause as our esteemed poet glides down the lighted steps. Dobby growls)
Now, Dobby. Leave Andrew alone! He has a very big dog, you know!
(Sound of a dog barking in the background. Dobby legs it) Phew!
Welcome to the show, Andrew. Why don’t you fill us in on your background?
Pleasure to be here, Heather.
I was born in Perivale Hospital,Ealing on Grand National Day 26th March 1955 of Greek Cypriot parents and have Greek Spartan origins and am able to speak English, Greek, French and German and know a few Russian words.
I am a Cover Supervisor Supply Teacher nowadays covering schools in the boroughs of Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Harrow and Brent.
That’s really impressive, Andrew. I believe Greek and Russian are particularly hard languages.
When did poetry become a part of your life?
Poetry came into my life when I was turning 50 and I started writing poems which I sent to Forward Poetry for publication in various anthologies of theirs before I decided to write my own books to raise funds for different charities.
My first published book “100 POEMS TO MAKE YOU T.L.C (think, laugh or cry)” appeared in 2017 and the first poem was about HM Queen who sent me a thank you letter from Buckingham Palace and had a copy of the book herself.
The book has raised several hundreds of pounds for Diabetes and Cancer Research charities.
My second book titled “300 POEMS TO MAKE YOU T.L.C” was published in 2021 and is raising funds for Diabetes and Dementia charities.
Yes, you have been very prolific. That’s so impressive about the Queen. What a letter to treasure!
Your raising money for charity is admirable.
Who are your biggest influences?
My poems have actually not been influenced by any poets who have gone before as I merely write about my philosophical thoughts to make people think, or true stories which can be humorous or sad. I love to be versatile and entertain all age groups.
Besides the obvious established poets from centuries gone by, I must mention the likes of my personal favourites David Bowie and Muhammad Ali who both were geniuses in their own field,while I must add I have been impressed by several performers at Poetry Performance in Teddington for the past 4-5 years also.
What fantastic role models, and I have been impressed by readers at Poetry Performance too.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
Both my books have been mentioned already and I have been writing several more since they were published, which has reached almost 100 already, and when I decide to finalise them, that will complete my trilogy of books covering the same three emotions.
We look forward to that last book of the trilogy. Superb move.
Now, what is the best poetry gig you’ve done, and the Worst?!
I have performed at various venues in West London and have always gone down well, I am pleased to say, and long may that continue!
Then you are very fortunate. I’ve heard some real stinkers on here.
Now, I believe you have some poems for us?
Yes, Heather. First I’d like to read Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow written by me on the 15th March 2020
Yesterday, Today was Tomorrow
Would it be a day of happiness or sorrow?
And Tomorrow, Today is Yesterday
We wonder what the newspapers will say
Yesterday, all our troubles seemed so far away
Let’s hope they just go away Today
As, no-one knows what may follow
For all of us starting from Tomorrow
Poetry is a poem written by me
on 22nd August 2020
Poetry
It’s never as easy as it looks
To create and perform a poem
And despite what people may think
It doesn’t always have to rhyme
What does poetry really mean
To the likes of you and me?
Is it a chance to express ourselves
And give our views for free?
There have been famous poets galore
Throughout the mists of time
Their work displayed in its’ glory
Mesmerising us with verse and rhyme
Everyone has their own style
Priority is to entertain and more
Make people think, laugh or cry
Wonder where we heard that before?
A Evzona 2020
(Thunderous applause from the audience)
Fabulous pieces, Andrew. Well done.
(Audience cheer wholeheartedly)
Thank you so much for coming on the show. Do you want to slip out the backway in case Dobby gets you?
My dog’s waiting for me at the top of the stairs, Heather. So I’m quite confident leaving by the front.
(For once, a guest ascends the stairs in a dignified manner. )
Wasn’t Andrew a great guest, PL’s?!
Thank you so much for attending the talk show. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon…..
Heather Moulson 