R.I.P. Dame Patricia Routledge (1929-2025)

There is nothing I could name

Who so deserves the Dame

That our lass of Birkenhead

Won hands down; her talent spread

 

Through Old Vic theatre and TV ;

How we loved her repartee

Born of gritty Northern roots

Her acting had us in cahoots !

 

BAFTA win with  ‘Talking Heads’

Then with Richard, whom she weds

Hyacinth blows us away

With how she says her name : Bucket!*

 

Class-ridden Britain well portrayed

With wit she tries to make the grade

And elevate her humble station ;

Her Hetty Wainthropp – a sensation !

 

Patricia Routledge - household name

Has so many claims to fame …

Appearances no longer kept:

A rich life lived - the Nation wept …

(c) Poet in the woods 2025

* Pronounced Bouquet

Richard and Hyacinth in "Keeping Up Appearances"

in which she starred wih actor Clive Swift.

She died on 3rd October, 2025 at 96.

Princely Encounters?

This is deep; do you dare think

How you with others forge a link

Through work, or happenstance, or school ?

Meeting up can be SO cool !

 

A conference can often send

A casual colleague, now new friend ;

Encounters on a bus, or plane :

Business cards swopped on a train …

 

At times, Eureka! A new bond

Who knows why ? Your heart feels fond ;

Hope can vanquish Never-Never …

Perhaps this time you’ll stay together ?

 

Grab each chance, as life is short

Real happiness is dearly bought ;

Will we meet these souls again ?

« Go for it ! The old refrain…

 

Carpe diem – seize the day!

Lonely souls will find a way ;

Each Prince Charming, in disguise,

Can lead us to a bright sunrise !

(c) Poet in the woods 2025

R.I.P. Dame Jane Goddall (1934-2025)

Another death now heads the list:

Think : ‘Gorillas in the Mist’*;

Like Diane Fossey and hors pair

Jane Goodall’s Africa was rare.

 

Befriending wily chimpanzees**

Observing human traits in these,

Our nearest link, so much alike;

For conservation she would fight…

 

Born in the Thirties, child in war,

The Sixties brought her to the fore;

Her actions and her dedication

To these apes – a revelation!

 

With forest forays left behind

She shared her knowledge with mankind

On lecture tours which captivated 

And new views initiated…

 

One of Nature’s pioneers

Role model for brand-new careers

Her spirit still inspires, set free

At Ninety-One with D.B.E…

(c) Poet in the woods 2025

* 1988 film set in Ruanda

** In Tanzania's National Park

In Book Heaven!

The summer heat still lingers

But the leaves crisp up and brown

The cotton clouds have fringes

The knotweed’s been scythed down.

 

A morning chill is forecast

We must prepare for rain

My bookshelf beckons - it's so vast

Let's snuggle up again!

 

Shall I turn the heating on

And sink in deep armchair?

I think my Autumn is on song

With reading matter near!

 

Reality today seems grim;

Disasters feed the news

But with a book to get stuck in

I switch off and enthuse! 

(c) Poet in the woods 2025