Entente Moins Cordiale?

Long-stitch embroidery unrolled

King Harold’s stitched-up death is told

1066 is long ago

But Hastings changed the world we know.

 

French became the Saxons’ tongue

‘Twas, indeed, adroitly done;

William-the-Bastard seized the throne

And all things French became well known…

 

We bear the consequences still!

But BREXIT was a bitter pill

We swallowed - due to flagrant hype;

Can Bayeux’s artwork make things right?

 

Across the channel Macron comes…

He meets King Charles; are they now chums?

Museum visit – moments shared;

New Entente Cordiale declared?

 

Fly-in-the-ointment: Number Ten

In the shadow of Big Ben

Larry-the-Cat keeps well away

Unimpressed by this display!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

11th century Bayeux Tapestry

Larry - Chief Mouser to N° 10 Downing Street since 2011

A Trip to the Recypark

What is junk but misplaced treasure?

Items we just keep “forever”

Which still function though not new…

De-cluttering is hard to do!

 

You never know when you may need

Much-loved books – for second read?

Wires and plugs may come in handy

Chipped coffee mugs, carafe for brandy…

 

We hoard, we keep for rainy day

But somehow, much gets shoved away

In boxes, bags or under stairs …

One day you think: it’s junk! Who cares?

 

Then joy of joys, September comes

Vast skip appears - which can take tons

Of items we no longer use,

In Commune* car park – we enthuse!

 

A kind friend drove my ‘junk’ away;

Keen neighbours also joined the fray;

For three days - great chance to unload

And regain space in cramped abode!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* Watermael-Boitsfort

Uncertainty - a Definition!

Often schedules are derailed

With challenges we are assailed;

We try to get the mix just right

But damned change happens overnight!

A death, a sudden accident,

Misunderstanding of intent,

Commitments unplanned, friends in need,

Repairs that must be done – at speed!

 

It happens to us all, we know

Rocks complicate our river flow;

The unexpected looms ahead:

Some days we wish we’d stayed abed!

 

But, as we age, we realise

That every day springs a surprise;

Somehow, we must muddle through;

There’s always such a lot to do!

 

We search for patterns – hen’s-teeth rare

Just sometimes - we succeed with flair!

But just to keep afloat - is key:

Flotsam on life’s sea are we!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

A Watery End!

August bows out, washed in rain

Exhilarating plants again!

Dame Nature brings us to our knees:

Flooded roads - drains blocked with leaves!

 

Without our brolly, we are lost!

While burnt-out Fagnes*-land counts the cost;

Its forlorn landscape, blackened, bleak

Recalls three heatwaves at their peak…

 

But uncertainty is Nature’s way,

She keeps us guessing every day!

To politicians we now turn

Ecology – our top concern.

 

The Army starts recruitment drive

To help dear Belgium to survive;

Budget shortfall, talks intense:

But we need firemen, not Defence…

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

*Les Fagnes, Eastern Belgium

From Nepal to Norway ...

I’m flattered when you find my blog!

The Internet maintains a log

Of all the countries that alight

Perhaps, by chance, on what I write…

 

I keep a handle on world news

But carefully avoid strong views

As you must make up your own mind;

Poets do try to be kind.

 

But it is clear the world’s a mess!

Disasters of all types cause stress;

Witness flooding in Nepal*

Where Man can't take the blame at all!

 

Poor country, where the living’s hard;

Hapless souls now deeply scarred;

Survivors faced with mud display

As fragile homes are washed away…

 

Wars rage on – a truce is sought

But selfish interests lead to nought

Young lives, full of promise, die

While petrol prices leap sky-high!

Death comes to stars** and kings alike;

Norway’s King Harald** *died last night …

The world we loved and knew, departs

Before us now – a new game starts!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

* Over 2000 deaths on night of 26-27.8.2026

** i.e. Dolly Parton aged 80, who died on 25.8.2026

*** King Harald V of Norway, aged 89, who died on 27.8.2026

He is succeeded by his son King Haakon VIII

The Repurposed Box!

Though retired, not unemployed;

Auntie is quite overjoyed

When new family photos come …

My photogenic niece is fun!

 

Not jack-in-the-box – but Jill!

A nursery rhyme – a modern thrill

As Isabella is encased

With laptop and a smiling face!

 

You can’t stop progress, come what may

Her office, all-in-one today

Proves imagination thrives

And enhances mundane lives!

 

Fully plugged in, up to date,

The joy upon her face is great

But what she watches, I can’t see

I tiptoe off, and let her be!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

R.I.P. Dolly Parton (1946-2026)

She was no “9 to 5” type girl

Her hair - a forest full of curl

From “dirt poor” down in Tennessee

She made it to top of the tree!

 

Petite but buxom, a live wire

“Jolene” set our hearts on fire!

Mrs. Carl Dean, kind, warm-hearted

A reading scheme for poor kids started.

 

Ebullient on the silver screen

Of Country Music – uncrowned queen!

The public, faithful, loved her stuff

A real trooper, she was tough!

 

Now eighty - she has turned the page:

The footlights dim, she leaves the stage…

But Dolly Parton’s songs survive

And make us glad to be alive!

(c) Poet in the woods 2026

Her Imaginative library was founded in 1995