It’s Raining

Jane Goodhew

To say it is raining would be an understatement, more to the point when did it last stop.  As if in answer the clouds moved over and a glimpse of blue appeared, followed by that elusive yellow orb, the sun.   I could feel my lips turn upwards into a smile of appreciation for I so detested the milk a magnesia sky that had hung around for months and made the short days of winter seem even longer.

The English seem to relish discussing the weather probably because it is so variable unlike many countries where it is either baking in the sun or drowning in a monsoon.  Although for some time now the UK has had more than its far share of rain.  Floods due to rivers bursting their banks or high tides and the sea walls collapsing. Often as not because builders have paid no heed to flood plains and happily built on them.  Homes that have stood for decades are now being flooded as the water pours down the hill with nowhere to go until whoosh it enters your front door.  No one appears to take the blame or listen to warnings that they are heading for disaster.

What always springs to my mind are words of songs such as ‘it may as well rain until September’.  ‘It’s raining in my heart, ‘‘singing in the rain’ ‘rain drops keep falling on my head’ ‘Purple Rain’   The list is endless which is appropriate as so is the rain as yet more drops fall from the sky as if the world is crying at the complete and utter mess man has made of it.

Bombs are falling from the sky and raining down on the innocent who have done nothing but to be born in an area that seems to attract trouble due to man and his greed to control the people and the land.   The powerful nations fight to dominate and show their strength or is it their weakness at not being able to negotiate in a civilised manner?   Nature is now flooding areas with continual rain, forest fires from abnormally high temperatures, melting the icebergs with global warming, trees are still being cut down to make room for yet more concrete buildings or roads despite the warnings.  Man seems to have become deaf, dumb and blind.

I am trying to find something to be cheerful for and sadly it is that I am not a child born into this era when destruction man made or natural seems to be winning as yet another murder or bombing is on the news.  I turn the music up to drown out the negative thoughts and look at the bright yellow daffodils that are swaying gently in the breeze and the purple/blue hyacinth that nestles amongst the green.  Spring is showing itself as the trees display their pink or white blossoms like a ballerina from Swan Lake in her tutu.  Let us hope that nature wins and man learns to ow his head in shame for the suffering he has caused before it is too late for us all to sing and dance in the rain or sun and feel love and happiness again and watch the butterfly gracefully move from flower to flower in the warm sun of summer.

 

Copyright Jane Goodhew

The Rains of Rayleigh

 The Rains of Rayleigh 

By Sis Unsworth 

I got caught in rain the other day, it really did come down,

cascading fast down London Hill, and across old Rayleigh Town.

The puddles full in Websters Way, were causing me to sigh,

as I got soaked, by constant spray, that cars made passing by.

St Georges park looked flooded beneath a dark grey cloud,

“Please let it stop and roll on spring,” someone said out loud.

This winter has had so much rain, I’m sure we all recall,

The water butts have overflowed, because they’re always full!

So when the summer does arrive, I hope it’s not their plan,

To say there’s empty reservoirs, so we’ll have a hosepipe ban

 

 The Changing Face of Comedy  (Limerick) 

By Sis Unsworth

Comedy today just passes me by

It was much more fun then, and I know why

Just fun was intended,

and few were offended,

So what's happened to humour, I sigh?

Sis

Riddles 33

 Riddles 33

By the Riddler 

The Riddler has two puzzles for us today: 

No 1.  Which letter will complete the following sequence?     

            A F K P ?       (U S V or G?)

 

No 2. .  Which is the odd man out...? 

Brick, Cambrian, Postmark, Madam, Chalice, Gimmick 

Keep em coming Riddler

 

The Baby Boomers

 The Baby Boomers 

By Barbara Thomas 

 We have listened to the W Y. Z’d’s plus the Naughty Nineties generations so let’s share the life of the Baby Boomer generation.

 1938-1945 

 Well, that’s us. Most of us would still be a twinkle in our Dad’s eyes if it hadn’t been for Herr Adolf Hitler, (formally a house painter, soon to become one of the most hated and evil man of his time) unless of course you were a Frauline or a Heinz. 

 Well, let’s see: First came the phoney war, followed by what would later be referred to as: The Second World War. Our Fathers were drafted, seconded, and many enlisted. 

 Time was precious, very few weekend passes before embarkation. Girlfriend’s promising to be there (where ever that was) when their gallant men and women came marching home. 

 Rules were broken, the men in the forces explaining to their girl friends “Oh come on only once it won’t hurt, I’ll be careful, promise, it will be something to remember me by when I’m away fighting for King and Country”. 

 

 Oh! how many times those words were spoken? So off went our brave men leaving their wives, and girlfriends, crying at railway stations. 

 

 As the war gathered momentum, many civilians in the British Isles were either killed injured or made homeless through constant bombing, life was hard but harder still for the women who had succumbed to the passion of that moment. 

 

First came the sickness, then missed monthlies, then the reality that they were pregnant. Married women although not at all happy at their situation at least were in wedlock, the other poor wretches, in many cases, were disowned by family, thrown out and told not to return.  

 The maternity wards were full, especially during the months after the war began. Then the men would come on leave, and then off back to war with more pregnancies until the orphanages were busting at the seams. Although women shared the same goal, survival, some fell by the wayside, destitute.  

 Hitler did his worst on British cities, towns, and villages, but through all this the women grew stronger and more defiant. 

 Then single women were seconded to the land to carry out farm duties, work in factories, driving ambulances, buses even delivering planes. Princess Elizabeth (our future Queen) became an ambulace driver.

 They never complained they just got on with the job, more times than not with their children clinging on their mother’s skirts.  

 Mothers with several children were exempt, but they kept family and home together against amazing odds.  

 Today’s naughty nineties and X, Y, Z’s poke fun at the fashion that women wore then and the songs that were sung,  the elderly still calling the radio “the wireless”. (Where children would take the batteries on a pram down to the oil shop to be topped up) These people have no idea that most homes, in fact many homes had no electricity, hot water, no bathroom only the large tin bath hanging outside on the wall in the yard which everyone used and one bath a week down at the communal baths, where a pump outside would open up from a key outside, for the water to fill their baths.  

 This was the world we Baby Boomers grew up in, no fancy foods, the meal was put on the table and you ate what you were given. The music we listened to was our parents choice. We sat and listened to the Archers every night. My brothers used to listen to ‘Dick Barton Special Agent’, under the bedclothes, on a home made crystal set, the highlight of their day. By the time the men returned home after 6 long years the cast had been set, Mum’s word was law.  

 The War Babies, as I prefer to call them were brought up to respect others. Not all of them did I know, and those children become feral and unfortunately drifted into a life of crime. 

 Schools were full, with the children that had been born either at the start, middle and end of the War. Just a thought, many may not have existed had it not been for the war.

Barbara Thomas 3/03/2026

 

The Aldridge Family Tree

 The Aldridge Family Tree

Barbara Thomas 

Two people met and fell in love got married and sometime later had a baby girl. Her parents pride and joy. Then we were three. Growing up she gave us so much pleasure. We could hardly believe that between us we had made this beautiful creature.

Through out her childhood, adolescence, then adulthood, our love for her remained the same. 

 Then the time came when she had a serious boyfriend, an engagement followed later by the wedding, we looked on amazed at this woman who came from our love for each other. 

 Also recalling that the last time she wore a beautiful white dress and was at her 1st Communion, and here she was all grown up and getting married. 

 Several years later our daughter and son-in-law told us that we were going to be grandparents. We were ecstatic.

 Now we will be four. 

 Our 1st granddaughter was a delight. soon to be followed by another grandchild, once again a beautiful baby girl. Our family was expanding, 

 (not counting our son in law) We were now Five. 

 When our little girls were very young I thought my life had ended when my funny Peter Pan of a husband had a fatal heart attack at home and died in my arms. My Daughter and I were devastated. These little girls would never know how much their grandad had cared and loved them both.  

A few years later unfortunately our Daughter’s marriage broke down. (Funny word that “broke down”). It was a shock, but our daughter fell in love again and eventually married. 

 After several years my daughter and her second husband produced two more grandchildren. Our lovely grandsons, who once again sadly would never know their lovely grandad. 

 Then we were Seven. 

 The grandchildren were a delight to be with and through their kindergarten days schools, College and University, I revelled at their achievements.

Then one day I received a phone call from my eldest granddaughter, she was pregnant. I was going to be a Great grandmother. I received the news with joy and pain. I hid my thoughts from the family and had a few tears when I was on my own. 

I would talk to my deceased husband as if he was still with us. I told him the news that we would be having a great grandchild to add to our forever growing family.

 The baby arrived, a beautiful baby girl, I cried that only I would be seeing this child knowing that my late husband would have adored her.  

 Our little dynasty had become eight. 

 The fact that just two people who mattered so much to each other would eventually be connected to all these children with our blood circulating in their bodies. 

The family tree was growing. 

 

 Barbara Thomas 27/02/2026

 

SCHOOL DAYS

 SCHOOL DAYS

Jeffrey Porter

Norman James,

“Every member of my team is the captain, we must win.”

They played many teams, yet every year they lose every match,

They were trained to laugh at their defeat.

El futbol but it was more like a net ball match.

Twenty-five to zero, twenty to zero and they still played on

The spectators and their friends still came to see them

The women and girls still screamed and cheered them on.

They were heroes; they were trained not to fear defeat.

Norman, he was the greatest captain  

At the end of every game, he was ‘man of the match’.

He walked off the field laughing, “we don’t play games,” 

He would tell the winners congratulating them,

“Every member of my team is the captain, a Major Victory.” 

For years; the coach, Players, and spectators were disappointed.

They were taught to be emotionally tough.

They won no trophies or commercial contracts, but –

After every match, around the field they would do a lap.

With supporters crying and cheering, they would clap.

They were trained not to fear defeat, they were all stars

They were trained for the greatest game of all.

Graduation:

They did not attend their graduation,

It would be too sad, too solemn, the worst occasion.

So, weeks before, their supporters came,

From every direction, the men shook their hands

The women and girls cried and hugged them

Will we ever see them? Few people knew when they left,

They walked away one by one, sometimes in twos

They walked away without looking back  

They gained all the ‘O’ levels they sat.

They lost every game they played –

But they won the greatest game of all.  

copyright Jeffrey Porter