I long to ........

I long to ........

I can’t wait to feel the sun beating down upon my face
But not in my back garden but a very special place.
To roam beyond my village is a yearning that is growing
To run across a beach but to feel my pace slowing
I would stop and look around me - absorbing every aspect
Just stand there quietly and take a moment to reflect
To go to gorgeous Tenby and step onto silky sands
Feet sinking into golden grains and run them through my hands
Take a run out to Stackpole and stand upon the cliffs
To soak up a beautiful view now feels like a gift.
To stroll along the coast path, the wind whistling through my hair
That’s my hair that is quite skunk like and I really do despair
A white streak down my parting after weeks of isolation
I’m sure this is a ladies problem right across the nation!
I long to sit and linger over a simple cup of coffee
Served with a soft light sponge smothered with soft toffee
My friends sat all around me as we sit and while away the time
It feels like an eternity since I’ve seen them - even a lifetime.
I long to visit Cumbria and admire the stunning lakes
Sit with my sister and share a massive cake!
To stroll through a sunny Saundersfoot not a care in the world
To see the boats bobbing in the harbour,  yachts with sails unfurled.
To walk around Pembroke and look up at that great stronghold
That strong  and sturdy castle that stands there oh so bold.
I want to take a long run and dive head long into the icy sea
Not do my normal dancing act and only get in up to my knees!
So many beautiful places my heart just longs to see
A muddy stroll through a forest where Benji can climb a tree.
I’ve always loved our country and all it has to offer
It’s now that I really appreciate all it has proffered.

J C Hicks Copyright  29-4-2020

Lows followed by a little high - RIP Woody ❤️ C25K run 3 👍🏻

Well it’s been a mixed day today - sad moment and minor achievement

There is a commotion in the garden - what’s that noise outside
We go out to investigate and oh no poor Woody’s died 😢.
That beautiful glorious woodpecker who visits year on year
Now lying lifeless on the lawn - the cause of death unclear 😭

Rest in peace lovely Woody, we are so sad that you met your demise in our garden 😢.

I did my day of work and really didn’t want to run
After sitting at my laptop I felt that I was done.
I couldn’t hide away and fail so early on
So that was it, I was heading out for my run.
I leashed up Benji Boo who was delighted at this thought
His tail was wagging madly and Poor Lucy looking fraught
No Lucy couldn’t come she is far too fat and slow
It was only Benji Boo who could run with blogger Joe.
So we set off on our way with our app set to run three
Couch to 5k blaring in my ears as I suddenly felt free.
I plod around my course running then a walk
Breathing rather heavily and my eyes out on stalks
I make it back to home another run complete
Lucy Lou is looking at me and I’m no longer feeling beat
So it’s a quick change of dogs like I’m suddenly in a relay
So off go Lucy Lou and I without anymore delay.
A much slower pace is set with Lucy Lou at my side
We manage a slow jog - you may even say a glide.
Another run completed and we’re getting back in track
Look out my lovely friends it looks like runner

Hicks is back .....

Maybe - just maybe - watch this space 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

The world is slowly healing

The world is slowly healing while we all isolate
Look around you and everywhere is so sedate.
So few cars on the road and no lorries rushing by 🚗
Turn your eyes upwards and you will see the bluest sky.

This time of an enforced more relaxed pace of life
Is truly a huge bonus for our wonderful wildlife.
The goats have ventured down from the mountains oh so high 🐐
So if you see one eating your veg maybe turn a blind eye. 🥕

It’s said that the kangaroos are bouncing all round Oz 🇦🇺
Rumour is that the beach has been reclaimed by Jaws 🦈
The streets are full of sheep where once people used to stroll
The animals are loving the new human social controls.

The seas are getting clearer as less plastic we do use
For years and years our oceans we’ve simply just abused.
The waters are freely flowing and is so crystal clear
The fish swim around gaily with no humans to fear.

The birds are making nests for they don’t need to isolate
For them they carry on and desperately seek a mate.
Outside you can hear Gods own choir called birdsong
Made up of black birds, sparrows, robins - such a happy throng.

A carpet of bluebells is covering forest floors
With no human feet trampling them for hours.
They have the space to grow and flourish
For in the quietness they feel nourished.

Look up and you won’t see many planes in the sky
Look up and just watch the birds swooping as they fly.
The sky so pure, so blue - so clean
It really is just so serene.

I am glad natures had this holiday
I don’t want us to return to our old ways
I long for a much simpler life
With just a little less stress and strife.

Our world is healing all around us
Our lives being led with so little fuss
No more suffocating fumes
But how long before normal life resumes.

Stay safe
Heal the world
Be kind
Be strong
Be you

❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈

NHS Heroes

NHS Heroes

Never faltering, giving up or giving in
Heroes is too small a word for the part they play
Singing in virtual choirs for you, for me and for Captain Tom

Helping in every way they know
Eagerly waiting for the day they can hug their family and friends again
Remembering all those that have lost the battle
Optimistic that the UK and world will win this invisible war
Exhausted and tired, waiting for the day they can truly relax and unwind
Smiling, laughing and full of hope for the future

Because they’ve got this and we trust them - they are doing the best they can for our beautiful UK.

❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️


J C Hicks Copyright  20-4-2020

Family reunited ....... one day ..... soon 🤞🏻

When I see your faces again it will be a moment to cherish
Those kisses and hugs will be moments I will relish.
I will pull you close, drew in a deep breath and take in your smell
No longer will I complain if you continuously ring my Prosecco please bell!
That first hug will be so special,  I will cling on and squeeze you so tight
Like a limpet on a rock never letting go - hugging you with all my might.
My face will light up as you run towards me, my open arms ready to wrap you up
I will scoop you up and lift you so high, like Mufusa and his precious baby cub.
I will shout to the world so all can hear - rejoice so loudly your ears will hurt
But I won’t really care as I think we have established - I’m a bit of an extrovert!
If I close my eyes and sit very quietly I can see your faces, hear your voices
Run my fingers through your hair even chew your squishy little ears!
We’ve never spent so much time apart and these moments have broken my heart
But our reunion will be so much sweeter, we really won’t know where to start.
I can’t wait to hold you close to me, to read you stories and walk around the mill
Create new memories as I know we will - just watching TV as together we chill.
We will have so many things to do once the lockdown is over and we can see you
We can go to Folly Farm, crabbing with Dom and walk Lazy Lucy and Benji Boo.
Happier times are on the way but for the moment it’s home we must stay
But when we finally meet cuddles and kisses will be the order of the day!
So you best build your muscles up ready for nana’s squeezes
You will find that my love, hugs and kisses are real crowd pleasers!
In the meantime we will call, whatsapp, FaceTime and zoom
It really is the closest to being here in the room.
So know that we love you and we can’t wait to see you
You will soon be travelling to a welsh rendezvous!  🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The real heroes ..... 2020 - COVID-19

The real heroes ..... 2020 - COVID-19

You slip out of house at the start of your day
Ready to face what may come your way.
You don’t wear a cape or boast of your deeds
Helping so many who are in such need.

You go about your day and never complain
You don’t ever let your patients see your pain.
Your focus is them and helping them through this
All your feelings of sadness you have to dismiss.

You have to stay strong to fight the invisible monster
Some days you feel you can’t go on too much longer.
The public are there for you cheering you on
But the sadness of loss is sometimes too strong.

You often feel broken and unable to cope
But to all that you meet you radiate hope.
Your hearts are in pieces for the ones that we lost
Because you want to save lives at any cost.

We are clapping for carers and all our key workers
Most of the UK feel like some strange observers.
Staying at home to protect precious lives
Wishing COVID-19 into the archives.

Through the darkest days there are glimmers of hope
Captain Tom raising millions to help the NHS cope.
Sometimes you just sit exhausted and weep
Wishing your tired body could just get some sleep.

You truly are heroes without super powers
Working daily into the wee small hours
You gently hold their hand as they slip away
You sit there with them,  maybe even pray.

You know that their loved ones can’t be at their side
Those last precious moments their family denied
So you sit and you give them the comfort they need
Inside it makes your poor broken heart bleed.

But you know that there are many who beat this disease
The joy on their face as the ward they can leave
Beating this virus feels like a throw of the dice
In debt to the health service for the rest of our lives.

So as sad as it seems as each day slowly passes by
We try to stay strong and we try not to cry.
Our values have changed in the blink of an eye
Filled with sadness as some have said their last goodbye.

So you see you’re our heroes - you are wonderful people
We cheer in our streets and ring bells from church steeples!
The role that key workers play is so vital
Super heroes is definitely your new job title.

There are not enough words to show our gratitude
For deliveries, cleaning, policing and our food.
So many brave people go out every day
Risking their lives - so its for them that we pray.

So if you know someone who’s going to work
Leaving their loved ones as regular as clockwork.
Stop for a moment and give thanks for their part
Make sure your thankfulness comes from your heart.

#ProtectNHS #GiveThanks #StayHome #BeGrateful

J C Hicks copyright 17-4-2020

In the stillness we will find hope ❤️

In the stillness we will find hope ❤️

n the stillness we will find hope
In the peace we will find faith
In the stillness we will find hope
We are living through this sad wraith

In the stillness we will find hope
On the dark days my heart just broke
In the stillness we will find hope
This virus slips around us like a cloak

In the stillness we will find hope
In the quiet we see so much despair
In the stillness we will find hope
This vile virus that came from nowhere

In the stillness we will find hope
Human kindness - we’re wrapped in love
In the stillness we will find hope
Knowing God looks down from above

In the stillness we will find hope
In the silence we sit and pray
In the stillness we will find hope
In that moment we long for better days

Don’t lose that sense of hope
Dreams vivid like a kaleidoscope
Don’t lose that sense of hope
Together we will cope.

🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️🌈❤️

#StaySafe #StayHome #COVID-19 #CruelVirus
#Hope #Faith #Peace #Love

J C Hicks Copyright 13-3-2020

Rainbow nails .........🌈

Rainbow nails .........🌈

I’ve got teddy bears in my window and time upon my hands
I’ve stocked up on my loo roll & I’ve a cupboard full of cans.
I need to paint a rainbow for all the world to see 🌈
And I find myself obsessing because I saw a big fat bee. 🐝
I’m standing on my drive clapping with my friends
Then rushing back inside as my hands I need to cleanse.
I’ve learnt I’ve been washing my poor hands oh so wrong 🙈
Apparently we need to do it to a good old sing a long 🎶 🎤
My post is being delivered by a new found super hero
And the miles I’ve put upon my car are a big fat zero! 🚗
I never thought I’d stand and wash my shopping clean
My shopkeeper serving me from behind a massive screen!
My home is now my sanctuary, a place to keep us safe
People donning gloves and masks upon their face. 😷
Our wonderful world has been turned upon it’s head
But now we’re looking out for each other instead.
So paint your nails in rainbow colours
And put your hair into those rollers.
We need to look our best as we clamber through this crisis
And remember that to live is a prize that is just priceless ❤️

J C Hicks Copyright 4-4-2020

Home schooling - oh what fun 😂

Home Schooling - Covid19 Style

We are going to have to isolate a while
But honestly we can do lots that will make us smile.
Little Lucy can draw rainbows to her heart's content
Ben can play with his Lego - that counts as learning, right?

Let's set up a home schooling spot
I’m no teacher but we can learn together 
It’s going to be wonderful, mummy teaching maths
I am sure there may be the odd lot of tears or tantrums

We will sit for hours reading books and cuddling on the settee
Chill a while, in peace and quiet, watching buzzing bees.
Calm mornings - coffee still hot for a change

Two weeks on and here we are - still stuck in the house
The home school area in a pile - the chalk turned to dust.
I haven’t washed my hair in days, it’s looking rather lank
I had to have a shower as the kids told me that I stank.

I’ve switched from buying bottles of wine, it’s better from the box
Sick of tripping over Ben’s building blocks!
Lucy rolling on the floor - protesting again
I need her to be quiet as I’m now a homeworker. 

I’m trying to keep my cool - just carry on 
My windows full of pictures they've drawn
Will I ever get those marks off the glass - do I even care
Oh jeepers, now they want a picnic sitting on the grass.

No, I haven’t got sausage rolls, strawberries, crisps or cake 
Please don’t cry again because you cannot have your way
I am fed up of explaining we must stay in, come what may.

You want to bake again - of course you do  
But I have no butter, eggs, flour or patience 
Oh no... here you go another great big howler.

My husband isn't much help, furloughed, watching the TV 
Moaning when we say we are going to do Oti
But you’ve already done Joe Wicks P.E.
His whining voice is really grating on me

It’s such a long day I say through gritted teeth 
Let's at least try to wear them out 
He lets out a long big sigh, handing over the remote
Why don’t you take a walk, I say, let me get you your coat 

Who knew there would be pressure to keep the house so clean
Because we FaceTime everyone from work to Aunty Jean.
Houses immaculate
I’m just searching for a corner that looks half clean. 

Oh man this isn’t what I imagined, it’s not the family dream
My husband and my kids are a load of drama queens. 
They’ve fought over the iPad and what to have for lunch
Is it just me who is worrying what comes next

We are now living in our PJs and nobody really cares
For the last two days I've had some Weetabix welded to my hair 

What’s the point in doing makeup, nails or hair.
The highlight of our week is the weekly national clap
Our once a week nod and wave to the neighbours

At last it's  Easter and the school work put to bed
How do these teachers not go off their heads.
Teaching is so fraught and frustrating
By 3 pm I am seeking out my companion -

that glass of red wine calling my name. 

Those social media posts where families look idyllic
Drive you round the bend and make you imbecilic.
That photo - a snapshot, not showing what went before
When the kids were lying face down crying on the floor 

When all is said and done

It was just a chapter 

I mean when will we get to live in our PJs again?

J C Hicks Copyright 3-4-2020

Natures Playground

Take a moment in your day to stop and look outside your window
You will see lots of bees and birds maybe even goats but not a pink flamingo!
What a wondrous sight that would be
pink flamingoes for all to see!

Take a moment - look around - for you will hardly hear a sound.
Stand outside - arms wide - eyes to the skies and slowly turnaround.
There is a certain stillness in the air
In that moment you have no cares.

The quietness that surrounds us has become nature’s playground, lockdown opened a gateway.
The creature of God’s wondrous world becoming braver day by day as human activities ebb away.
Sit a while and you will see
Birds bobbing in and out of trees.

The sun has also played its part and will burst through those dark rain clouds.
But please be careful and pay heed don’t be gathering in large crowds.
Instead soak up that glorious heat
Watch birds wings never missing a beat.

What about those nuisance friends and I don’t mean those upon two legs.
Think of those things you run away from like mice, spiders and daddy longlegs!
Those pesky buzzing wasps and flies
 no humans swotting them as they pass by.

Natures slowly reclaiming the world, the environment sighing in relief
No more car fumes billowing into the skies causing underlying grief
We’ve wrapped the world in a plaster
Despite this being a global disaster

So every cloud has a silver lining and while we humans sit and suffer
Nature can truly come alive and we will all come out a little bit tougher
So take this chance to watch the show
It’s natures payback don’t you know

❤️🌤☀️⛈🌸🌼🌻🥀🍄☘️🌳🐁🦢🐏🕷🕸🐞🐌🦋🐛🐝🐜🐥🐣🐇🐀🐁🦩

J C Hicks copyright 

You say hello ................

You say hello and I say .........oh wait don't go
It's days since I have seen another living soul!
To go out for a stroll and see no signs of life
is a sight I would have welcomed in my normal working life.

It is like I need to ring a bell and shout out I'm unclean
as this virus really does go completely unseen.
That doesn't mean we cannot pass a moment in the street
We can smile at passing strangers, say hello to those we meet.

Lets stop and have a socially distanced chat
There can't be any harm in that.
But to be honest what news is there for us to share
Have you seen the latest Facebook post about the teddy bears?

i cannot even be bothered to do my face and hair
although did you see that post that I took the time to share?
Angelina has a campaign she has laid out her grand plan
To dress up on Saturday nights - we will all look really glam.

I've spent a lot of time practising my wave
I hope to use it frequently when I come out of my cave.
It is really rather regal and I feel just like a queen
So if you see my arms a flailing you know you have been seen.

All my races have been cancelled but I gave a secret cheer
I cannot find my trainers let alone my running gear.
I am working on something that is really not so great
It is an increasing muffin top due to everything I ate!

I developed new habits with this enforced house arrest
they really are not ones to keep my body at its best.
I sit at my laptop with my new friend at my side
it is the faithful biscuit barrel and down my belly they do glide.

It seems that the dogs are the real winners in this deal
I cannot even use the toilet without them at my heels!
They love having humans in their every day domain
Our daily little outing around the country lanes.

So when I leave the house for my daily exercise
I know that seeing people will be the real big high.
We will stand across the road and give a nod and wave
Secretly glad we distanced - phew that was a close shave!

So get behind the campaigns that are floating round about
like giving our NHS heroes a massive big shout out.
A rainbow in your window may help brighten someones day
A teddy in your window is a bear hunt game our kids can play

At the end of this ordeal we will come out so much stronger
Lets hope we stand and chat for just that little bit longer.

J C Hicks Copyright 1-4-2020