THE BIG SOAK

evenin' all
fireseed back in the big smoke
after a few days soaking the old bones
and admiring the snowy seoraksan mountain vistas
at the hot spa we brave the sub-zero temperatures
to enjoy the various outdoor pools
hurrying up n down steps from spa to spa
the steam streaming off our bodies
we plunge in for blessed relief
sink up to our necks in the hot water
as the jacuzzi jets pummel and massage our muscles
in the 'mountain spa' the waters cascade down from above
beating down on my stiff neck and shoulders
later as night falls
hannah and i bathe in the dark waters
gaze up at the bright sliver of moon
and count the stars

31/12/06; 9:37pm
and so the sands of time run out...
for bad old king saddam at least
some might say he got his just deserts
(ooh, that's black!)
but killing is killing
whoever is doing it to who
so nothing is achieved except more hatred and more bloodshed
another seventy innocent mutilated carcasses
from another senseless bad-dad car bomb attack...
just a few hours left of 2006 for the rest of us
another year over
and a new one just around the corner
time to reflect
fireseed takes down the neatly typed list of last year's revolutions
posted to the door of this here spare room
and surveys the balance sheet...
well, it aint a complete debacle
but it aint exactly a roaring success either
'it's never as good as i hoped - or as bad as i feared'
as steve k sang
dontacha worry, seeds
i aint gonn boar ya silly by going through all fourteen of 'em!
a few plus points:
getting 'Manifesto' album finished
not to mention keeping up the momentum
with 'Elephant in the Room'
getting rid of the 12-year-old pony
giving up the high street cosmetiks
keeping a daily diary
well 'daily' might be pushing it a tad
then again i had no inkling about the joys of this here blog...
now for the minus points:
getting up by 8 o'clock each morning - i think not
arriving on time for appointments n meetings - cue embarrassed laughter
voluntary work - voluntary work?!
etcetera etcetera
less said about that little lot the better
nobody's perfect, huh?
specially not ya humble fireseed
promise to share the revolutions for 2007 with y'all 2morrow
once ive made 'em, that is
thanks for tuning out and dropping in this year, my loyal seedlings
come 12 o'clock tonite
be assured i'll be raising my glass to y'all
so don'tcha forget our to give old fireseed a clink
and have a hippy new year!
love
f
xxxx

LOST

my poor neglected bloglets
a very merry crimbo to you all
it must have felt like a long long while watching this space
october fizzled out
november came and went in a windy autumnal blur
new fashions were all the rage
then suddenly became the height of uncool
governments rose to power
and were overthrown
civilizations mysteriously vanished...
a bit like fireseed's blog
'the art of disappearing'
out of circulation
writer's prerogative...
and now suddenly i find myself
coaxing the dying embers of the year that was
(hannah thrusts a copy of 'little bear's visit' into my hands
'daddy, did you see this one?')
welcome to chrismess chez fireseed
nine of the clock this morning feels a tad groggy
as daddy was up till four last night
carrying out present-wrapping and santaing duties
then burning the midnight oil into the small hours
laying down some guitar tracks for 'hot shampoo'
five our slater it's presents round the tree
hannah's stocking and pillowcase mysteriously filled overnight
so excited that she tears open everyone else's presents as well
minibeast finger puppets, pink rabbit
and a set of disney dvds for h
jewellery and an exotic south-east asian top for j
some nice big swishy-swilly wineglasses for fs
the kind you only have to refill once to empty the bottle
'non-violence - the history of a dangerous idea'
looks like a tres interesant read courtesy of s, d & i
hannah's in the mood for cartoons after brekky
and big nose (pinocchio) and big ears (dumbo)
take us through to lunchtime
j's tired from having the in-laws round yes-a-day
so hannah and i hit the local playground
then go for a wander along the river
its uncharacteristically mild for this time of year
and the river glows orange as the sun sets sedately
behind the apartment blocks on the opposite bank
then on the way back
h and i stumble upon a dejected-looking little mongrel
huddled on the concrete steps leading down to the water's edge
as we draw closer the poor little varmint is shaking
its big sad eyes look up at us helf emptily, half pleadingly
several curious passers-by come up and take a bit of a look
then move on
there are no signs of an owner
hannah wants to know where the doggy's mummy and daddy are
now i'm not particularly crazy about canines at the best of times
especially when it comes to being drooled on or licked
but there's something about this little lost soul
- it being christmas and all that -
that makes me reluctant to leave it there
so i do the good samaritan bit
and tentatively stroke its side
hannah elisabeth takes courage and follows suit
the dog doesn't bite a chunk out of my hand
and doesn't maim my daughter for life
so to see if it can walk
i pick it up and put it down again on the promenade
and hey presto!
off it trots and disappears among a load of cars and trailers
parked alongside the prom
it may be a stray but it's not on its way out just yet
fireseed breathes a huge sigh of relief
and hannah is happy too
home we go to watch snow white and the seven dwarves...
i wish it could be christmas every day
probably my numero uno candidate for least fave crimbo ditty
not sure which is worst - the words, the sentiment or the tune
bah humbug!
that's one i'd definitely cut from the xmas song compilation tape
on the other hand
one i actually quite dig is the one that ends:
'oh what a laugh it would have been
if daddy had only seen
mommy kissing santa claus last night!'
fifties american fluff, admittedly
but at least it's witty
and doesn't take the whole christmas malarky too seriously
cf slade!
what's your chrissy stocking-filler or shocker?
hope santa has something fun for you in his sack
love fireseed