Next......

........ I shall blog about my amazing experience of becoming a mummer. 
No, not a mummy! "Listen up, you rabblesome host!"
A MUMMER. In a mumming play. In Walsall. 

Look- here:

http://www.bayardscolts.org.uk/

and here:

bit.ly/PJpsTF

......but first, a nice long bath..........

The End

To be expanded upon, but a big sigh of relief for now that the Junction Project is done and went well, and an expression of puzzlement that for some reason the Friday poem, #28, reverted to being a draft after it was posted tweeted and shared so it appears on the blog out of order. However, given its nature perhaps it's fitting. Big thanks to everyone, you will be listed later, after I've had  a long soak in a hot bath!

 26 Aug 2012: update

Well, three weeks later......... that was a hell of a long bath.......

Thank you to Matt, Elena, Helen and Claire for help and encouragement. Special mentions to staff at Bella and High Town Art Shop for loan of steps, and to Billy Howe for help with local history. Alex at Puff in Peace (49A, electronic cigarette shop) provided a coffee and a chat when I needed it most- he's lovely so if you're trying to give up tobacco and want a cheaper alternative go and see him.
Thanks also to Glenn Morris at WCR (101.8fm) for letting me be his 'resident poet' for four weeks on the Friday Drive programme.
This was a great project, it was a bit manic as it was so multi-faceted but I had good people cheering me on and giving encouraging feedback (Take a bow Roger Noons, Anne Hastings, David Calcutt, Eileen Ward Birch and lots of family including some splendid detective work from Deidre Arblaster). I sometimes thought I'd bitten off more than I could chew and I probably did, but d'you know what? I CHEWED IT!
Now looking forward to the CD of the festival with some excellent musicians (and a bit of poetry). I'll post links on blog when it's done.
Now this is sounding like a bloody Oscars speech so I'll bugger off before anyone throws up..... 

Chapel Ash # 28

My place, my territory, my comfort zone,

my neighbourhood, the place I call my home, 

my community, my patch, 

my beating heart, 

my Chapel Ash

Chapel Ash # 30

The heart thought it and 

the brain saw it, although 

it didn’t exist. The hands asked, 

“Is it like this?” then made it 

their own way, anyway.

Chapel Ash # 29

Stop the horses gallop, look! 

Chairs balanced buildings rubbed 

tethered balls envy bubbles 

the pink haired doctor nods. 

A sign of the times.

Chapel Ash # 27

The daleks, dressed as floral 

decorations, advanced, to bump 

into a most unlikely foe, 

a saviour-robot-in-disguise, 

one vintage petrol pump.

Chapel Ash # 26

To carry, move: a place to choose conveyances; 

start or end of journeys short or long.  

To carry away by strong emotion: 

transport of delight 

Chapel Ash # 25

With Pills and Potions, 

Medications, 

Salves and Lotions, 

Embrocations, 

seeking out the best location 

Jesse’s brand arrived 

in Wolverhampton.