Casino

Casino

You can tell they’re coming in, the guide confides

By their happy, smiling faces!

They still have all their money!

We stop and watch the coaches

Filled with many Chinese men

The punters and the gamblers

Bussed in to the casinos

Brought here free of charge

To come and lose their cash

And later in the day

We wander cautiously inside

Out of prurient curiosity

Across the sticky carpets

And through the gaming rooms

To see them huddled round

The dealers and the croupiers

At the carefully spot-lit tables

Unsmiling now, grim-faced

Eyes glazed in worry

Brows folded in concentration

Wagering on the roll of the dice

The turn of a single card

Or the number on the spinning wheel

In games of blackjack, poker and roulette

And though they know the odds

Are stacked against them

They see the pile of chips before them

Their stakes slowly shrinking

And still they chase their daily dream

Trying out their latest System

For the one big win that will beat The House

And save them from their losses

And in the glitzy entrance lobby

We gaze in wonder at the floor

Where bars of solid gold

Are set in glassy blocks below our feet

A tantalising glimpse of the riches

That lie beyond the grasp

Of long- addicted losers

And then we see them on the bus again

Their faces hard and set

Being taken back to where they came

Now watch them leaving, says the guide

Not so happy now!  He laughs

Their money’s gone, gambled away

With all their hopes, poor suckers!

As they leave to find more money

To come and lose it once again

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2018

Underdog

Underdog

Everyone said they had no chance

That they would surely lose

Against a better team

Of superior skill and guile

And of greater strength

That their outlook could not be hopeful

That they would surely be defeated

Outclassed, overwhelmed

And all their efforts overcome

And be badly beaten

Just for their impertinence

Of even daring to take the field

And the bookies gave the poorest odds

Saying their challenge could not be rated

But every underdog may have his day

And turn the situation round

By finding those hidden reserves

That no-one knew they had

Springing the sudden surprise

And cause an unpredicted upset

Snatching worthy victory

From out the very jaws

Of expected defeat

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2018

Drivel From Devizes - Dateline Sunday 9th September 2018

Drivel From Devizes: Dateline – Sunday 9^th September 2018

Here is our weekly round-up of events from D-Town:

1.      Farefiddler Buses have issued a security warning to citizens of the town, after they discovered that their security systems may have been breached.  Inspectors at the bus company’s garage have discovered that a number of coins may have slipped down between the seats on journeys between 21.39 on 25^th August and 11.22 on 5^th September.  Customers have been urged to check their purses and wallets and to contact their back if they notice any loss of change.

2.    And police have identified the two boys who knocked on a woman’s door and ran away.  They have taken the unprecedented step of naming the two urchins, and provided detailed and compelling CCTV evidence which clearly places the youths at the scene of the crime.  Despite this, however, the boys’ parents have denied that their children were involved, and have accused the police of a long-running smear campaign against the families.  The Town Council have said that sanctions will be imposed against the boys.

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2018

The Sett

The Sett

Hidden by the corner of the path

On the rising ground

Where the mound runs into the bank

Are the newest excavations

The latest extensions to the scheme

The diggings being carried on at night-time

A nocturnal construction project

Creating a modern morning earth-work

Revealed by heaps of spoil

The crumbled soil deposited neatly

Outside the D-shaped hole

Which leads darkly down

By under-ground pathways

Into a dark, black home

A subterranean complex

Of tunnels and hidden chambers

Beneath the grassy surface

That provides protection from the cold

And a nesting-space for gravid mothers

Where, in future days

The curious heads of cubs

May appear blinking to the light

A small study in black and white

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2018

My Headstone

My Headstone

I have no idea what my so-called nearest and dearest might put on my headstone when I die, so I thought I'd get in first!

Here lies Andy Fawthrop

Please inform his next-of-kin

He wasn’t up to much in life

But his mortal bones lie herein

Whilst he lived, he made mistakes

Went from blunder to blunder

But now his mortal course is run

And he’s lying six feet under

He was an avid organ donor

Of his eyes and kidneys now bereft

Gave his heart, his lungs and liver

So we could only bury what was left

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2018

Boston Baked Beans

Recipe for: BOSTON BAKED BEANS

Ingredients:

• 500g dried haricot beans
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 tblsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tblsp light muscovado sugar
• ½ tblsp black treacle or molasses
• 2 tblsp tomato puree
• 800g piece belly pork
• Handful parsley, roughly chopped

 Method:

1. soak the beans overnight.  Drain & rinse
2. put the beans in a large flame-proof casserole with 1.5 litres of water.  Boil for ten minutes, skimming off any scum
3. turn the heat down, then add the onion, celery, carrot, mustard, sugar, treacle/ molasses and tomato puree.  Stir everything to mix
4. bury the piece of pork in among the beans
5. cover tightly & cook in the oven for 2-3 hours until the beans & the pork are very tender
6. check half-way through & top up with a little hot water if the dish looks as if it’s drying out
7. take the pork out the pot & cut up into large chunks, then return to the pot & sprinkle with parsley

 What else you need to know:

1. the secret to this dish is very long, slow cooking.  The whole dish should hunker down into a fairly soft sticky mess.  Add more treacle and/ or tomato puree to adjust the sauce’s taste & consistency.  You can also make it less sweet by using less/ no sugar.
2. you can cook it without the pork piece if you just want the beans. 
3. Heinz – eat your own heart out!

Who Was That?

Who Was That?

I’m trying to solve a mystery

Something that’s been bothering me

I’m searching for a criminal mind

As you will shortly be able to see

It started off in the fridge

When looking for the chocolate I’d left

The wrapper was folded and torn

And of half the bar I was bereft

There were no footprints leading away

No clues I could possibly follow

But a theft had been committed

Leaving me feeling empty and hollow

The next outrage was in the bathroom

(I’d only popped in for a widdle)

When I couldn’t help but notice

The toothpaste had been squeezed from the middle

The toilet seat was in the wrong position

But worse than that was that I found

Someone had been here before me

The loo roll was fitted the wrong way round!

The bins hadn’t been emptied

The dirty dishes not cleared away

I was finding lots of things wrong

As I walked round the house on that day

Someone had drunk the last of the milk

In the bread-bin there was only a crust

I had to find out who was doing these things

And uncover the perpetrator I must!

Who was it that left their keys in the door?

And failed to shut the windows last night?

Where have these dirty foot-prints come from?

And who forgot to switch off the light?

I must do some basic detective work

Before I rush to call in Scotland Yard

There’s evidence all over the place

I’m sure that it can’t be that hard

I already have my suspicions

Of who left all that mess on the mat

I really hate to point fingers

But I’m guessing it must be the cat

  

The only problem with these theories

The thing that doesn’t hold any water

Is there’s no motive or opportunity

Nothing hangs together like it ought to

No, I’ll just have to face up to facts

Which any amateur sleuth would soon see

Now that I’m living all on my own

Means the criminal just has to be …me!

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2018