Page 22 - BR December 2023

December 2023 December 2023

FUNERAL TRIBUTES Dark Clouds POETRY
Dark clouds appear in the sky,
It happens somewhere every day. CORNER
distance up the combe and it was also quite cool so he put Soon they disperse, there’s sunshine
an arm round her shoulder. Well Hilda never did see a again,
shooting star because she had her eyes closed all the time. The clouds all melt away.
They were married in 1982.
In the past there was a spring which fed water to the camp And clouds appear in every life,
and to the pool. But if the pool was short of water we could divert water from They bring stormy weather and rain.
the old concrete milk churn pond in the stream. However, taking water from Soon skies turn blue and clear once more,
the stream often drew fine grit from the stream into the pool. So, one dry
summer Mike “borrowed” a stocking from Margaret Buchanan (now Ferguson) And you’re in sunshine again. If right now things just seem dark,
to act as a filter or strainer. I’m not sure it was ever given back and after We’re only human and do our best, It’s only a moment for you.
serving its purpose I doubt it was wanted back! You’ll soon see blue skies again,
But still things can go wrong.
Mike recalled in his own words a very Memorable Work Party. “I remember Our clouds are only short lived, Helped by good friends who are
Michael Owen and David Mitchel sitting with me in the chapel, on Easter day true.
1975” (the same day John Weaver and Elizabeth Cunningham became And bad things don’t last long. Eileen Richardson
engaged) (refer back to the T shirt story). Mike continued… “Anyway, though I
was more than comfortable with Jesus, they helped me with my doubting
about the existence of God. So I committed myself to the Christian way and
have been so for over forty years. But that’s not all. I was also asked to look
after Gehenna (the incinerator where rubbish was burned). Combustion A Home
seemed to suit me and I have had a career in furnaces and heat transfer for
the same 40 years. (Some say I have just been covering my options so that if I You can buy a castle or a mansion, Maybe you long to live in the country,
don’t get into heaven at least I’ll get a good job down below.) “
A conversion with a tower or a dome. With peace and quiet through the
The following year Easter Monday fell on 31 March. Once the business of the You can buy a villa in a foreign land, week;
st
day was finished and the older members of camp were settling down with But it’s love that makes it a home. With open views over fields and
their cocoa, a small band of people including Mike, set off for a walk. There woods,
was no moon and between the trees the path was almost invisible. They Maybe your dream is a modern But without love the outlook is bleak.
managed to get to the top of Johnny Palmers and a bit further to the nearest showhouse,
road. On the way they had been discussing what to do as an April fool for the So if you live in a terrace house,
following day which was also the end of the Work Party. With devices to fill every minute;
Every mod con and labour-saving A semi, or a two-up and down –
The leader had been explicit. No getting people wet, no upsetting people gadget, If there’s happiness, humour and love
and no delaying people getting away. At this point they reached the road. inside,
The occasional car came slowly past. Mike took off his thick sheepskin jacket, But it’s only a home with love in it.
turned it inside out so that the white fleece showed, put it back on and started You’re the richest couple in town.
crawling along the road, making suitable sheep noises. Mercifully none of the You can entertain your friends to dinner
subsequent car drivers were driving recklessly and Mike lived to play another parties, Eileen Richardson
day. Next day everyone left camp an hour early having had their clocks With Cordon Bleu or meals A La Carte.
changed while they slept! You can have expensive liqueurs and
wine,
Mike rescued Nicola as a toddler when she strayed into the bog. He rescued
But it’s love gives a home a heart.

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