On your metal

Alchemists of old

Lied to turn lead into gold.

Brass-necked, bold as bronze,

They spoke with silver tongues.

Slippery and variable,

Fickle as nickel, mercurial,

Hard of heart, like steel,

Pursuing their dream and their deal.

For the transformation of zinc

These charlatans struggled to think.

Secrets circulated amongst ‘em

But still they couldn’t make tungsten.

But now the copper strikes his iron fist

And alchemy has vanished in time’s mist,

Although sadly now new scams abound.

In banks, on line, nowhere is safe for your pound.

Modern tricksters your gold will take

And turn it to a leaden fake.

Biscuit:  McVitie's Gold Bar
Taste test: 9 out of 10
Cost: £1 per pack of 8 from The 99p Store

What is beauty?

Butterflies all of a flutter
Melted butter on a crumpet
The smell of burning rubber*
Flickering embers of a bonfire
Folding back the covers of a freshly made bed
The warmth and scent of a just baked loaf
The clink of an ice cube in a single malt
Crunch of footsteps in new fallen snow
The twang of Jimmy Hendrix's guitar
Cheek to cheek with Brian the ballroom master
The velvety feel of a plush theatre seat
The late Lou Reed singing Sweet Jane

Beauty is in the ear, nose and throat of the beholder,
Our perceptions alter as we grow older,
Beauty is a personal point of view,
What you admire is up to you.......

*Karl's choice!

Biscuit: Hobnobs Choc Chip

Taste test:7 out of 10
Cost: £1.00 from Asda in Totton

A postcard to the refugees

We are thinking of you,
We wish you were here,
Instead of fleeing your homes
in ever present fear.
struggling to reach us anyway you can,
by boat or on foot across inhospitable land.

The desperation and hardship,
tortured lives so hard to endure,
the realisation only hit us
when Aylan washed up on a Turkish shore.

Please be wary,
European streets aren't paved with gold,
beware the traffickers,
to whom your lives may be sold.

Our thoughts are with you,
we are all hand in hand,
we urge you onwards,
to your chosen promised land.

Biscuit:  Tutku
Taste test: 7 out of 10
Cost: A gift from Lee from his holiday in Turkey

All things Swiss

Mountainous heart of the Alps, Switzerland,
Landlocked land, no navy on hand,
Alpine flowers, Edelweiss and Gentian
Warrant a mention.

French, German, Italian are the resident tongues,
For their yodelling echoes they need big lungs,
Famous icons include Federer, Heidi and William Tell,
The brave St. Bernard and the clanging cow bell.

Biscuit: Kambly Coeur aux Noisettes

Taste test: 8 out of 10
Cost: Pricey from Waitrose in Lymington