Image: Two great guys who made the pilgrimage very enjoyable. Joseph (l) our very knowlegable tour guide, and Karim (r) our driver equally as skilled at driving, he had to be on some of the roads with some of the other drivers. Both feature in poem 44.

05/12/2016 - 41) Suitcases packed and away

It’s departure day

We’re sat around sharing the memories that abound

Of our Holy Land r...

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Image: My first look the manger where the baby Jesus was laid, this angle may well have been from where many saw the him for the first time. Poem 30 was inspired by this.

2/12/2016 – 24) Yesterday we were at Qumran,

An early settlement of man

Where passing travellers would tell of what they’d heard and seen

Where they had been

Travelling from town to town

To the E...

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Image: The Baptismal Site on the River Jordan, sadly what was once a crossing between two countries, and used for fellowship is now a no entry, yet both sides of the river are used for the same purpose as can be seen from the Christian Church. The Israeli side is heavily mined, see poem 21. At the time of taking this picture there was a soldier from either army on their approriate sides and both l...

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Image: Early morning our first full day the beach next to our hotel

Written before breakfast

29/11/2016 - 8) Morning sky grey, wind blowing

but I’m knowing

I’m where I’m meant to be,

walking on the beach of the Sea of Galilee

Putting myself in the scene

9) Jesus said follow me, there’s something you need to see

He took with him Peter James and John

From a dista...

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Image: Arrival Ben Gurion Airport. Tel Aviv

28/11/16 – 3) At the airport waiting early anxiety abating

Taxi ride fine, here in plenty of time

Just as well because the customs scanner did tell

Something was wrong but it didn’t take long

To sort it put, now we’re ready to fly out

Waiting for them to open the gate,

Me and Mary my travelling mate

Our breakfast meal not a b...

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Image: My passport which had to be renewed before I could go, to the right is a pocket size New Testament, provided in 1940 by the Pocket Testament League, to my late Uncle Clifford who fought in Palestine in WW2, it was passed on to my late father Norman, I acquired it in 2007, it came with me on the tour, like it was going home.

26/11/2016 - 1) It had long been a dream of mine

To be i...

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Image: Singer, Songwriter, Poet, Shane Cooley performing at the Saxon Pub, Austin Bergstrom Airport. He was singing as I passed and the song he was singing inspired me to write poem 152, shortly after hearing him.

25.04.16 - 149) Night faded

I wake up feeling slightly jaded

Departure day but first I make may way

To reception, no debatin’ free coffee waitin’

Need it to bring me ...

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Image: Saying goodbye to Shishi, one of Nianna's cats, lovely creatures they were too.

146) We’re up and ready to be away to face another day

I said to Nianna “you ready to eat, breakfast my treat”.

“Can we go Mexican” she asks I say “we can”

Soon we’re on the way to a place we saw the other day

Different flavour a new taste to savour

Into Zamora’s we walk, sit eat an’ talk

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Image: Julieta Corpus reciting at San Benito High School. Many schools in the Valley are in deprived areas and the students are usually pleased to see people give their time to talk to them and give them encouragement. 

22.04.16 – 127) We went to Denny’s last night,

The meal was a delight

They did a good Fish and Chips with a choice of side

An’ I didn’t deride

When there was n...

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Image: South Texas College with Clark's students

21.04.16 - 120) Sun Poets last night, as usual a delight

Old rhymers and first timers

My annual date, didn’t finish too late

To my motel I headed back something went off track

GPS relied on again takin’ me there

Knowin’ where we’re goin’

Dark night but a familiar sight

Then it dropped so clear, I’d done the same thing la...

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Image: Statue outside the Waymark Gallery at Trinity Univesity, San Antonio, The Univesity was near the open mic venue so I nipped in to use their library  internet facilities, staff were every obliging. Sandwiches in cafeteria were pricey though.

20.04.16 – 116) Yesterdays evenin’ sun gives way to mornin’ rain

An’ I’m on the road again

Once more thunder rollin’  lightenin’ flashin’

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Image: Hippie Hollow 50 feet higher than last year as in poem 111.

18.04.16 - 108) Recycled Reads went well,

Thom an’ Ben would tell

Of those we met, from newcomer to vet

Made the Forrest Fest Come alive

How it should be with music dance and poetry

Then we read an’ let our words unravel, the story of our latest travel

Others read poems from the past

Experiences to make...

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Image: Lamesa Donuts good place to collect breakfast, good choice and savouries, they do a sausage in a croissant, very nice.

17.04,16 – 100) Everyone still in bed

As I load my car to head

To Austin, no time to say goodbye

Except on the note I wrote

Day startin’ cool an’ grey an’ I’m on my way

Surfin’ the radio as I go

Familiar song I heard for the first time a year ago

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Image: The Forrest Fest peace parachute, it is exactly 6 years to the day that I wrote on it for the first time.

13.04.16 - 73) No sign of the rain, down to KPET again

Festival promo on a morning show

Tellin’ folks what’s goin’ down,

This weekend in Lamesa town

74) Laundry done yesterday, first wash of the tour

Wednsday of next week I’ll do one more

So at the end of ...

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Image: On the outskirts of Lamesa, it's raining, did do for the last hour and a half of the drive, it really came down.

12.04.16 - 70) I left my Motel 6 it was very nicely positioned

And this time I didn’t get propositioned

Unlike last year when I thought things had gone alright

But I got propositioned on my very last night

71) Leave the motel drive through Austin to I-31 ...

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Image: David Lester Young aka Ben Franklin, he is the Ben that I refer to in the Poets Three poems

03.04.16 - 19) End of a long flight,

landing always a delight

Luggage and car collected, change of intent

Drove first to the anthology event

Nothing to fear let the motel know I was here

It was alright, I’d be ther later that night

Then we took to the stage with our latest s...

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Image: My suitcase ready as I wait for the taxi.

02.04.16 – 9) The alarm sounds I get my sleepy head

Out of bed

Quick shower, taxi due in half an hour

Coffee to bring me alive, wait for the taxi to arrive

Taxi arrives I step outside, it’s raining

It’s on time so there’s no complaining

Luggage stowed, once more we hit the road

M62 into Lancashire going well, then, “Oh h...

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Image: Louie our Boston Terrier with the Texas bandana I brought him back in 2015, he featured in my first 2015 tour poem, my last and a few in-between. Sadly he died in November of that year aged 15 months old. He gave us so much in his short life and the first poem of this tour both features and is dedicated to him.

08.02.16 - 1) I was listening to the rain

beating again on my window...

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