Vegas

Looking back on Vegas is my greatest pleasure
Though of course it's good that a nation has some leisure!
The hotels are spectacular and employ a lot of staff
And the famous shows are there to let you have a laugh.
The casinos are so noisy that you cannot really think 
With people losing money as fast as you can blink!
On average every punter loses £15 pounds an hour
I do not think my pension would take me very far!
All of this is based upon the human vice of greed
Encouraged by the billionaires who get just what they need!
You do not see them gamble, 
they just take it in.
Taking full advantage of this avaricious sin!
The love of money is the root of evil, so they say
But what of those enticing the simpletons to play?
And who are we to sit and judge? We get to be as bad!
Using phones for gambling is really very sad
We can see the adverts which encourage us to punt.
You can even use your phone on this treasure hunt!
We are all voracious in our hunt for gaining more
And we can find excuses until our minds are sore!
May the Lord protect us from this all pernicious sin
For it is so easy for us all to be sucked in!

By the Rivers of Babylon

To get away from Vegas was our one desire
For the Jazz and glitter filled our hearts with ire!
We went upon a boat float on the Colorado river
On the wide green water cold enough to cause a shiver.
We saw man's proud intrusion, the mighty Hoover Dam,
Which held the mighty river as quiet as a lamb!

Then we sat down

We floated down the river through the Canyon Black
Over swirls and eddys but also waters slack.
We sat and had a picnic on a stretch of sand
And felt that it was put there as if at God's command!

Yea we wept when we remembered Zion

After several hours of restful contemplation 
Feeling most contented with God's good creation
We were taken captive by a driver in a bus
To take us back to Vegas without any fuss
Our eyes were full of tears as we pondered on our fate
For we were now captive. It was much too late!

We will remember Zion

Still, we will remember Zion in captivity,
The grandeur of creation will always go with me.
The tacky source of sordid wealth based on human greed
Can never overcome the beauty made as God decreed.

How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

With all our hearts!

Speechless

I am running out of words describing what I see
The beauty of God's nature is overpowering me!
From canyon on to canyon all different and impressive
From Grand to Antelope to Bryce the grandeur seems excessive.
My jaw has dropped so many times I'm sure it's getting slack
For I've seen every colour from white right through to black!
The sculpture is magnificent, the peacefulness ideal 
And there is so much of it, it really seems surreal!
In between the beauty spots are sights which also thrill
In looking out the window my eyes can feast their fill!
All this on top of touring in the "land of the long white cloud"
That's not been taken over by folk of "the wrong white crowd" !
I recognise how fortunate I am to share this pleasure
With the boon companion God gave me to treasure.
I just thank my Saviour for the good things I enjoy
For wealth and health and happiness and love which cannot cloy.
But at this very moment my vocabulary I plunder
To find some words to document this overwhelming wonder!

Easter Sunday

It is Easter Sunday and I haven't been to church
But I have not left my Saviour in the lurch!
No rousing dawn Communion, no singing in the aisle
But I have to tell you I communed in style!
I know my Lord has risen, praise be to God above
But I have seen more evidence of his power and love!
My head was full of wonder and my heart was full of joy
As I saw God's greatest sculpture. I was a lucky boy!
God has used a river to create such awesome sights!
They'll fill my days with wonder and dreams will fill my nights.
The Colorado river has etched so deep and wide
A chasm in the landscape where it can really hide!
I could not see much river but I knew that it was there
Hiding in the canyon with the rocks so bare!
I have loved the sights I've seen and really I'm in bliss
For I will never, ever see a better sight than this!
Thank you God for giving me this chance to see your art
And in helping with your work let me do my part.

Crosses on a Hill

On a hill in California I saw three crosses bare
And as it was Good Friday I was glad to see them there!
Reminded me of Jesus and what he did for me
Dying there in agony for all the world to see.
And here I am on holiday in Californian sun
Enjoying all I do and see while Easter has begun.
It is now the day between His death and resurrection 
A time for contemplation and serious reflection!
Yet here I am enjoying life, which He would wish for me
While He made such a sacrifice hanging on the tree.
I'm looking to the future when He will rise once more
And in my contemplation my spirit starts to soar!

Just Another Friday 

It's just another Friday and we are on the road
Some thoughts of my Redeemer as He bore my load 
His was no trip of pleasure! His a day of pain.
His a noble sacrifice with no thought of gain!
His friends had all deserted Him. He even lost His Father!
But He forgave His enemies or so I'm led to gather!
He died for all our misery, He died for all our sin.
All our guilt and wickedness were thrown in the bin.
We that were the guilty ones and He that paid the price
Being scourged and crucified wasn't very nice
In fact He died in agony a piteous sight to see
And yet He did it willingly just for you and me.
He had the power of heaven and yet He chose to die 
And were we really worth it? Certainly not I!
I want to thank You Jesus for your sacrifice 
For me to get to heaven You had to pay the price!

Humble?

Well, it's Maunday Thursday, the day for Maunday money
The Queen will do her duty looking bright and sunny!
It is a tradition which makes us all feel good
We do our bit for charity to get us in the mood!

If it is equivalent to washing people's feet
She can feel quite humble while still appearing neat! 
It's all about appearances or so we like to think
If I had to wash some feet they might really stink!
The act is not significant. It is the state of mind.
Are we truly humble, gentle, good and kind?
Oh Lord please forgive me when my piety's an act.
You know my inner being In theory and in fact!
Help me be the person I would like to be
And hide it from observers for they don't need to see!

Perspective

I am still the person that I was just yesterday
Though I have been losing time while I'm on my way!
The international date line is a little much for me,
Equivalent to telling me that two and two is three!
Los Angeles is different. A rambling urban sprawl
With enormous beaches and sunshine over all!
Bits of it are glamorous but mostly pretty tatty
And lots of noise and bustle enough to send you batty!
I can see the contrasts, the rich and very poor.
Lots of people sleeping rough outside every door!
The land of opportunity it must seem to be
But only if you're fortunate to be both rich and free!
I can see the poverty, my heart is full of pity
For those people down and out in every major city.
Lord, you died for everyone and not just for the rich
So how come for some people life is just a bitch?
As I think about your sacrifice and all that you have done
I feel that there still needs to be love for everyone

Time

Time is now a concept I do not understand!
March the twenty-second is being underhand!
I left from Auckland airport today quite late at night 
But it will be much earlier when LA comes in sight!
It will be the same day, or so I have been told,
And as we're going back in time I cannot be as old?
If we stay up here much longer I'll be hard to catch
Speeding round a tennis court and playing golf to scratch!
Ok this is a fantasy and I'm just having fun
And while I've been on holiday Holy Week's begun.
 I think about my Saviour just about to die.
A sacrifice for sinners. I have to wonder why?
I do not deserve that He should have died for me.
And yet he did so, willingly, to set us sinners free!
I can only worship Him and thank Him for His love
And hope To know Him better when I get to heaven above.

Power

We've just seen the beauty of lakes among the hills
With dams to harness energy and solve the Nation's ills!
Water driving turbines in series on the river
With dam on dam and lake on lake they really do deliver!
A monument to man's desire to feed a need for power
And when we have done it we feel that we're a star!
But when you just consider the power in lightning bolts
They dwarf our puny efforts at producing volts!
There's power that drives the universe way beyond our Ken
And we should consider it every now and then.
Our God has got the power to do all that we can see
He also had the power to save even you and me.
He sent His son to die for us and carry all our sin,
And open up the gates of heaven so we can enter in.

 Wealth

There was a merchant banker built a castle on a hill
Filled with every luxury that was designed to thrill!
Marble brought from Italy and oak from England too
All done in the best of taste in gilt and ormolu!
He worked to earn his money and married wealth as well
But whether he'd be happy only time would tell.
His first wife gave him children but died so very young
So he married her half sister and gossips did give tongue!
Blow me, that lady died as well at an early age!
Surely now the time had come to write a happier page!
He married for the third time. An angel of delight.
Perhaps at last this rich man's luck had started going right?
Alas while he was working a little way away
Some malignant Cupid started out to play!
It was brought to his attention she was having an affair
With his eldest son it seems! An ill assorted pair!
On hearing of this infamy he put a bullet through his head
And so this rich man's troubles ended with him dead.
Happiness did not come with wealth. It is not worth a bean.
A well contented pauper is as happy as a queen.
Do not strive for wealth alone, it is not the goal.
Search instead for purest love which can make you whole.
That love is surely granted to those with selfless thought
Who love God and their fellows as our Saviour taught.

Rainbow

We saw a perfect rainbow on our way from Te Anau
We tried to take a picture as we always try to do!
Reflections on the window and seeing through the rain
Meant we could not get it right. A failure once again!
We marvel at the beauty and gaze upon the sight
We understand the science and we know God got it right!
Our view may be distorted but the brain can sort it out
We see the glorious spectrum and it leaves us with no doubt. 
Science can explain the wonders God has done
But you need to realise how the whole thing was begun!
The ingredients for The Big Bang had to be provided
And bringing them together was the service God decided!
'Twas God who made the atom and God who lit the fuse
So is it any wonder that believers can enthuse?
I praise God for the rainbow which delights my eye
And everything of beauty which I am passing by.

Reflections

To see the high peaks shining on a bright and sunny day
And then reflected in a lake while we were on our way.
The reflected image was much clearer l have deemed
Than the real original or that's the way it seemed.
Perhaps when we're reflecting on things within our past
We get a clearer image than when things go by so fast.
Of course our own reflections may ignore the sordid bits 
We make a perfect picture with everything that fits!
All the things we do not like we tend to sweep away
And all of our best qualities, we will let them stay!
But our Father sees us exactly as we are
Our flaws and imperfections are not seen as a bar!
He sent his son to die for us, to save us from our sin
And open heaven's gate for us so we can walk right in!
Of course we should be honest and ask Him to forgive
In the perfect knowledge that with His love we live!

Where have all the sheep gone?

We thought that the economy was based on wool and lamb!
It appears as usual I don't know where I am!
Up until last evening hardly any sheep 
Only dairy cattle. No wonder I can't sleep!
The price of wool has fallen and now the price of milk
The farmers will be getting worms to produce more silk!
Ah well! It's St. Patrick's day we Irish can have fun.
The top o' the mornin' to yez each and every one!

Waterfalls

New Zealand was once know as the land of the long white cloud
I can now quite understand how this name was endowed!
Spent the day among the clouds dodging showers of rain
Managed not to get too wet though it was a strain!
One of the advantages of much precipitation 
Is a greater group of waterfalls than our anticipation!
However, with the cloud and mist some can not be seen
And instead of misty blue the river's mucky green!
I must say that as a spectacle they were not like Niagara
In fact for them to come up close they would need viagra!
Some would make a lot of noise and some were very tall
And some were just so far away they were not seen at all!
But all were quite impressive for the volume they deliver
Cascading over cliff tops to fill each mountain river.
We need lots of filling to reach our full potential 
And, with the Holy Spirit, our growth is exponential!
Lord just keep it coming till my heart is full
And I am quite ready to accept your heavenly rule!

A Sonnet to Beauty

Watching mountains floating past
And walking by the sea
Forests that are there to last
And rivers flowing free
Glaciers grinding slowly past
As they were meant to be
Beauty going by so fast
And all just made for me!
I thank my God for what He's made
And for my debts so gladly paid
It causes me to want to pray
For bounty given every day
I praise you now and evermore 
The one who opened heaven's door!

Sleep

I didn't get to sleep last night, not a single wink!
Now I'm like a zombie and I've lost the power to think!
I tossed and turned for ages and moved from side to side 
But the nymph of sleeping had gone away to hide!
My mind was all a jumble. Thoughts were never deep
The only thing I thought of was a great desire to sleep!
Normally when I need to sleep I think of things to pray
Or I might even think about what happened yesterday.
That's how I find the things to cover in an ode
I might as well have tried to break that old Enigma code!
Ok I can now think about that choral Eucharist 
In the cardboard Minster with that brilliant organist.
If you ever get the chance have a little peep
But at the moment all I want is to get some sleep!
However we are travelling the Transalpine Express
I need to watch the landscape designed to impress!

Christchurch

I'm standing at a crossroads in a devastated city
And yet my heart is filled with hope and not with useless pity.
The landscape does remind me of Belfast in my youth
The aftermath of blitzing was horrible in truth!
The rubble from the buildings was a cause for tears
But we used the sites as car parks for nearly twenty years!
But for them in Christchurch the wasteland will not last
You can see the future rising from the ashes of the past!
As Jesus died at Easter and then was resurrected 
New life is seen to come from old however unexpected!
Still, though I'm a christian, I have to wonder why,
As we have a God of love, do people have to die?
Can there be a purpose to the earthquake and the fire
Does our Maker relish seeing humans in the mire?
I know, of course, He doesn't but I just cannot see
Why my gentle Master allows such things to be!
When at last he welcomes me to my eternal rest
Then perhaps he'll tell me how this was for the best!

Friends in Christ

I'm sitting on a ferry going over yesterday
It was most enjoyable I am pleased to say.
We took a little cable car and then walked through a park
Tempting greedy sparrows with crumbs just for a lark!
We met a lass for coffee who left our shores last year
And gave her news of those at home who still hold her dear!
Then we took a train trip up to Waikanae 
To meet a lovely family who came out here to stay.
It was as if they'd never left there was a lot of chat
Talking of our friends at home, of God and this and that!
All of them are friends in Christ in their new surrounds
As one of them's a vicar I guess he has some grounds!
We talked of life in Bletchley, the church they left behind,
And knew we were a family of a very different kind.
We have God as our Father and Jesus as our friend
And have the Holy Spirit with us till the end.

The Camera Day 21

I wasn't going to bring my heavy SLR
Though it has a lens for seeing near or far.
With the weight restrictions it would not be right
Then my daughter talked to me and I saw the light!
On this trip we've planned so long it would be a shame
Not to have the pictures the SLR could frame!
So I brought it with me and was very pleased I had
Then within a day or two everything went bad
It was making grating sounds and wouldn't work too well
It would need replacing, even I could tell!
Found a little camera shop and yes the lens had died!
But imagine all my joy,a replacement was supplied!
It was pretty cheap of course being second hand
But it did what it was asked at each new demand
As we moved on our journey the broken lens was binned!
(It can't be retribution for some time I have sinned.
I know God doesn't work like that but it fits the rhyme!)
I'm snapping on my merry way having a good tlme,
Then the new replacement lens almost breaks in two
Now I have no lens at all what am I to do?
We arrived in Wellington and looked for a camera shop
I want to buy a new one so that I can swop.
I found shops that offered much but not the lens I need
Then I see in one of them the very lens I need!
Of course it was beyond the price I was prepared to pay
So sadly I was very soon walking on my way!
The camera is useless until I get it home
It can not take pictures as I sadly roam.
Ah well! Not to worry I can use my phone
It takes lovely pictures and I am not alone!
Sue has got her camera and she can take each shot
And they will be as good as any I had got!
There is only one thing on which we should rely 
Our Saviour who on our behalf was prepared to die!

Martinborough

Martinborough is a place that well may draw me back
It was designed by Martin to ape the Union Jack!
But that is not the feature that really warms my heart
It is the friendly people who set this place apart!
Ok, the hotel's quirky and the shower's designed to leak
But almost endless vineyards are really worth a peek!
If you like to sample wines of every kind
You can try them till you know they really blow your mind!
I suspect that Christ's disciples liked a drop or two
Wines would be quite plentiful and water holes were few!
Wine was very precious and not a drop was wasted
And at our Lord's last supper plenty would be tasted.
None of the disciples would be very thrilled 
If through greed or carelessness any of it spilled!
Imagine then their feelings as He said his blood would flow
Spilled just like a glass of wine because he loved them so!
No wonder it confused them like many of His talks
Which He tried to share with them throughout all His walks!
It was only later when they recalled what He had said
That any of His meaning entered any head!
We then are the lucky ones who know what He had meant
And to die to save the world was His great intent!
So then, we who know him, must share his message wide
Not keep it to ourselves alone and all his message hide.
Be bold and strong my brothers let the nations see
That we have a God of love who sets all people free!

Communications

Built in 1890 the hotel is pretty quaint
Everything is made of wood and decked in pastel paint!
All the doors and windows were made around that date
And the old sound proofing is less than adequate !
The iron bath has lions feet, the shower leaks on the floor
But the beds are comfortable. Who could ask for more?
The people are all friendly and I really like the food
It's enough to make me feel in a mellow mood!
Then I try the WiFi and it fails to work
I try to reconnect it feeling like a burke!
It is very dodgy, even in the lobby
Posting odes on Facebook is a very iffy hobby!
In this age of instant contact when we're out of touch
We get so frustrated and feel it very much!
Thank goodness in our hour of need You are always there
We can just communicate with an instant prayer!
Nothing ever changes from now to yesteryear 
You are always ready with an ever open ear!

A long Road

Driving on the highway for mile on weary mile
Thinking I'm hard done by is enough to raise a smile!
Mountains all around us as You had long ago 
Travelling one last journey as the gospels let us know.
No doubt there were moaners among Your group of friends

And others who just followed for their own nefarious ends!
Terrorists and harlots, fishermen and fools
What a bunch of misfits to have as heaven's tools!
Yet they all were trusted with a mission from above,
Though they did not know it, to deal out heaven's love!
My word they would be tested when You died on Calvary
But still they passed the message on, that You had set us free!
Let us have the courage to listen to your call
So we can tell throughout the world how You love us all!

Sunrise 

The sunrise over Napier is a sight to see 
It makes you jump right out of bed to look across the sea !
And to think no humans have seen this day before
You really feel so privileged you could not ask for more!
God has made New Zealand a land so full of wonder
I hope and pray that human kind won't pull it all asunder.
The massive mountain ranges and the fertile farming land
All of them provided by God's bountiful command.
I could spend a lifetime in writing odes of little worth
And not describe the majesty of the Maker's work on earth!

Rich Tapestry 
Went to church this morning, in the Maori church at nine
Understood the minister, so far things were fine!
Then they started singing hymns we know quite well
But they were sung in Maori
So the words we could not tell!
The sermon was in English but the Eucharist was not
Then my blooming phone went off so I was feeling hot!
The service was a blessing for travellers far from home
Our Lord just keeps a welcome no matter where we roam!
Travelling on to Napier down in Hawkes Bay
We stopped in Hot Springs country on our merry way
We went walking by some geysers feeling very bold.
The colours of the sulphurous shelves were wondrous to behold.
Reds and greens and yellows mixed by God's own hand
In a celestial tapestry I cannot understand.
Yet I do not have to. He gives it all for free
Just to show the beauty of His love for you and me!

Maori Church 

Saw a Maori church today by Rotorua lake
A little wooden masterpiece, of that there's no mistake.
It had an etching in plain glass of Christ's walk on the sea
And Rotorua's now transformed to look like Galilee!
Christ has on a Maori cloak as very well He might
For as the Lord of all the world it is only right!
The Maori craved the peace of God to cease their tribal strife
And as they were converted they laid aside the knife! 
Would the peace of God would fill the earth from shore to shore
That men would live in harmony and study war no more!

Road to Rotorua 

On the road to Rotorua with no need for haste
Listening to music entirely to our taste
A little bit of Paxton I often seem to find
Makes me feel that trouble is "The Last Thing on My Mind"
With my love beside me and God to watch my back
I really feel there's nothing 
That this lucky boy could lack!
I just thank my Maker for the wondrous sights we see
It just seems the whole wide world was sculpted just for me!

C’est la Vie Day 23

We took the windy road again over mountain top
Towards the hot beach with its spring a lovely pleasure stop.
You dig a hole into the sand and lie in balmy pleasure
To give a memory we're told that we are going to treasure!
We really should have looked to see if the tide was out! 
Or we might have a wasted trip or else we'd wait about! 
Yes we might have guessed it no chance of thermal joy!
Susan's little lover is a very silly boy!
Of course we toured around and saw some awesome views
In life's little lottery there is no chance to lose
The things you lose on carousels you gain upon the swings 
And when the night is darkest there is a bird that sings!
Be content with what you do and everything you see
For all the wonders of the world are given to us for free

Blue Sky 

I can see some blue sky after a night of rain
Better get out quickly before it pours again!
All the land is lush and green reminding me of home
Before I left the Emerald Isle
And started out to roam!
There is one thing certain,
we are not going to fret
We can still be happy with the times we get.
My saviour gave his life for me
And I must repay
All that he has done for me
By living every day
As if it were a precious gift from our God above
It's not wrapped with paper
But with our Saviour's love

The Road to Coromandel

We picked our car up early
From the airport budget hire
The hi tech was so difficult I thought I would expire!
I couldn't even start it and had to ask advice
I was feeling stupid but they were really nice!

Because we'd had an upgrade the car was awfully large
It felt that with no practice I was trying to steer a barge!
We made it from the airport and down the motorway
But with all the hi tech stuff
I did not try to play!

When we left the motorway our fun had just begun!
Of course it was still raining and we could not see the sun!
The scenery was spectacular as the roads began to wind
With cliffs and adverse camber enough to blow your mind!

When we reached Coromandel 
and flopped down in our room
The sense of true adventure was enough to lift all gloom!
We're going to explore the town which looks like the "Wild West"
We're thankful to our God above who gives us of His best!

Rain 

If I had gone to Manchester I could have found some rain.
In the English Lakeland it would have rained again.

If I had ventured into Wales it might have been quite wet.
But the rain we got in Auckland I never will forget!

Of course it had been sunny for weeks and weeks on end
But when the Fletchers get here it will rain my friend!

At least it is still nice and warm so our clothes will dry
So we can all be cheerful, there is no need to cry.

There was once a rainbow so God's promise will be kept
And when we went to bed last night we really, really slept

Tired but happy 

I am getting pretty tired
I have not slept for days!
My circuits have to be rewired 
In many different ways!

My timing circuit's gone awry
My days are now at night!
I can only groan and sigh.
I'm not a pretty sight!

Soon I'll be on solid ground
And sleeping in a bed
Fit again to tour around 
Without a muddled head!

Still I count my blessings 
I'm with the one I love
Without too many stressings 
So thank You God above!

Flying

Flying in the night time sky,
ten thousand meters high
Although to sleep I try,
I can't. I don't know why

Although I may not be,
nearer my God to Thee
If not on bended knee,
there's things I clearly see.

Your care is all around
amidst the airplane's sound
So far above the ground
I feel Your love abound.

My heart must overflow
Now that Your peace I know
Even though I do not crow
Still know I love You so!