Guest blog

My friend Viv, whom I've known for sixty plus years, wrote this verse for her friend Kay, after discovering the nightly ritual involving Kay's husband Bill. Sadly, Kay died four years' ago d is much missed.

I know a house in Ashley Park.
And things go on there, after dark.
Time always brings a change of fashion,
But lessens not the bedroom passion.

The hour draws nigh. The clock strikes ten.
You say to Bill, 'I'll go up then.'
You do your very best to hide
The urge that's rising up inside.

As Bill sips Horlicks, by the hearth,
You languish in a bubble bath.
Exciting thoughts grow ever stronger.
You can't contain yourself much longer.

You've slipped between the cotton sheets
And ponder on the coming treats.
Has Bill prepared and got things ready?
You wet your lips, your heart unsteady.

Adrenalin! Exhilaration!
Such pleasure in anticipation.
You hear his footstep on the stair,
And suddenly, your Bill is there.

Now real indulgence can begin.
You settle to your nightly sin.
It starts with something hot and steamy.
The next is fruity, smooth and creamy.

'Magnificent,' to Bill you say,
'Thank heavens for my chocolate tray.'
The empty mug and empty plate
Speak volumes: that was worth the wait.

Your finger gets a final lick.
'Goodnight...and, Bill, I'm feeling sick.'

Operation Frankton - "The Cockleshell Heroes"

Today, 7th December, marks the 75th anniversary of the start of Operation Frankton, one of the most daring and imaginative sabotage ventures of World War Two. There is a commemorative monument in Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, near Royan.

France was occupied and so,
The harbour of Bordeaux
For the Germans proved a valuable location.
Britain came up with a ruse:
Royal marines in small canoes,
Would plant limpet mines and thus cause devastation.

They would sneak up the Gironde,
To the port that lay beyond.
Five "cockles" and ten crew - all highly trained.
Dropped off-shore by submarine,
In a bid to stay unseen,
They'll hide by day, so secrecy's maintained.

One pair drowned, (it is assumed).
Two other pairs were doomed.
They were captured by the enemy and shot.
Though they must have been afraid,
Their comrades weren't betrayed.
Four paddled on to carry out the plot.

In line with what was hatched,
The devices they attached -
(Each one of these had carefully been primed).
Then they slip off undetected.
The explosives they'd connected,
Later detonate at 9pm as timed.

The effect was as predicted,
Much damage was inflicted
On the half a dozen ships that had been mined.
The exploits of the four
Helped abbreviate the war
By six months, as Churchill later on opined.


© Maggie Ballinger 2017