Cold grey February days call for Reasons to be Cheerful Part Four, a fire, and Devon spiced beans

Abundance: Thursday 13 February 2025

Summer, Paul Buchanan¹, a working cannon

A whirling armed Mick Channon² and bees

Lime flowers in midsummer, a V necked cricket jumper

Here Comes The Summer³ and sandy knees

Tomato leaves that linger, on the grower’s fingers

Charlie Mingus, and the second sneeze

Night scented stocks at 10pm, freshly ground cumin

A large Hepple gin⁴ and a gentle breeze

95+ from the bowler⁵, out with the heavy roller

A glass of Coca Cola, the resulting burps

Nutty new potatoes, Honeycomb tomatoes⁶

Sea between your toes, cricket chirps

Tarragon not basil, smoky bacon Frazzles

An absence of hassle, the smell of turps

Jaco and Joni⁷, a donkey or a pony

Only The Lonely⁸, and monocarps⁹

Kentucky Wonder beans, an allotment fence that leans

Not being in Milton Keynes

An aubergine in flames, holiday card games

Excellent nicknames

Japanese wineberries, a little glass of sherry

Feeling rather merry

Sichuan peppers ripen, a pizza (not Hawaiian)

Something special on the horizon

Curry in the heat, sunshine on your feet

Someone else has changed the sheets

Johnny Marr’s guitar¹⁰, warm interior of car

Dr Hfuhruhurr¹¹

The lines where currents cross, a stick of candy floss

Not having a boss

Two impressions of Michael Caine¹², very welcome rain

Alice Coltrane¹³

Reasons to be cheerful, part four

Reasons to be cheerful, part four

Reasons to be cheerful, part four

Reasons to be cheerful, one, two, three¹⁴

(With apologies to the ghost of Ian Dury)

Devon spiced beans