• Beer brewed for the shed…. a Poem

    We don’t get enough shed poetry on readersheds or shedblog let along about beer and sheds.

    Tim Baber has sent me this great poem that covers both my main loves (don’t tell Mrs Uncle Wilco) it was written by his father Jim as he says “Written by my dad who is 90 years old and still drinking beer.”

    Beer brewed for the shed….

    When your throat is dry
    And your innards sigh
    For a glass of ale or something of that ilk,
    Look around ’till you espy
    The sign to satisfy
    That search for dear old Mother Nature’s milk.

    As you wet your upper lip
    With a gulp or just a sip -
    Your taste buds tell you satisfactions near;
    So you fill that arid hollow
    With a deep and pleasing swallow
    And bless that well-kept shed-conditioned beer.

    For beer on draught and real
    Can instantly appeal
    To nostrils, palate and the inner man;
    It lifts you when you’re tired
    Can make you feel inspired
    And has done since drinking time began.

    So here’s a vote of thanks
    To the chaps who keep the tanks
    Fed with a flow of good full-bodied beer:
    To brewers who keep it fit
    So that the taste is exquisite
    Here’s thanks and praise, both heartfelt and sincere.

    Jim Baber (1985)

    You can view Master Babers sheds here, a credit you would agree.

    Shed Week : Encomium* for Shed Week

    shedman

    Our new friend Shedman has written this special poem for Shed Week.

    Encomium* for Shed Week

    In Shedbury they’re celebrating the winners of Shedweek,

    flags and bunting deck the streets and houses of Shedwick;

    Sheddingham resounds to the cheers of sheddie folk

    and Bedfordshire has change its name to extend the joke.

    In allotments, along the tracks, the sheds of Britain amass

    to join the chorus of salute to the winners of each class.

    ‘All hail!’ they cry, as thunderclouds deliver another load,

    leaving the sheds slightly damp but not at all subdued.

    And to you, Tim from Sudbury, the highest accolade:

    The Rugby Pub of Suffolk, the finest ever made;

    octagonal with roof lights, complete with double doors,

    three fridges and a hammock, Shed of the Year is yours.

    Upsteps a larch-lapped champion to raise the cry again

    across United Sheddom, from every shed and man:

    ‘To Tim the victor’s laurels, to Tim the winner’s band!

    The Rugby Pub of Suffolk is the best shed in the land!’

    *High praise in honour of a victor – from the Latin!

    ©Shedman 2008 All rights reserved

    You can meet the Shedman at:
    Ledbury Poetry Festival July 5-13, 2008 and the Havant Poetry Festival Sept 25-28, 2008

    What do you do in your shed?

    This is a question the Shedman asks on his great new blog Shedworld he also celebrating National Shed Week and during the Ledbury Poetry Festival

    Shedman has been travelling the world for over five years now on a unique journey of discovery, a kind of spiritual quest with roof felt. It’s been a costly, beautiful, wry and amazing all at the same time, often with splinters. But the one thing he’s learned is just how creative people are, how inventive and how generous in sharing what they do in their sheds. Shedman feels it’s time he shared his experiences and ask everyone who does things in sheds to share theirs.

    Thanks to Alex for the reminder

    More shed poetry - Plot thickens

    To follow on from the recent shed poetry.

    Sheddie Simon who owns The Plot thickens

    Has written this about his great shed

    On the topping-out of a pallet shed on the Wash Common allotment

    Shed: May your hearth be ever stacked with sticks
    for your pot bellied stove, with a hot kettle
    for tea, and may the mice not find the PG Tips,
    nor rats discover Hob Nobs in their metal
    tin. Even when the sleet is beating hard
    inside you’ll be bone dry, and though you’re built
    from pallets that the wasteful just discard
    your cladding will not split, nor will you tilt.
    But what if I’d have gone to B&Q?
    A golden pine pavilion would adorn
    my plot. No hearth, no chimney pot, no flue,
    no soul. You’re great, by oak, pine, thorn and yew:
    this wood has found a home. So let’s adjourn
    for cake, and toast this shed with a fresh brew.

    Official poet for Shed Week 2008

    We now have an official poet for Shed week 2008, sheddie Rogan Whitenails has agreed to take on the mantle of Shed poet, I hope his wonderful musings can add some wossname to the world of sheds.

    Rogan Whitenails

    You can read his shed poem here, or take a look at his blog which showcases his work including his prose about a shedlike structure the Bird hide.

    Rhyme-Botherer’s Garden Shed a poem

    Sheddie Rogan Whitenails emailed me this wonderful poem about his shed.

    The Rhyme-Botherer’s Garden Shed

    Shedspla! my shed:
    Just once, let me find shortbread
    In the shortbread tin, not screws;
    Let the bolts in the jam jars bruise
    Easily!
    Is white spirit as mild as the moisty
    Mizzle of morn, when supped
    From the gowpen of two hands cupped;
    As scant in the mouth, as faint,
    Ill-equipped to thin paint,
    Though it thins the thirst well enough?

    You can read more of his stuff on his blog or buy his books over on amazon.