The Centrifugal Governor

Balls! with which Stephenson has tamed the steam

and harnessed it to do the work of man,
small as you are, each flywheel, shaft and beam
is subject to your governance, your plan.

Some, in their innocence, were unimpressed.
'A top, a whirligig, a childish gift,
a bagatelle', they said, but little guessed:
the faster you revolve, the more you lift.

And even as you rise, you stem the flow
through cylinder and piston, ease the thrust
on cam and bearing, mollify the show
to dignified decorum, as needs must.

Happy 80th, John Lennon

John Lennon would have been 80 on October 09, 2020. I thought I'd mark the occasion by covering one of his songs, 'Oh! My Love' from the Imagine album. John's lyrics are usually very personal, heart on sleeve, so that it can feel almost intrusive to sing them. But he only made it to 40, so somebody has to do it.

The Bull, Jake Thackray, cover

Setting off at a fair lick, it wasn't entirely unpredictable that it would crash. Shame it happened so near the end...

Delia Gone

Delia Gone was originally recorded by Burl Ives and famously covered by Johnny Cash. The lyric I'm singing here was recorded in the 50s by Acker Bilk and is not nearly as bleak as the Ives/Cash version. In fact, with the Dixieland chords, it almost ends up jolly... for a tale of murder.

Ex-Pat Plonk

Greetings, all! Paraglider is currently in lockdown in England with no pressing work and a lot of time on his hands. So much time, in fact, that he has decided to launch a brand new blog to return to the ex-pat world just a little of his hard-won expertise in the vital field of Ex-Pat Plonk, its production, risks and virtues. Please visit, at your leisure.