Wick (John More): Week 11 – 26 December

Well, we hope you all had a very happy Christmas. And now it’s time to ask the landlord to fill the flowing bowl until it doth run over, for tonight we’ll merry merry be, tomorrow we’ll be hungover: yes, it’s time for the traditional Gansey Nation Christmas Singalong—

Good King Wenceslas was sad,
In fact he felt quite miffed –
He hadn’t any Christmas cards,
Outside the snow did drift.
Brightly shone the moon that night
Upon a shadowy form,
A Royal Mail postie was on strike,
Sheltering from the storm.

“Come hither page, and stand by me
And tell me, if thou know’st,
What that poor man his grievance be,
And first class stamps, the cost?”
He waited there impatiently
But answer came there none,
His courtiers all looked vacantly
For that good page was gone.

Rain-heavy clouds approaching the Castle of Old Wick

“Go search for him in pool and mere
I fear he may have drowned.”
“No, sire, we’ve looked everywhere –
404, page not found.”
The postie then approached the king,
“Improve our pay thou sluggard,
Unless more money thou canst bring,
The public sector’s buggered.

“I can’t afford to heat my home,
The barometer is falling,
While it’s colder than a catacomb,
No posties will come calling.”
King Wenceslas was sore dismayed
And said he’d make things better,
Resolved to see him better paid,
And knit the man a sweater.

Signs of Spring – daffodil shoots

“Bring me yarn and bring me light,
And bring this man a heater,
Bring me needles sized just right:
2.25 millimetre.”
And now the moral’s plain to say
As they trudged through the blizzard:
Give your posties decent pay
If you want your mail delivered…