He always says 'Just put a jumper on!' -
The thermostat war begins - Geordie-Mean-Time.
Smells of burning pencils, crackles of nylon,
Northumberland Street shows the seasonal signs.
Skeletal, tinder leaves write windblown lines,
In pleated polyester; patent-leather
And wool-warm blazers, tape-measure tireless time.
Freshers swarm the Bigg Market, denying weather.
Glitt'ring schedules sparkle sequences of Strictly,
Jokers in bin-bag capes squash spidery screams;
As Craig Revel-Horwood, fab-u-lously prickly,
Withers Pinterest pumpkins and batwing dreams.
Armies of fans light up match-nights on Toon,
As the foggy Tyne glows by harvest moon.
Suzanne Fairless-Aitken
