The twelfth lion

From the proud nation we all know as Wales
Our eponymous hero originally hails
He travelled to Caledonia, into unchartered waters
Blessed with a family, two sons and a daughter
Happily married to his sweetheart, for over four decades
Showering love and devotion, and doing it in spades

He plied his trade, an industrious and skilful plumber
To make sure he could pay for a holiday every summer
Indubitably a grafter all throughout his years
Providing for his family through blood, and sweat, and tears

At times when I was young it felt like a had
A blessing in the shape of a secondary dad
He always made me feel as loved as his boys
Being in his company unfailingly filled me with joy
He was a polished, wise and accomplished diplomat
Always sorting us out if we’d had a wee spat!

Generous to a fault, it was always his round
No point in protesting, he wouldn’t hear a sound
On the weekend he was sure to be found in the Vogue
Having a pint and a dram like a wee cheeky rogue

Every new year, he’d arrive early with his bag
Swelling at the seams with his alcoholic swag
Not a chance he was leaving until he finished it all
Singing through the night, until the hours were small

As a teenager, he hitchhiked all the way to Lisbon
Full of hope and belief, and irrepressible youthful wisdom
His passion for the Hoops, like nothing you’ve ever seen
Watching them lift the big cup, getting to witness his dream
Although Lisbon when I went was a bit of a disaster
He conducted the singing like a philharmonic master

One of my happiest memories, our first foray into the Champions League
Put the old lady to the sword, four goals they did concede
His smile that night could have lit up the sky
I’ll always remember, even after I die

There’s never been a person who’s had a bad word to say
About the legend who’s name stands immortalised on paradise way
His two boys unquestionably the finest men I know
A privilege to be around them, we continue to grow
I know how proud of his grandkids he’ll be
I know he’s up there watching, and that he can see
Amongst his sisters he’s always been truly revered
And I know that this feeling was always returned

We were sad when he left us, with so much still to give
But take comfort from the fact there’s no doubt that he lived!
He left us with memories we’ll never forget
The time we got to spend with him, not a hint of regret
Enriching the lives of every soul he encountered
His optimism and zest for life were things that never floundered

We hope to get the chance to see you again, a glimpse or a sight
For now we take comfort knowing the twelfth lion sleeps peacefully tonight

For Uncle Tony - April 2022




Oor Katie

In our minds, words cannot adequately express how lucky we are
To have had such an amazing influence to drag us along this far
Her nurture, and caring, and love through her days
Set us up for success in life, in a multitude of ways

A fastidious worker, turning her hand to many things in her day
From the fruit fields of Rothesay to the Queens Park café
Bringing us home tickets after a hard shift at the pub
Giving us the opportunity to go and see our favourite football club

Encouraging us to push hard to fulfil our dreams
To reach as high as we can for the stars and the sky
Confidence in abundance for every one of us it seems
You can do whatever you put your mind to as long as you try

Loving and generous and selfless to a fault
Everyone who knows her agrees, of the earth shes the salt
So like my gran, a carbon copy of wee Annie
She also turned out to be a truly wonderful granny
Six amazing grandkids for her legacy to continue
Showering them with love at every available opportunity anew

The patience of a saint when dealing with my Dad
When he’s acting like a joker, like a cheeky little lad
He says his favourite quality is her articulate persuasion 
Although he’s always teasingf, he genuinely thinks she’s amazing

Strength of character, which surely can’t be underrated
An endearing sweetness, not to be under exaggerated
An unbending faith in the goodness of humanity
Complete lack of ego, and without a modicum of vanity

Gran and granda will be up looking down on her proudly
Of everything shes become, and of everything shes done
Shouting from the highest echelons of heaven, and doing so loudly
A devoted daughter, dancing with a smile as radiant as the dazzling sun

Her brothers and sisters hold her in the highest of esteem
Together they make up a formidable team
Fortunate to have an aunt and uncles who always had our back
A loving family something we certainly don’t lack

Unbreakable faith in the healing power of prayer
Of her family and friends, no doubt as to how much she fiercely cares
Stoic, and sanguine, and full of stubborn resolve
Even in the face of adversity theres’s not a problem she can’t solve
Even when it looks insurmountable, when it looks as if there’s no way
She’ll find a way to make it through, she’s our hero every day

Intelligent, clever, astutely wise and sagacious
She’s also blessed with the gift of language, lexiconic and loquacious
A paragon of good advice, she’ll always keep us right
Helping us making decisions, with guidance far from contrite

For her sake lets hope the Russian invasion doesn’t affect her supply of vodka
The biggest paradigmatic shift there since the days of perestroika
Who knows, she might even have to shift to the gin
Or who knows the whisky, she might even go for the win!

Part of a close knit group of friends, sharing lots of fun time together
The lunch club will always go ahead irrespective of the weather
Touring Glasgow, and Scotland, sampling many different pubs
Tantalising their pallets with a smorgasbord of a variety of grub

As this poem comes to its natural conclusion
Let me emphasise its absolutely no illusion
How much we honour, respect, love and adore you
We’ll be forever appreciative how you’ve guided us through
The tumultuously unpredictable waters of life
So often filled with unpredictability, and challenges, and strife

For Mum - March 2022

An angel up above

We can’t believe it was sixteen years ago today
You grew your angels wings, and up to heaven flew away
A sadness in our hearts, grieving and bereft
Your spirit is always with us, it never really left

A truly wonderful father to all five of his children
Devoted his life to looking after, and providing for them
With how they’ve turned out, he couldn’t be anything but proud
Watching over them from the sky, at peace up in the clouds

A family man, through and through to the core
An absolute legend if you believe the west end folklore
Many blessed happy years spent in the arms of his soul mate
Before God came and took him across the threshold of heavens gate

One of life’s characters, well respected far and wide
An inimitable sense of humour, making you laugh until you had sore sides
An irreplicable smile that could illuminate a room
If you were feeling low yourself, seeing him would lift the gloom

Of our Sunday visits to Partick we always used to look forward
The chance to see Tony Macaroni, always viewed as a reward
Being in his company never failed to make us cheer
Sitting comfortably in the corner with his roll up and beer

A staunchly loyal Celtic fan all throughout his days
Working in the shadow of paradise, just along from the way
His children have now taken over the baton in that respect
Carrying on the green and white legacy, careful not to neglect

Courageous and wise, brave and steadfast
Always leading by example right until the last
We’ll never stop missing you, and think about you every single day
To get the time we did with you, we were all incredibly fortunate and lucky

For Tony Ewart - April 2022

A Gentle Warrior 
 
Helen was the gentlest warrior I’ve ever had the pleasure to know 
If she was struggling you couldn’t tell, she’d never let it show 
There were more important things in life for her than dealing with her own stuff 
Putting everyone else’s needs before hers, she was indestructibly tough 
 
A truly wonderful mother, who loved her children infinitely, so easy to tell 
Put her heart and soul into nurturing them and making sure she raised them well 
They always knew when life got hard and problems came their way 
She’d be there to guide them through forever and a day 
 
A caring sister, who showered her siblings with compassion and love 
Always there to provide support when things in life got tough 
A wise and sagacious Auntie, always full of good advice 
Keeping her family on the right path, avoiding any strife 
 
A dutiful and loyal daughter, devoted and committed to making sure 
She lessened any burdens that those around her had to endure 
An incredible gran, always displaying empathy and grace 
In the hearts of her grandchildren she’ll always hold a special place 
To her husband and marriage she was a dedicated and devout wife 
Sharing a multitude of happy moments during their married life 
 
The capacity that I knew her in was that of a special friend 
A confidante, and cheerleader until the very end 
To say it’s a privilege to have known her is to massively understate 
The monumental impact she had on all of our lives, no one can debate 
 
Every single person who knew her would only ever say positive things 
When you spoke to her, a smile to your face it would invariably bring 
Altruistic, and selfless, she always had your back 
Of lifting people up she had a special knack 
 
Commanded trust and respect from people far and wide 
By many of those closest to her she was revered and idolised 
She’ll forever be fondly remembered, we’re heartbroken to see her go 
It’s no exaggeration for me to say she’s one of the best humans we’ll ever know 
 
We say our goodbyes, and pray for her beautiful soul 
Now that she’s gained her angel wings she’s left a gaping hole 
We take comfort from all the happy memories she gave us in life 
And from knowing that her spirit will always be by our sides 

For Helen - November 2023

The Best Sister in the World 

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind 
A better sister than mine you surely won’t find 
She’s steadfast, and determined, and full of resolve 
There isn’t a problem that she’s unable to solve 

Nurturing, and caring, making sure her family is safe 
Always making time for others, in spite of life’s rat race 
Kind and considerate, and altruistic to the core 
She’s a very special person whom couldn’t be any more 

Loved by those around her, respected and revered 
A unique personality, a genuine legend, you might have heard 
If you need someone to rely on, you couldn’t do any better 
I’d stake my reputation, and life, and even write it in a letter 

A work ethic like no one else on this planet 
She’s relentless and her work rate is a redoubtable asset 
An example to us all, make sure you’re taking note 
Embodying the qualities that help keep those around her afloat 

If there were more people like her, the world would be a better a place 
It’s a privilege to know her, and always a joy to see her face 
Full of wisdom, and precocity, leading the way as an inspiration 
Showing others how to navigate life and its many complications 

She’s without a shadow of a doubt the worlds best sister 
Whenever she’s not around I always seem to miss her 

For Kerry Anne - May 2022

Father, Teacher, Friend

Dad, we love you from the bottom of our hearts
You set us down the right path from the very start
It’s always been a blessing and privilege to walk in your shadow
Your warmth and love and kindness made our world illuminate and glow

You showed us how to be dignified, respectful and strong
Good people who knew the difference between right and wrong
Protected and shielded us, and always kept us safe
Full of wisdom, and precocity, a veritable sage
Provided us with everything we could possibly ever need
So many valuable lessons you taught us, were so glad we took heed
You nurtured us, and loved us, and helped us to grow
Your spirit will always be with us, you’ll always be our hero

A chivalrous gentleman, something undeniably true
Held in very high esteem by anyone lucky enough to know you
Generous with your time, always putting us first
Showering us with affection, and a tidal wave of love

Forever building us up, making us believe
There was nothing in life that we couldn’t achieve
Filling us with confidence to chase after our dreams
No limit to your unconditional support it surely seems

Although you’re no longer with us, this is not the end
We’ll see you again in heaven – Our Father, Teacher, Friend
Until then we know your spirit is always by our side
Continuing to look after us, forever being our guide

From Kassie and David x

For Andy – November 2023

CBI – 2023 in Review
 
Welcome to a rhythmic recollection of CBIs 2023
Its' been frantically busy, as we talk through you'll see
We've set the ETs expectations exceedingly high
Through our exceptional performance in previous years gone by
Some would say we've been a victim of our own success
We never shy from a challenge, we're up to the test
 
The level of our delivery has been wonderfully impressive
Taken the bull by the horns, and went on the offensive
Even in amongst the chaotic winds of restructure and rearrange
We've shown that we're leading the way, that were outpacing change
 
Lets start with the way we’ve been set up to deliver
By innovators, and visionaries, all of them very clever
Our governance has come on in leaps and bounds
The foundation of what we do, it keeps our feet on the ground
 
Delivered frameworks to guarantee consistency in our methodology
Ingrained quality and high performance in every element of our psychology
A roadmap which lays out our destiny, and our journey
To the delight of our customers, some of them esteemed attorneys
 
Segmented our projects into individual portfolios
Or Investment themes as we call them, it’s the only way to go
We’ve launched the tools and templates to help our people thrive
Helping move towards the end goals, towards which we all strive
Educated the business to think about their priorities in advance
Of making sure we’re working on the right things, this increases the chance
 
A rock solid foundation, and the perfect platform
Rolled up our sleeves, ready to take the world by storm
Implemented a number of projects, transformational at their core
Excited for the firm, and what lies in store
 
Let’s reflect on what we’ve done as a firm to differentiate ourselves
Like a copy of War and Peace standing out on a bookshelf
A massive collaborative effort saw us refresh our brand
People from all across the firm, working hand in hand
A new Ashurst.com to ensure the refresh hit the mark
A project team full of enthusiasm, full of vitality and spark
 
Next up, our relentless push to ‘Get Digital’
It’s a big focus area, we’ve set out our stall
We now have an Integration strategy and platform
So digitisation becomes the gold standard and norm
 
The launch of project genesis, as you can tell from the name it's a start
Towards building a suite of digital products that's a veritable work of art
Progression into project journey shows a clear sense of direction
As we continue our pursuit of technological perfection
 
From there we were clear, knew exactly where we wanted to go
The rollout of an all singing, all dancing automated legal workflow
This was a big priority for our friends and colleagues in Ashurst Advance
Hilary and Tara were so happy you could hear them sign and dance
 
In this age of cyber crime we need to keep our clients data secure
Information such an important asset, fines for breaches could leave us poor
We've delighted our friends in InfoSec by rolling out vulnerability management
The fact its such an important area is strategic and not an accident
 
So our people can connect to the right resources we've delivered active directory
A critical piece of work guaranteed to set us on the right trajectory
Additionally our people now have access to the Ashurst resourcing tool
It's great why don't you try it? – don't miss out and be a fool
We'll be keen to use it moving forward within CBI
Once we do, you'll see the benefits and you'll see the why
 
Some brilliantly executed projects have expanded our geographical footprint
Our Korean Joint Venture fits in perfectly with our blueprint
If we're going to meet our goal of getting into the top twenty five
More projects like this will be needed to keep our dream alive!
 
There are projects we've been working on that are almost at the finish
Fantastic efforts from these teams we really can't diminish
Take for example our project reinventing global cashiering
To the audit points which drove it we'll soon be fully adhering
 
A new travel management provider is up and running in Australia
For the rest of our global offices it'll be coming just a little later
Another amazing effort under challenging circumstances
Working with suppliers who at times have took their chances
 
Service Management has been a focus for the firm for a long time
And definitely must be included in the content of this rhyme
Cashiering, and Data, and Problem Management within IT
Have been given the Cherwell solution which will surely fill them with glee
 
The windows vantage rollout has ensured device performance can be optimised
It also enables security protection, in case there is anything we need to disguise
As ever developing our people sits at the core of everything we do
To developing our learning management system we're committed through and through
 
Its not just about what we've delivered, it's also about how
Ensuring we're aligned with the AX pillars, in the here now
Trying to ensure within the team we all feel a sense of belonging
Hoping people feel their tenure is worthwhile of prolonging
 
Demonstrating empathy towards our colleagues and stakeholders
Always believing in the art of possibility, and striving to be bolder
Making sure we're always curious before we rule anything out
When we come up with an innovative solution it gives us reason to shout
A principle we love to champion is that of consistency
Though also flexible in our approach, showcasing our versatility
 
As a team were relentless in pursuing delivery against our strategy
Its in our DNA, it comes so very naturally
Fully dedicated to the pillar of value creation
As well as that of solution integration
Supporting the firms growth is at the heart of everything we do
Helping to make sure our people always feel 'Bienvenue'
 
Without our clients we are nothing, we are acutely aware
We'll make doing business with us easy we're here to declare
Finally we realise the importance of collaboration
For successful project delivery and the subsequent celebration
 
As we enter 2024, we're really set up for success
With Janet as Head of CBI we have one of the best
And with Mel looking after programme delivery in Australia
We'll perform tremendously well and avoid any failure
In Sam we have a fearless leader, who's taken on the additional challenge of IT
We'll perform even better this year – just you wait and see!
 
Every single member of the team has a crucial part to play
In making sure we continue to excel, the CBI way!
Let's take this opportunity to reflect on how well we have done as a team
Before moving into next year with a collective head of steam