More than a few years ago, I had a stab at writing a country song. I have a long-held ambition to hear Willie Nelson singing this song, hence the country music use of the word "don't" rather than "doesn't" in the chorus. It started out as summer love, warm days and loving nights, picnic fun and country walks, feather kisses and dizzy heights. Riding horses across the fields, wind blowing our cares away, stetson hats to shade the sun, on every one of our summer days. But now it’s over, we’ve drawn the line, summer’s gone and the sun don’t shine, what are the reasons who and how, we’ve closed down for winter now. Once this room was light and air, sunbeam rays played on the chair, we would talk all afternoon, 'til we witnessed the evening moon. Now the room is dark and cold, young love is now feeling old, windows locked and shutters down, and I look like the saddest clown. But now it’s over, we’ve drawn the line, summer’s gone and the sun don’t shine, wha...
Burton Daniels, up to this point, had been a model employee, straight-laced, no trouble, to some a little dull and boring, a fixture like the wilting pot plant next to his desk. He was well-known for his impeccable timekeeping and a full attendance record. He kept his head down, worked hard and always enjoyed high scores in his annual performance appraisals. He was predictable. But all of that was about to change. It was too beautiful a morning for a conventional sacking. Burton pressed the elevator button for the sixth floor, home to human resources. He had been summoned to a meeting with a manager about half his age and with less than one tenth of his years of service in the company. He knew his time was up. He knew on this gorgeous day that he was for the chop but he felt relaxed and more than ready for mischief. Forty years in the same firm counted for nothing after the takeover. Loyalty and zero absenteeism in all those years were worth zip. The company, once as...
A Maverick Life: The Jack Kelly Story by Linda J Alexander I'm glad Linda J Alexander wrote the Jack Kelly story. He's a bit of a forgotten man in some ways. I have been a fan of westerns since I was knee-high to a cornflakes box and I had the good sense to be born in the golden era of TV westerns in the late 50s/early 60s - Bronco, Cheyenne, Wagon Train, Laramie, etc and, the greatest of them all, Maverick. The Jack Kelly/James Garner combo was terrific and even watching reruns as recently as last year, the magic is still there on screen. Garner left the show and went on to a great career in films and TV. Kelly stayed a bit longer, was eventually "let go", the show folded and he found himself trying hard to capitalise on his TV fame and popularity. He balanced his working life between screen and theatre, eventually abandoning both for local politics. After Maverick, he was a kind of go-to-guest-star for TV series. I remember him fondly in...
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