Out of the Bag by Chris Green ‘It didn’t occur to you that a two-year-old Mercedes Sprinter on sale in Toker’s End for less than two grand might be hot,’ Jonny Geezer says. ‘To be fair, we were strapped for cash, guv, and there wasn’t much around,’ Gandy says. ‘And time was of the essence.’ … Continue reading Out of the Bag
Tag: time
The Feelgood Calendar
The Feelgood Calendar by Chris Green Charlie Feelgood awoke from a dream. He had been lost in a dark place on the outskirts of an unfamiliar town with tall shadowy buildings. He was driving a stolen car that he could not control properly. The brake and accelerator pedals had been switched and the steering wheel … Continue reading The Feelgood Calendar
Now You See It, Now You Don’t
Now You See It, Now You Don’t by Chris Green The arbiters of taste are notoriously fickle. While The Moody Blues were cool in 1968, if you listened to their music a few years later, you would be considered a bit sad. But if anything their musical powers had grown. Their tunes became even better. … Continue reading Now You See It, Now You Don’t
Out of Time
Out Of Time by Chris Green The moment Kimberley steps into the refreshment room, she knows something is wrong. Railway station cafés should be a hub of activity in the morning. This one is deathly quiet. It is almost empty. There are five people and each is seated at a separate table, staring blankly into … Continue reading Out of Time
Odds
Odds by Chris Green Having worked at BiggerBet, Eddie Lovett knows his way around odds. Eddie knows, for instance, the bookmakers’ odds of Bournemouth winning the Premier League are 1,000 to 1. The mathematical odds of being dealt a Straight Flush at five-card Draw Poker are 72,192 to 1. The odds of winning the jackpot … Continue reading Odds
Travel by Train
Travel by Train by Chris Green I have never taken much notice of the station at Nevermore. In my experience, the train always passes through it without stopping. Nevermore appears to be a place of little significance. It has no Wikipedia page and is difficult to find on the map. All I have ever registered … Continue reading Travel by Train
Back in Time for Tea
Back in Time for Tea by Chris Green It was Monday morning, but I was not pressed for time. I was off work. An old Tai Chi injury had flared up, and I had been told to rest. I was sorting out things that in my busy schedule at the kite repair workshop, I never … Continue reading Back in Time for Tea
Summer Time
Summer Time by Chris Green It was already the middle of July. Only a few moments ago it seemed it was June, or May even. The Bank Holiday Mondays, the Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Ascot, Summer Solstice, Glastonbury, Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix had come and gone like thieves in the night. In quick … Continue reading Summer Time
Tomorrow Never Knows
Tomorrow Never Knows by Chris Green Vicky was finding it difficult to remember things. Friends of hers, in their fifties and sixties, suggested that her memory was unlikely to get any better. As you grew older, they said, those peripheral places where the past was stored were harder to find. They told her how they … Continue reading Tomorrow Never Knows
Homburg
Homburg by Chris Green Ben Maceo told me about the clock last week. Ben has special powers, you see. He can tell when things are going to happen. Had it been anyone else, I would never have believed them, but as it was Ben, I knew that it would happen and so I was able … Continue reading Homburg
When I Was Older
When I Was Older by Chris Green When I was older, I was a saxophonist. I was one of the last living saxophonists before the instrument was banned and all saxophones were melted down to help the war effort. The trumpet suffered a similar fate. Brass instrument detection squads with sophisticated detection equipment were deployed … Continue reading When I Was Older
Nevermind
Nevermind by Chris Green Growing up was never going to be easy for me. I could see from an early age that my parents were simply too distracted to put effort into raising a family. In the circles in which they moved, parenting was not fashionable. They immersed themselves in a series of leisure interests, … Continue reading Nevermind
The Food of Love
The Food of Love by Chris Green 1: I’m Clinton Stroud. Some of you will have heard of me but for those of you who have not, I am composer, multi-instrumentalist and musical coach. A long-standing one to boot. I will be one hundred and twenty three next birthday. This is a little longer than … Continue reading The Food of Love
Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk
Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk? by Chris Green The tall stranger in the Duster overcoat appeared out of nowhere. He was wearing a broad-rimmed sheriff’s hat complete with campaign cord and silver star. I felt this was odd. This was a sleepy West Somerset coastal resort, not Washington County. Perhaps he felt … Continue reading Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk
TIME
TIME by Chris Green Time is a bitch. You never know quite where you are with it. Einstein, bless him, argues that the distinction between past, present and future is an illusion, albeit a stubbornly persistent one. This morning as I go through the mail, I begin to appreciate the great man’s uncertainty. These bills … Continue reading TIME
Time and Tide Wait for Norman
Time and Tide Wait for Norman by Chris Green Good Lord! There’s Liz Boa. I haven’t seen Liz since…… Well, since she left Grace and Favour, where we both worked. That must have been, what? Ten years ago? She went off to live in Ireland. Skibbereen, I believe. Strange choice, I thought but her partner … Continue reading Time and Tide Wait for Norman
Barber, Ball and Bilk
Barber, Ball and Bilk by Chris Green The opportunity to see Barber, Ball and Bilk, the three B’s as they are being billed, in Bridgedown is too good to pass by. Bridgedown is eighty miles away and I don’t drive, but the train journey from Sheepdip Halt is easily doable. It involves just one change, … Continue reading Barber, Ball and Bilk
The 16:06
The 16:06 by Chris Green The 16:06 from Paddington is usually on time. I rely on its punctuality to catch my connecting train from Taunton to Bridgewater, where I live. It runs at the right time for me. I do not like to work late on a Friday and I don't want to spend a … Continue reading The 16:06
The Way We Were
The Way We Were by Chris Green It was Monday morning and I was not particularly pressed for time. I was off work as a result of an old Pilates injury flaring up. I had been told to rest. I was sorting out some matters that in my busy schedule at the kite repair workshop … Continue reading The Way We Were
Retriever
Retriever by Chris Green Einstein posits that the distinction between past, present and future is no more than a stubbornly persistent illusion. I can see where he was coming from this morning as I go through the mail. This certainly seems like the same CheapCall bill I received the day before yesterday. And the same … Continue reading Retriever
Black Fiat Uno
Black Fiat Uno by Chris Green It was Monday morning and I was not particularly pressed for time. I was off work as a result of an old Pilates injury flaring up. I had been told to rest. I was sorting out some matters that in my busy schedule at the kite repair workshop I … Continue reading Black Fiat Uno