Philip's back with a fifth collection of stories, both 'nostalgedy'(a mixture of nostalgia and comedy) and other observational pieces in which he takes a wry look at times past and present. Every book has to have a theme and the structure for this one came whilst he was idly munching a chocolate bar. You know that one which used to promise to help you work, rest and play? Well, this book consists of Work, Play and the Rest. In 'Work' Philip joins the ranks of the employed at the beginning of the 1970s, firstly as an inept packer of plastics before moving to 'a nice dry job with no heavy lifting' in a dark, satanic paper mill. We learn about his struggles with punctuality, the difficulties of working in the darkness of the 3-Day-Week and why he had a real reason to be grateful for Ted Heath.'Play' brings tales of a boozy holiday in Franco's Majorca in the 1970s, a fleeting role in a 'Look at Life' documentary, Cilla Black, Soap Operas, an insight into the Cultural Quarter of Stoke-on-Trent and some tales from a trip to Australia.Finally, 'the Rest' shovels up everything that wouldn't fit into the first two, including a tour around a pub in the 1960s, getting a brace fitted at the dentist's, difficulties with sanitary arrangements, why grass should be left alone, why shopping with your wife is an overrated pastime, a grumble about grammar and why it is absolutely fine to be a NIMBY. All wrapped up with the Title article, which is not for the faint-hearted.Come and join Philip in his Slightly Odd World, you won't regret it!
About the Author: Philip is a retired university lecturer in Human Resource Management. You wouldn't believe how many potential friends he has lost, over the years, by telling them that. He has now turned 60, which is marginally better than not turning 60 in his opinion, but not much. He has also occasionally been accused of humour. If you can forgive him these facts, then you might just enjoy his writing. He lives on the edge of the Derbyshire Peak District, because that is as far as they will let him in. He was born and brought up, in Burton upon Trent, the home of the UK brewing industry, and spent many of his early years attempting to support that industry single-handedly. Much of his writing over the past few years, for the Derby Telegraph, Burton Mail's "times gone by" magazine and Mature Times has featured his recollections of growing up (allegedly) in the 1950s and 1960s. He's christened his combination of nostalgia and comedy 'nostalgedy', he did consider 'comalgia' but he thought it sounded too much like an unfortunate medical condition. Radio Derby broadcast a number of his stories and you can hear their interview with Philip at https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkFYZ8Oi0MA and there is an audio version of one story (so far) at https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=CivqL_r8uLE. "Steady Past Your Granny's" was Philip's first, self-published, collection of stories, available in Kindle and Paperback formats. The bumper sequel, "Crutches for Ducks" was published on Kindle on 1st November, 2011, and the third collection of 'nostalgedy' stories, "A Kick at the Pantry Door" burst onto the scene on 1st July, 2013. Number 4 in the series, 'Giving a Bull Strawberries was published in March, 2015 and boasts of being the only book to have a 30 foot shovel on the cover! Finally, the fifth and latest book in the 'nostalgedy' series 'The Things You See...'. There is also a Christmas Special containing a mix of 'nostalgedy' and humorous fiction guaranteed to get you into the festive spirit at any time of the year 'A Christmas Cracker'. You can find Philip on Facebook and Twitter (@philwhiteland) and at his blog site www.philwhiteland.blogspot.co.uk