An Original Dutch Master

An Original Dutch Master is an amusing fictional story and enjoyable read with an unexpected plot, and a big cast of interesting diverse well-rounded characters. Narrated in the first person, we follow a group of middle-aged people who use a social club where they indulge in numerous activities: crown green bowls, snooker, darts, cribbage, and other indoor activities played in pubs and clubs around the country. They interact with other members of the club. By interact I mean fallout, squabble and battle usually over petty incidents, often with raw realism. Other times they party, laugh and joke with these same people. They attend special events such as holidays, high days and award nights, and their wives play Bingo while the guys are indulging in their activities. In lots of these activities incidents arise, often resulting in comical farce. A weekend in Blackpool to attend the Waterloo, the 'Wembley Cup Final of Crown Green Bowls', results in hilarious incidents from start to finish. Dutch, a member of this group, is deemed to be a semi-hero at the club and everywhere else that he's known, also carrying this status at work. He is the main protagonist of this story and a workmate of the narrator. At work he would frequently spin yarns regarding his exploits - usually of a triumphant sexual encounter, sometimes with disastrous conclusions but more often than not with comical overtones. His life is always at full tilt and this is extremely exciting to the narrator. He begins to experience a medical problem, which seems to worsen over time and curtail his adventures. Then a large amount of Money gets filched from a Bank, supposedly by a former bowls player who has now gone missing. The story ends in a surprising complex unusual way and all mysteries are revealed in the Epilogue. Or are they?

I was born in Walsall in 1940, the middle one of a large family with six sisters. I acquired the ability to tell stories from a very young age around the dining table at mealtimes. Mother, always needing to keep control with such a large number of children, insisted we all sat in our allotted places at mealtimes. It was in these situations that I would entertain the family with accounts of my adventures and escapades of that day. Either at school or anywhere else I might have found myself. These accounts were always embellished (not necessarily untrue) but certainly embellished if only to make them funnier. Sisters are a great audience; their laughter served only to encourage me to more and more stories. I left school at 15 and signed up as an apprentice electrical engineer. After completing my apprenticeship, I moved around a number of different companies, always doing electrical type work: electrical repairs, electrical maintenance, or installation. By the time I reached my mid to late-20s, needing a more controlled life, I joined a large Midlands-based company. Over the years, I rose through the ranks to become plant manager. I married about the same time as joining that company, which was some 53 years ago. We have two children (one of each), grandchildren and a great-grandchild. All in all, we are very content with life. I've been retired 16 years now. I still have a good number of friends and associates, and we still venture out socialising several times a week.