Gardening Leave
by Chris Bower
The French have a saying: Il faut cultiver son jardin. The English have a slightly different approach: You have to develop your talents. After years of loyal service to the Treasury department of a busy City corporation, Chris Bower's narrator is forced out of the rat race after an unexpected heart attack. Following bypass surgery, he is told to take 'gardening leave', with a nice pay-off to look forward to. And nothing else. Disheartened, he and his lovely wife, Sally, are left to pick up the pieces. Tired of moping, he eventually turns to painting and decides to develop his talent, which garners the interest of a Parisian art dealer and a new and exciting enterprise. Full of pathos and imbued with humour, this is a portrait of Executive Man coming out of the jungle and wielding not a club but paint brushes. Can he make the change? More to the point, can he and Sally adapt to build a happy, secure life while in pursuit of a dream?
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