Every time I walk into my favourite op-shop, I can count on being greeted with background music which could best be described as "golden oldies". Imagine my surprise when today I was greeted with Neil Diamond's "Hot August Night" which took me back to my days in Camp 1 on Bougainville.
I just sat there on an easy chair (for sale at twenty dollars!) among all those second-hand books (for sale at two dollars each!) Tapping my feet, it all came back to me, those long and lonely tropical nights after a long ten-hour working day, with nothing more for company than a stubbie of South Pacific Lager, and Neil Diamond's latest hits "Sweet Caroline", "Holly Holy", "Cracklin' Rosie" and "Song Sung Blue" blaring from Bulldog's Hammond Organ loudspeakers. Then, with volume turned to maximum, we all joined in with "Hot August Night". Never again will there be so much noise and so many would-be Neil Diamonds all in one place!
To think that what was once at the forefront of my "wild years" is now the background music in an op-shop makes me suddenly feel very old!
