A retired painter and decorator, George's first collection of poems, entitled Twa Meenits o' Fame, would have contained much more work...had he not burned most of his older poems believing no-one would ever read them!

But that notion soon changed as more people read his work and gave him
positive feedback.

The 60-year-old explained: "I've written poems all my life and hadn't thought about putting them into a book before.

"But people have been at me for a wee while and I thought I might as well. There are a lot of local poems, mostly about Carluke and some of it's famous citizens, as well as people that I've known over the years.

"I think there's something for everyone — whether you are looking for something light-hearted, comical or a bit more serious."

Printed by good friend John Reid at Riverside Printing, George began selling the books at the Bakehouse Cafe in Carluke.

And he was pleased to report to the Gazette that the books have been selling like 'hot cakes'.

Written mostly in the local dialect, George's poems cover a wide range of issues and people.

They range from 'The Ane That Got Away', which tells the story of a near miss while fishing, to the sombre tribute to Carluke's war dead in 'Forgotten Heroes'.

Twa Meenits o' Fame by George Kennedy is on sale now from the Bakehouse Cafe and Robin Clark's Newsagents in Carluke, Headspoint Garden Centre in Braidwood, Atkinson-Pryce Bookshop in Biggar, Hamilton Museum and Chatelherault Country Park and is priced £7.99.

For more information on this story, pick up a copy of this week's Carluke and Lanark Gazette which is in the shops now.