The “Researchers” have been at it again…. (a)…a university study has revealed that if women don’t talk about their age…they are much happier and contented… (b)…if you hold a 5p or a 10p piece in your hand for too long you can be affected by the nickel in them…because there is more in these coins than in others…this could be a major problem in Yorkshire I’m thinking. (c)…If you take painkillers it could cause cancer…according to research of course…this was a big announcement on the news…then they said in a quieter voice that it is only certain painkillers…but let’s get everyone panicking first. (d) …talking of panic…headline news for two days “if you go in hospital for an operation on a Friday you are more likely to DIE than if you go in an a Monday”…I’m sure all those lined up for a Friday session will be delighted with this news…..I don’t know what goes on in the heads of these TV people….they must get a big kick out of scaring everyone. . .On the subject of TV it’s getting harder to find ANYTHING worth watching….I would like to know if ANYBODY wants to watch garbage like “Embarrassing Bodies” or the selection of cheapo reality garbage…and as for the talent shows…well….what happened to quality entertainers and variety shows…even when someone wins you never see them again on TV…..there wa a young thing on tele recently who has made it big incorporating ballet with her skills on a violin…she is now world class…despite the highly talented Piers Morgan telling her she was going nowhere on America’s Got Talent. .....The Battle of The Atlantic celebrations have been in full flight in Liverpool….their surviving heroes make you proud to be British…and they also had on tele two surviving paras from the D Day Landings…saying how when the war was over they just had to get on with it…..WHAT !!!.. .On the local scene my good mate Harry Prytherch who was the drummer in The Remo Four…put on an auction of 60’s memorabilia at Fort Perch Rock which raised cash for various charities including Cancer Research…..I went along and it was a full house and hilarious..the banter from the crowd was great….there were quite a few old rockers there… ..and finally….our lovely barmaid at our Cheshire Cats jam nights at the Legion in Wallasey has donwe a parachute jump for charity….the Cheshire Cats sponsored her for £1000 which she duly earned…a very brave girl and we are all proud of her…..this and all the other money she raised goes to Alder Hey Children’s Hospi

Here's Don's take on the week in the UK..... The price of fuel is under investigation in the UK with the big boys being accused of price fixing on oil…..we all know already that we are being ripped off as companies like Sainsburys and Tescos offer up to 12p off a litre when you spend a certain amount in their stores so they are obviously making a tidy profit to begin with….apparently the offices of the big oil companies have been raided and evidence gathered…this is after the Office of Fair Trading looked into the situation and found nothing wrong……a pointless organisation with no doubt highly paid staff…they are about as useful as a sponge hammer…. It’s all getting a bit out of hand with all these “researches”…the latest one is by The Institute of Economic Evironment ..or something…who have stated that their “research” has revealed that people who stay at work and don’t retire are healthier and happier than those who don’t…...Don wonders how much that cost…."I remember back in the day when I played squash…some geek who was a “Sports Scientist” clipped a load of electrical things on one of the lads and after his “research” after the game came to the conclusion that you are tireder after 5 sets than you are after three…I never went to Uni but I think I could have told him that before he started." …..someone has been trampled to death by a bunch of cows….apparently they were walking through a field with their dog and the cows attacked ….this is very tragic but of course the media are straight on to this…and during a phone in on the radio there were all sorts of similar tragedies with everyone jumping on the bandwagon….”cows forming semi circles and attacking”….”people getting chased by angry stampeding herds”……I am a walker and spend a lot of time hiking through fields of cows…if they have calves you give them a wide berth…which is obvious…and if you have a dog you give a bit of thought before disturbing a bunch of animals who wish to protect their young…..the nation are now programmed to think all cows are KILLERS…..the actual statistics are 10 people have been subject to fatal injuries from cows….in the last DECADE.….but I suppose it will make people think and act responsibly in the countryside…as well as being paranoid about cows. The government are trying to alter the law to make criminals who kill a policeman to remain in jail until the end of their days…this is due to the two policewomen who were recently murdered by a gunman while on a routine call out….whereas I totally agree with this I still think the stone cell and bread and water is the answer………I remember when killing a cop was a hanging offence….but they once got it wrong and hung the wrong bloke…hence it’s abolishment. ... on a lighter note….I have just spent a few days in Anglesey and have slowly come to the conclusion that the Welsh Tourist Board definitely need serious help….I visited Llanfair P.G. and had a wander around Pringles which is on the car park of the station with the longest name….I have never seen such a load of overpriced rubbish….people were arriving by the coachload and wandering around with blank looks on their faces buying NOTHING…..twacky overpriced clothes and tacky overpriced souvenirs…the place could be a goldmine if anyone had ANY idea……I also went to Caernarfon which consists of a wonderful picturesque famous castle and waterfront with a load of run down shops behind it….I just don’t get it…they should visit Chester or Shrewsbury and see how it’s done….if Llanfair P.G. was in Vegas it would bring in millions.

Don looks for what interests his lively mind and it is always an interesting half hour to see what has been trending. There was a lad on the television who has worked out how to save a fortune on shopping-by using vouchers He is only 16... but what a character! He goes on line and anywhere he can get discount vouchers he gets them and in one instance he reduced a shopping bill from £104 to £1.30. We discussed Jimmy Tarbuck who has allegedly historically sexually assaulted some bloke in the seventies. Don thinks this is all getting very silly and out of hand because no charges have been made yet (as usual). Even the speaker in Parliament has been accused of raping two men IN THEIR TWENTIES. He said he was socialising with one of his accusers just last week. We also looked at the balance in the presentation of news as events are taking place in the UK celebrating the war heroes who are still around….the North Atlantic convoys who took supplies to the Russians dodging U-Boats is one point of reference where many lives were lost and, at last, the bravery of these men is now being recognised and the few survivors are being airtime on television. To spoil this occasion there is mass coverage of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. Football has its importance but this was one item with which it should not have interfered. There has been a tragic speedboat accident in the West Country when a man was thrown out of the boat which then went out of control and circled around at high speed…killing him and a young girl…the other passengers were rescued but are in a bad way….This has happened because anyone can get in a boat and put to sea. It should all be licensed like cars…and you should have to take a test by law. . Finally,…The Cheshire Cats is still going strong and still raising money for sick kids…our lovely barmaid Michelle is going to do a parachute jump next week {weather permitting} to raise money for Alderhey Children’s Hospital….we are backing her with a thousand pounds….she’s worth every penny…and pulls a great pint…..the website is www.thecheshirecats.co.uk

.The Jimmy Savile squad have been in action again and have arrested Bill Roache who plays Ken Barlowe in Coronation Street…he’s 81 now…..it’s for alleged sexual activity with a 15 year old girl in 1967…at this point in time he hasn’t been charged so why is it all over the media…the “victim” gets total anonymity so why not the alleged “criminal”….no matter what happens now his life is in ruins…very strange….and Stuart Hall who is now 83 was recently arrested and plastered all over the news..however he has ADMITTED to sexual behaviour back in the day with girls ranging from 9 to 18…..this is all bad stuff but let’s hear about it after the case is tried eh? There is a move afoot to give prisoners a hard time….torture?..no…they are taking their satellite TVs off them….AND making them wear prison uniforms until they behave themselves….and if they cause trouble they will NOT be allowed to play snooker….whatever happened to bread and water?..................On the subject of the law the spinning sign outside Scotland Yard has been moved 15 feet for whatever reason….same sign – different location….this major job has cost 16 grand…I know a guy who could have done it for 50 quid !!!.....even the police can get ripped off….again we are not informed as to how this amount is arrived at…but never mind…just take it out of our tax. Amir Kahn has been on the tele talking about his career and has introduced his young brother to the world (he has just won his first pro fight)…what a nice pair of lads and great role models…we need more of these kind of guys…and Ronnie O’Sullivan made me laugh….he says that he doesn’t enjoy snooker anymore and he had intended to pack it in but he has just entered the present tournament because he needs a few bob for his kids school fees…but this will be his last…a great shame for the game but he knows his own mind…I’m a big fan. The United Kingdom Independent Party have done really well in the local elections…I think this is because everyone is sick of the present set up….but I have a feeling the success was more out of protest…I doubt if they will do much when the main event comes up….but I hope so…I like their line of thinking…..and Mr. Gove isn’t involved. finally….I don’t know how true this is but it was on the news and in the papers so it MUST be true….there is going to be a reality show whereby contestants will win a ONE WAY TICKET to Mars….yep you heard right….the idea is they will be sent to Mars where they will set up a colony (I’m assuming inside a dome of some kind) and stay there….now this will cost 4 billion….up to now I think they have raised something like 50 thousand…so there’s a bit of a way to go…..and…wait for it…they have had 4000 applications…..at first I thought aye aye 1st of April….but no…….so get your name down quick…a one way ticket to oblivion.

Don went to Anglesey for a few days this week…it was windy and cold…but he got a few good walks in…one of which incorporated walking the length of the beach at Rhosneigr…and he never saw a soul for the whole two miles … most unusual…and he made the mistake of getting some diesel while he was in Llanfair PG….£1.50 a litre !!!!....£1.35 everywhere else…lesson learnt….and Sainsburys give you 12p off a litre when you spend 60 quid in their store…..so they CAN do it…hmmm….and the petrol bods tell us they are not making a profit. The guy who created a “bomb finder” and sold it to the middle Eastern countries has been on the news….he made 50 million pounds…and the thing was a fake….and they are still using it at checkpoints in various countries….what I find hard to understand is why NO-ONE checked it out first??...this guy must be some salesman…he has a huge house in Bath with a built in Roman swimming pool etc etc….the device is like a car aerial on a plastic box and is of no use whatsoever…very very strange…I’ve heard of selling sand to the Arabs but this is ridiculous. There is a new idea which has emerged…designed to cut crime….it’s a picture of a pair of eyes which is placed near bike sheds etc…which supposedly puts thieves off because “they are being watched”…apparently this has worked…however now it has been broadcast all over the TV the would be thieves who probably thought there was a camera now know there isn’t…so we’ll see how this transpires…yep I sometimes wonder what these people are on. Guess what…this country is becoming one of the most “peaceful” in Europe…..the Norfolk Broads now has little or no crime and is the most peaceful part of the country according to “research”…however some of the towns around the east end of London are the least peaceful…but once they have sorted out the gang culture we will all live in harmony….unlike New York,Amsterdam…etc….I don’t know who comes up with this rubbish but I’ll bet they are on a good salary. On the showbiz front I was well impressed with Petula Clarke who is about to embark on a tour to promote her latest album…which is very good (the bits of it I have heard)…she was on morning tele and she looks fabulous…considering she’s 80 !!!...there’s hope for us all….and the latest thing for old rockers is to do the cruises where they have a free holiday and get paid…a couple of members of Genesis were on the tele talking about their plans to do just this…….I did a couple of gigs a while back with Bobby Vee and he asked me if I did the cruises and I told him I didn’t and never really fancied it…about a month later I was looking on the internet and saw “Carribean Cruises featuring The Bobby Vee Show”….DOH !!....you can’t win ‘em all.

It has been really windy here over the last week…worse than I can remember seeing it….we had gusts of 80 mph…..my garden was devastated..it lifted metal tables into the air and totatlly destroyed a solid wooden bird table….the March winds shall blow…..................................The government are going to cut benefits to make it more profitable for the scroungers to actually go out and find a job…which has upset a young single parent mother of three…she has been on complaining that she can’t afford to have her benefit reduced because she can barely survive on her present…wait for it…500 quid a week !!....she says it will mean her children wont be able to go on school trips…which makes you wonder what she is doing when her kids are in school ??.... We have just received a letter telling us we have to now PAY to have our garden waste bins collected…35 quid a year….which is O.K. I suppose…but this will obviously mean that our collection of morons wont pay it and will simply dump stuff in the street…on their way to the bookies….. There were plans to have a lazer beam twirling out of the centre of the Mersey to celebrate the Olympics…but unfortunately the 2 million pound project didn’t happen for whatever reason…well it’s now been scrapped altogether….it’s O.K. though…they have only wasted half a million on it….….I don’t know what planet some of these so called officials are on..and that will be the last we hear of it…no-one will be brought to task…but there you are. Had first rehearsal for the James Burton concert in July…the band are great….Young fella on bass and his mate on drums…and my old mate Mick Davenport on keys and my old school pal Mike White on guitar (and MD’s the whole thing)….I’m doing eight Ricky Nelson numbers on the show….we virtually got it right in one take….so I’m ready to rock !!!!!!

The news has been swamped with Maggie Thatcher's passing....as usual the media hone in on ALL the negativity giving publicity to all the morons which sadly make you ashamed to be British......celebrating someone who has died by dancing in the streets is sickening to watch....especially as most of the idiots weren't even born when she was in power.........and to further indicate the sad situation someone has re-released Judy Garland'sThe Wicked Witch Is Dead-which is flying up the charts....the BBC are wondering how to get round this...;we may as well all go back to living in caves and start again. Speed limits have come under fire on country roads due to the high number of deaths by idiots driving too fast........again it's down to lack of grey matter.........WOW they are now talking about goal line technology in soccer.....blimey it's 57 years since the German goal was disallowed...you know..the one that was 9 inches over the line?...and that one of ours a few years back which was about 6 feet over the line?...... finally on a lighter note..there is a band called Aurora who put a tenner each on the horse of the same name in the National and it came in at 66 to 1which gives them over 600 each except for one of the guys . His mum told him only to put 2 quid on it!!...at least he listens to his mum....

A vicar in a village near Huddersfield has given each of his parishioners £10 each and told them to go forth and multiply the money for the church…which,amazingly,they did…a young girl mad cards out of her photos and sold them.. and someone else made bird tables…and the £550 he forked out brought in 15 grand for work on the church…. There was a terrible tragedy on Windermere Lake where a family had taken out a motor launch and got poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes from a faulty generator….a young girl and her mother died and the father was left in a critical condition…this shows the hidden dangers of this deadly gas…which has no detectable smell…I think carbon monoxide detectors should be fitted to anywhere this is likely to happen…e.g. tents and caravans…. Our wonderful benefit system is heavily featured in the news at the moment…attempting to make you “better off if you go to work”….now the problem here is these out of touch “lawmakers” don’t seem to realise that everyone is different…….it’s like the brainless morons who drive around with no tax or insurance and can’t see anything wrong…even when the cops catch up with them and take their car away…sadly we need to bring back public flogging and stoning… On a lighter note one of the most difficult tasks at the moment is trying to find something worth watching on television…it really has reached a new low….the BBC occasionally (very occasionally) has a decent drama…but it’s always the same faces…the same ones keep popping up in different things which sort of takes away the reality…and as for ITV we now have to watch adverts with bits of programme in between… ..... finally the Queen has been awarded a special BAFTA award for her appearance in the James Bond spoof at the start of the Olympics…she seemed to be made up…and has been hailed as the most memorable Bond Girl….great stuff….makes us proud to be British.

We chatted about Don's Doowop record on the internet programme With Doowop Joe Conroy before moving to The Mathew Street Festival which has now been re-named - The Liverpool International Music Festival….the old days of bands hammering out Merseybeat seem to be over…now it’s tribute bands from all over the place. There will be a few big stages around the waterfront and no doubt the pubs around the area will have live bands….it’s a great day out for those into it all…I have done it in the past but lugging gear over peoples heads to get to the stage in the Cavern doesn’t do a lot for me…..but the tourists love it….I found an old video of a gig I did at the Cavern…I stood in for The Black Knights and played bass ….with a mate of mine who stood in on guitar….and neither of us can remember it….sad or what. The UK is the most obese country in the world….according to the media….so the government are putting a tax on fattening drinks etc…..making a few more bob for the MPs expenses….I can’t see why they can’t bring DOWN the price of healthy food and drink…HMM…..that obviously wouldn’t work because then they wouldn’t be ripping us off. The new mansion tax has come under fire…..the rich should pay more because they are rich….the way I see this is that it seems all those complaining seem to be the ones who don’t want to get off their backsides….to get rich someone somewhere along the line has worked for it in most cases so in I personally don’t see why they should subsidise the scroungers. Everyone’s moaning that the Poles are taking all our jobs but they had a farmer on and he said he offers jobs to the British citizens first but they don’t want to work…they want to knock off at three…and last about two days…whereas the Poles work from 8 til 6 without complaint…THAT’s why they get the jobs….they should sort out the benefit system here …and soon. Don's in the throes of preparing for the James Burton Concert in July celebrating the Aloha from Hawaii concert he did with Elvis….it’s over three nights and sounds good…there are some good acts…Suzi Quatro,Liverpool Express,Charlie Landsborough and a string of others…Don's doing a Ricky Nelson set with JB….so you get the guitar solos as per record…this will be Don's fourth gig with him. Always a buzz to play with your idols….he’ll have to get practising.

Don's been up to the Lakes this week…wonderful weather except for Wednesday when it snowed all day…but otherwise it was great..he did a bit of hiking around Windermere. Talking of The Lakes there is a place south of Lancaster called Arkholme and the villagers are brassed off because they can’t get Broadband…because the powers that be reckon they are too far out on a limb to fit optic cables….SO they have done it themselves….they have dug the ditches and fitted the necessary electronics…AND funded it themselves…to be saluted. The horsemeat scandal is reaching boiling point…they hav found 100% horsemeat in one of the top supermarkets offerings…..and as usual the media is trying to create mass panic…what I have yet to see is anyone who has suffered health issues…the way they go on you would think everyone is dropping dead from meat poisoning. Some young guy has got 4 years jail for making some statement on twitter…he said he was going to blow up some airport…it was a joke…and he deleted it next day…but still got the sentence. I’m all for prosecutions for false statememts about people on the internet but this seems a bit harsh…when you consider what some get away with. Looks like it’s over for page 3 of the Sun newspaper…personally I could never see the point of photoshopped young girls…not quite sure who it’s aimed at….it wont be missed in Liverpool because no-one buys it after their report on Hillsborough. The Pope has resigned….did I ever tell you that I had the opportunity to meet the last Pope?....an interesting little tale