Don Woods

The Royal Baby……in case you didn’t know Kate and Wills have had a baby…there was nothing else on the news for three days….even on the day before they were babbling on about nothing…Nicholas Witchall talked for 20 minutes about absolutely nothing at all….every time I see him I think of the time he asked Charles a question (I think it was in Switzerland) and Charles whispered to William “I can’t stand that man”…trouble is his mike was still on…oops!!....how you can get weeks of news out of “William and Kate have had a baby…it’s name is George”….is beyond me…not only here but worldwide…GET A LIFE !!!! ....bought a second class stamp the other day….50p……that’s 10 bob to post a second class letter….are the post office having a laugh?...what was it in our day tuppence ha’penny?...and the health and safety bods have been at it again…killer flip flops…you can’t wear flip flops for work in case they get stuck in a lift door….but you CAN wear them when you are putting a naked flame into a Chinese lantern….I understand Spain and France don’t have a health and safety executive?...if you trip over the pavement look where you’re going…am I right?....also an old age pensioner was in the news when she was at the seaside and took her teeth out to eat a banana…and a seagull swooped down and pinched her dentures….a seagull with teeth….that would be worth seeing. The train crash in Spain has been filling the news here…it looks terrible…it is alleged that it was going too fast….but it will all come out eventually….they showed the actual crash…very upsetting….what’s the take over there? The James Burton Concert went well….I was pleased with my set…the band were brilliant and old James was well on form…..he also backed Pete Wylie and Dave Nash….I reminded Charlie Landsborough of his Mersey Royal days and we had a good laugh….he did the last half of the show…great guy…..also on the bill were the Liverpool Ukelele Orchestra…Cliff Roberts,Vince Earl,Nick Crouch and Geoff Nugent and Dean Johnson….Billy Butler MC’d it all and was well on form. ... spent the rest of the week in Anglesey and enjoyed some great weather….Monty Lister and myself once interviewed a guy called Ian Skidmore who ran “Radio Brysiencyn” from his house….I’ve even got a R.B. tie…we have our caravan in Brynsiencyn so I made a few enquiries in the pub….apparently Ian moved on and eventually passed away…fascinating bloke though.

What are we like in the UK?…We have had two weeks of a heatwave …NOW they are issuing health warnings…”people could DIE!! In this unbearable heat!!!”….employees are threatening to walk out of the workplace if the temperature gets to 30 degrees………a month ago we were all complaining about the COLD and worrying about DROWNING with the floods…..I’m waiting for the “Drought Alert” which will happen any time now. I must say it certainly brings out some strange sights on the streets…not pretty ones. Our fundraising organisation The Cheshire Cats gave £500 to a local kids charity and our “chairman” was invited by the charity to join them on their invite to Prince Charles’s house…This included a tour around the gardens and a two course meal….for which you had to pay 32 quid….this plus the train fare and suit hire obviously put him off…...reminded me of my friend Monty Lister being invited to the Queen’s garden party at the Palace…..it bucketed down so Liz and Phil vanished back indoors and left the 3000 guests to brave the blizzard in the Palace Grounds…before returning home on the train soaked to the skin….er…don’t think ... The education system is being changed AGAIN by you-know-who…..11 year olds will now be graded form 1 – 6…and compared to other schoolkids around the country…can’t see the point…the teachers are saying that it will lower the kids confidence and the government are saying it gives the parents a better insight…I don’t know why the MP’s who have NEVER taught just leave it to the teachers who KNOW what they are doing. There was a programme on the tele about being ripped off on foreign holidays….Car hire was one subject whereby you think you have paid in advance for a car but when you go to pick it up there are allsorts of added extras…ie no refund on returned petrol…extra for damage insurance etc…one woman paid an extra 120 euros for a weeks car hire. Also it went on about cruises…whereby when you buy a drink there is service charge and VAT added…and if you travel as a single person you get well and truly ripped off….but that is the way of the world…and what can you do?.....I recently bought some “Extra Long Life Batteries” from TESCOS..their own brand….lasted a couple of weeks in my radio…I shall be notifying the customer services and telling them where to stick their batteries very soon. We have had the final rehearsal for the James Burton Show this weekend…This show is to celebrate 40 years since the “Aloha from Hawaii” which featured Elvis Presley….James backed Elvis on that show but he was also Ricky Nelson’s guitarist in the 50’s and early 60’s which is what I’ll be doing….I’m singing 5 Ricky Nelson hits and Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” as JB has also backed him….the band are really good and we all know each other so we should have a good time.

The sentence of 5 years for the teacher has received a lot of disapproval from the general public … but of course all the “do-gooders” are calling him a pervert and a paedo…and of course all the overpaid psychologists come out of the woodwork with their “expert” opinions on how this could ruin the girls life etc….had it been France there would have been no problem….I think the girl is old enough to know her own mind better than some holier than though windbag. There was another happening where the bloke is a low down rat…someone took a photo of Nigella Lawson’s husband allegedly grabbing her throat in a restaurant…which gave all the “men haters” a chance to pile in...all with their one-sided opinions…I failed to see what it had to do with anyone…but oh yes…the bloke is to blame….Nick Clegg was asked if he would have intervened had he been there (which was a stupid question) and he said no…BUT Ed Milliband said he would have waded in…perleeeease…I know a chap who intervened in a similar situation in a pub and they BOTH turned on him…oh I forgot Ed’s got a few big bodyguards on hand…..how about Heather Mills taking Macca for 10 million and all these gold diggers who reel in the footballers and clean them out…….AND they get paid the same as the men at Wimbledon even though they only play three sets of tame tennis…WHY? On the subject of terrible men the Chinese women can now purchase tights with hairs on..which make their legs look hairy and stops men ogling at them…this is TRUE…….some women walk around with low cut blouses and short skirts and complain because blokes eye them up…..and all those ugly old womens libbers need to get a reality check….isn’t the attraction of men to women and vice versa the reason for the human race…isn’t that the point?..or have I got it wrong? I am a fan of Brendan Sheeran…the guy who does the “Coach Trip” series…but he has a new series (Brendan’s Magical Mystery Tour) with a different format whereby the passengers have competitions and the ones who win stay overnight in posh places whereas the losers stay in dumps….sadly I don’t think this works despite Brendan’s efforts…should stick with the original format I think…but it might pick up. Had a rehearsal this week for the upcoming James Burton Concert….it was with the full band…including my favourite backing singers The Passionettes…Louise and Dionne…they are wonderful…Nicky Crouch and Geoff Nugent were there running through there spots and I met Pete Wylie (The Mighty Wah) for the first time…great guy…he’s also on the show….which is over three days19th.20th and 21st July….the Friday is at the Floral Pavilion and features Liverpool Express,Suzi Quatro,and Chris Clayton…..the Saturday has Geoff Nugent,Vince Earl,Cliff Roberts,Nick Crouch,and Pete Wylie…I’ll be doing a Ricky Nelson set with James followed by Charlie Landsborough…the Sunday is at Fort Perch Rock and features Paul Young so it should be a good weekend….rock on.

Big news!!....the Liverpool amphibious Duck sunk in the Albert Dock….and everyone had to swim for it….several of the tourists ended up in hospital and most were rescued…calamity or what?…they are blaming a tyre which was floating in the dock and got caught around the propeller….can’t see that though….I have a possible theory….it apparently passed all the safety tests but hey it’s a world war 2 job….I think there will be a bit of suing going on…especially when the solicitors get their teeth in…..and…guess what…it’s the same duck that the Queen and Prince Pip were on last year….close or what? In Racing, Royal Ascot is underway…and the dress code was announced on tele….ties NOT cravats must be worn and top hats must be black etc etc….what a load of pretentious tripe….this is the reason I hate golf clubs…”Oh you must have a collar on your shirt when on the course and you must wear a jacket and tie in the bar etc etc”…..give me a break !!!!....try moving into the 21st century. There is a programme on the tele called “The Call Centre” and it is hilarious….it’s about a huge call centre in Swansea with an over the top boss…the characters are great as they deal with the general public who do not want to know…I’m not a lover of reality programmes…I think they are a cheap option but this one is great television….makes you a bit more sympathetic to cold callers. How about the cricket team in Norfolk who have been told they can’t use hard cricket balls anymore for health and safety reasons…they can only use the hard ball in the nets…when they are on the pitch it has to be a TENNIS BALL……as you can imagine the 100 year old club has ignored the power crazed health and safety department…and has been BANNED from it’s own ground…good stuff eh? nd finally….you can no longer report U.F.O.s….because the department you report them to has decided to close…...they mentioned one case on the tele about a guy who went camping and his car and his dog and his TENT were abducted by aliens…I wonder if the camp site charged him.

We both watched the documentary on Agnetha Falskog (the ABBA blonde)….for 63 she still looks good…….however we were a bit disappointed …didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know…she never even mentioned Anafrid so all in all it was a bit of a damp squib…she has got a new solo album out and …she has done a duet with Gary Barlowe who suggested they do the song live at some stage…. Also there was a documentary on the history of The Eagles…very interesting…they never quite hit it off at any stage but the music was great…groups?...….it’s the constant pressure that gets through to you which is what audiences don’t see. Another light aircraft has crash landed in the midlands…fortunately there were no fatalities….one hit some trees at Caernarvon airport a few weeks back…it was hired from Blackpool and the hire company said it must have been pilot error because that particular plane had done over a MILLION miles without any problems…and has been regularly serviced…I know nothing about planes but I don’t think I’d get in a CAR with a million miles on the clock……..and those electric cigarettes may be taken off the market…because they could be regarded as medicinal….ciggy companies losing a bit of money then?...I thought the government were trying to get people off cigarettes?...which is what these things are supposed to do….maybe I’m wrong. Blurred Lines .... which is top of the charts…and the dodgy lyrics… finally….Status Quo are back on tour…and they have made a film….…they are pop royalty…..Rick Parfitts said he took some steroids to combat a skin infection and his hair suddenly started to fall out…

Big hoo hah about the intention of Wetherspoons opening up a place on the motorway….”It will encourage drivers to drink”….”Those struggling to abstain will be tempted”….…the reason for the complaints is probably because Wetherspoons do cheap good value food and cheap COFFEE … unlike the present rip off service stations….and maybe PASSENGERS would like a pint…I’m a big fan of the ‘Spoons .. go get ‘em guys. Two more items of scary news this week….full out announcement - “shower gel could have a bad effect on pregnant women’s babies…and they must avoid eating food which has been plastic wrapped”…this is from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynacologists (imagine working there and having to say that every time someone asks you where you work)….but they later added that this is only an assumption…so let’s scare everyone first!!........ALSO there are KILLER jelly fish in the Med….purple ones !!....a jellyfish is like a nettle…they don’t chase you and in virtually every case you rub a bit of ammonia on the sting…end of….BUT NO everyone get your harpoons ordered….it’s hell out there !!! There are new motoring laws coming in soon….it’s an on the spot fine of £60 for tailgating…and for hogging the middle lane on the motorway…I’m all for this but I don’t know how they are going to enforce this…also use of mobile phones while driving fines go up from £60 to £100…and driving without insurance from £200 to £300…..personally I think anyone driving without insurance should get a life ban….all good stuff but it wont make a blind bit of difference…you’ll still see the loonies out there. There was a discussion on the tele about lack of quality time served entertainers on TV….people who are professional…all we get are amateur talent shows (which do my head in)…but I think the whole business is struggling because “stars” were charging too much….a pal of mine Paul Williams… ran a club in Birkenhead and back in the early 80’ people like Anita Harris were allegedly charging 3 grand……not worth it…but it crippled the game. NOW talking of major celebs…your mate Cliff has been on tele pushing his latest tour….I must say he looks very well…..now don’t get me wrong…I LIKE Cliff but he is always on a high telling us that his latest tour has had rave reviews and that he has sold x million records etc etc….we KNOW…we were THERE Cliff…….just give us Livin’ Doll and we’ll all be happy.

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

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

Last Saturday Don went to the Empire to see “Jersey Nights” which is another version of “The Jersey Boys” which is on in London…"I’ll tell you what I was blown away…I’m well into The Four Seasons stuff and this show was the business…brilliant." The Mersey Tunnel tolls are going up AGAIN…this is for a tunnel which was originally supposed to be paid for in the 1940’s….needless to say there’s a lot of shouting but it wont mean a thing. It will now be £1.60 each way….I just don’t get it….it MUST make millions and there are only a handful of staff….where does it all go eh? MP Chris Hune has owned up to lying about a speeding fine he got last year….he said his wife was driving…then had a affair…OOPS!!...….he has resigned …but I wonder if he’ll pay the 15 grand he was given to cover him after leaving the cabinet…or the 50 grand he was awarded to fight the case…probably not as he lives in a different world to us… The Open Golf is coming back to Hoylake in 18 months and the tickets are now on sale…..no answer to that….they make so much fuss about this event when there are more important issues in the area…oh yes…I forgot …it will bring money in…yeah sure. Lastly…a mate of Don's backed into a woman in a petrol station and did NO damage…she was happy and that was that…next thing he gets a letter from her insurance claiming allsorts…crumpled bonnet…broken headlights etc…BUT he notified his insurance who checked the CCTV….nice one eh…the woman was told where to go…BUT my argument is that shouldn’t be the end of it….her and her insurance company should be taken to court for a false claim which SHOULD be a criminal offence….it’s too easy to accuse people these days…