Hello again, I hope all is well with you. And that you have had a very good couple of weeks.Once again this past fortnight seems to have has flown by. I am already very much liking the fact that the evening’s are getting lighter. And that we are getting a bit more sun and a bit less rain. Which let’s face does improve everyone’s outlook on the world quite a bit. Since the Chancellor announced the latest budget. I am very pleased that so far I have managed not to fall into his clever trap. And therefore have not played any bingo or drunk too much beer. Despite him reducing the duty by about a penny of both of those products. To make them both I guess, slightly more tempting to people. But who is really deciding on what they want to do purely based on it saving them possibly about five pence a night. That said I have to confess there is a slight gambling and drinking theme running through this latest edition.

Last Saturday it was the Grand National Horse Race from Aintree. I guess this event is when a lot of people might experience gambling for the first time in their lives. Or it is certainly the day a lot of people make their annual pilgrimage to their local bookmakers. Or at the very least they probably end up doing the work sweepstake. So will therefore have a slight interest in proceedings. Personally I am someone who enjoys horse racing. And the National is always an important day in my sporting calendar. About ten years ago now I did a Wedding Disco with my mate Dez Kay for two jockeys who had ridden in the race Gee Armytage and Mark Bradburne. It was a great occasion in a Marquee in a friend of theirs field. Pretty much the who’s, who of horse racing were there including Clare Balding, John Francome, Carl Llewellyn and the champion jockey himself AP McCoy to mention but a few. I will tell you what though. They have a very tough, hard and dangerous job but when the time allows they really know how to let their hair down and have a good time. It was some party. A few years ago now I actually went along to Aintree for Ladies Day. Which is the day before the main event. I had a brilliant time. The whole place was buzzing with a great atmosphere there. Then the day after I found myself watching the National in a pub in the centre of Liverpool. Which was also a fantastic experience. I enjoyed this year’s race and was pleased that all the jockeys and horses were all fine at the end of what I thought was a very exciting race. I didn’t manage to pick the winner this year. Well done to you if you did. I always back every horse I choose each way and so did manage to have the third and forth placed horses this time round. So I did at least see a little return in money for my efforts.

Staying with Liverpool I am actually up there this weekend for a mate of mines wedding. Which I am really looking forward to. As I am convinced it will be a fitting and fun celebration for the happy couple. I love the City. It is actually one of my favourite places in the country. I have had some great times up there in the past. To make the most of it I have booked myself into a hotel for a few days. So I can spend some time catching up with people before and after the big day. I am going to be staying in a room above a recording studio. Where Coldplay produced their first three albums. It has also been used by Beautiful South, Elbow, Lightning Seeds, Shed Seven and Stereophonics to mention just a few of the big names. Who have worked their magic in there. Please be assured though that I will only be sleeping there and have no immediate plans to inflict my singing on an unsuspecting public. Not as yet anyway. I will report back to you about my Liverpool adventures next time we speak. My favourite previous memory of the place, I think. Is getting the night bus from the City Centre to the suburb where my mate was living. With the whole bus singing at the top of our voices the entire Beatles back catalogue. And then whenever it stopped and someone got off. We would pause the singing and give them a standing ovation. It was a great end to a wonderful night. And I am hoping for more of the same this weekend.

I do like going out and eating at new places. And trying new things as often as I can. Now I am probably a bit behind the times with this one. But recently I went out to a Jimmy’s restaurant for the very first time. I understand they are a chain. And there are a few of them dotted all around the country. They are basically as much as you can eat buffet places. With a slight exception to the norm. They offer a selection of world food from many different countries. Which then you can then choose as little or as much of as you want. So they had Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Italian, American, British, Japanese and Spanish food selections at various stations. You just pay a set price. And take yourself around these as many times as you like. With a fresh plate supplied every time. The food was really nice and very varied. There was loads of it on offer. So predictably I ended up eating way too much and feeling uncomfortably full at the end. Not helped by the fact that after I had been on a food tour of the globe. I then also visited the dessert section to. I really did enjoy it though. It made a nice change. I also got to try something new. I am a big fan of fish but I had never tried any Sushi. Because if I am honest the thought of raw fish really put me off it. And I thought it would be horrible. But in the Japanese section there was a few different types of Sushi. So as I did not have to order it specially. And because also if I did not like it I could just go and grab something else to eat to take the taste away. I gave it a try. And I have to confess I thought it was really good. So it is now something I would certainly consider having again. From time to time at least. See you are never too old to try new things.

I was out for a few drinks with a mate of mine the other weekend. We ended up in a pub in High Wycombe. We were at the bar enjoying a drink when I nipped off to visit the facilities. When I came back I found my friend chatting to a random magician at the bar. Who was doing a few different card tricks for him. He then did one for me. When he had finished he introduced himself and told me he was also a furniture Upholsterer before handing me his business card. He then turned back to my pal to do yet another card trick with him. Just as his finished that last trick I attracted his attention before reaching into my back pocket and bringing back out the business card he had gave me earlier. I then proceeded to hold it right up in front of his face before saying the classic line “Is this your card” Which I thought was hilarious and which led to him leaving the pub very shortly afterwards. I have always wanted to have the chance to say that to a magician for a change. And in doing so I actually made him disappear. There was also a covers band performing in the pub, providing some musical entertainment. They were a decent enough band. However I really like trying to recognise a song from the intro and name it before the vocals come in. Seriously I am brilliant fun to be with on a night out. The band in question made that game quite hard that night. As some of the songs could have been five or six different tunes based solely on the intro’s. But that made it more entertaining and at times more difficult to get it right. It was a quality night rounded off with a KFC. Which always does seem to be the case whenever I venture out with this particular friend. That said it tasted great!

I was back doing some work at Mix 96 in Aylesbury last week. Which was great fun. They took a couple of their shows out and about. So I went in to produce them from the main studio. The Breakfast Show visited Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Haddenham. Which is the station’s charity of the year. So while the two presenters were there meeting the staff and some of the patients. I was making sure everything was broadcast correctly from the studio. Making sure the show sounded as close to normal as usual. Even though it was coming from an unusual location. Then the day after I was producing Nathan Cooper’s Morning Show. Which came from the Kings Head Pub in Aylesbury. Where the brand new Mix 96 twentieth Birthday Beer brewed by The Chiltern Brewery was being launched. It was great to work with the team there once again. I had a very enjoyable couple of days. And after the second show I did actually get to pop over to the pub. Where I sampled an half of the new Mix 96 Birthday Beer. Which is called Bucks Best. I have to say it tasted lovely. Watch out for it on sale around Buckinghamshire. It is a nice drop and five pence from every pint goes to Tiggywinkles. I can’t believe that Mix 96 is twenty years old this year. I remember when it launched and being very excited about my home town having a radio station. During that first year while still at Aylesbury College I actually did a week’s work experience there. I also went to the stations first birthday party which was held at Stoke Mandeville Stadium. Funnily enough I went to that party with Mix 96’s very first evening presenter Jon Earley and the man who is now the MD Max Hailey. I can’t believe it is that long ago. And I wish Mix 96 a very Happy Birthday for 15th April. Which was the date in 1994 that it launched.

I do enjoy getting out to see live comedy and music as much as I can. I went to a gig night at a local pub last week because a friend of a friend was launching a new album. And doing a little acoustic set. I was really impressed. The guy had a good voice and had written some nice catchy and melodic songs. It was just him and his guitar on stage playing a thirty minute set. Which did include two very good and diverse cover versions. One was the Jessie J song Domino, while the other was the Phil Collins classic In the Air Tonight. Both very different and both sounded great. So I am marking that down as yet another successful night out on the town enjoying live entertainment. You really can’t beat it. Much better than sitting in and just watching the television any day. Unless that day is Saturday Night and you are watching Ant & Dec’s Takeaway. A great finale to the what has been a cracking series. Good to see Robbie Williams make his annual appearance with the boys. I am already looking forward to next year’s series. And I am wishing that may be I had booked some tickets for the upcoming live tour. Which I predict is going to be a right laugh. Which I think is something we should try to do as much as possible in life.

Have fun and we will catch up again in a couple of weeks. Cheers Neil.