Every year I bang on about the ODN (Oxfordshire Drama Network) Festival held at the Unicorn Theatre in Abingdon. This year the dates are May31st- June 5th. Two or three plays are put on every night and a good time is had by all. The adjudicator puts their slant on the performances after each play and a thing or two is learnt by all. A great way to while away a summer’s evening I can tell you. Further details can be found by visiting www.oxfordshiredramanetwork.org.

My bride, myself and a few selected chums will hopefully be seeing Fun Run by local playwright Joe Graham at the Old Fire Station in a couple of weeks. As previously mentioned the play is being staged by the Balancing Act theatre company, a group of players formed by Joe Graham to perform his plays. As ever a detailed review of this brand new comedy will be featuring in a future blog. Fun Run is at the OFS Studio from 18th-22nd May.

On the subject of television it is sad that Foyle’s War has come to an end. Foyle’s War is a period police drama set in Hastings in the 1940’s for anyone reading this who has never seen it. One of the finest bits of the illusion is the way it makes Hastings look inviting. I had never visited the place until last year and what a disappointment that was. However where the series is shot is in the Old Town and I have to say that area is something else altogether. The rest of Hastings town could well benefit from another call by William the Conqueror methinks.

Happily the election will be over soon. I am a bit of a political animal and even I’m fed up with it. I even felt sympathy for old Gordon on last week’s head to head with the other two contenders. I thought the debate a good idea initially but to watch the Prime Minister of the Land standing there like some contestant in The X Factor I found diminishing. I was surprised Simon Cowell wasn't present giving his take on the performances.

This week's tale of mirth concerns a lady who went to a pet shop & immediately spotted a large, beautiful parrot... There was a sign on the cage that said £50.00.

'Why so little?' She asked the pet store owner. The owner looked at her and said, 'Look, I should tell you first that this bird used to live in a house of ill-repute and sometimes it says some pretty vulgar stuff.'

The woman thought about this, but decided she had to have the bird any way. She took it home and hung the bird's cage up in her living room and waited for it to say something.

The bird looked around the room, then at her, and said, 'New house, new madam.' The woman was a bit shocked at the implication, but then thought 'that's really not so bad.'

When her 2 teenage daughters returned from school the bird saw and said, 'New house, new madam, new girls.'

The girls and the woman were a bit offended, but then began to laugh about the situation, Considering how and where the parrot had been raised.

Moments later, the woman's husband came home from work. The bird looked at him and said, 'Hi Trev'