Our play, ‘Accrington Pals’ is coming together well. We rehearse the full play next week for the first time. In this time of remembrance for the fallen the play is particularly meaningful and thought provoking. I am taking the photographs tomorrow night for the publicity shots so keep your eyes open in the local press.

A full recap on the play next week folks. Oh yes.

Now for those of you who do not believe in coincidences, look away now.

The husband of the lady who has volunteered to do the costumes for Accrington Pals found a medal when renovating his house - the back of which is inscribed with the name W. C. Tucker, his number and his Regiment, the East Lancs (same as the Accrington Pals).

Private Tucker’s service records were destroyed in 1940 but a visit to the National Archives at Kew turned up the fact that W.C.Tucker was an East Lancs man, he was in the Pals sister 2nd battalion and left for France in 1914. He survived the war and returned a Sergeant in 1919 and was put on the reserves register. Now is that a coincidence or what? Bear in mind this is also the first play Clair (the costume lady) has been associated with. Amazing story. Her husband is busy trying to find out more on the story, so if any of my legion of readers can help, please post something in the comments box.

More news on the on-going romance of our old mate Chuffer and the lady Marylinn he met in Bournemouth (see previous blogs).

Marylinn (strange spelling but there we are) called Chuffer this week to keep the flame alive as it were and he is now in high spirits and planning a surprise attack to Cornwall where the dear lady resides.

This could turn into a long story-bit like ‘Little Dorrit. Frankly I can’t wait for the next instalment. It’s nice to have some romance in one’s life don’t you think?

However I must pass a word or two of caution to our Chuffer, beware, ‘women are different to men’. The reality of these words came to me late in life. I was thirty-five before I twigged women weren’t just the same as men but wore dresses.

I can’t say as "as different as chalk and cheese" because the person who coined that phrase obviously hadn't tasted Kwik Save's cheddar. So to illustrate the way women think I relate the story of another friend of mine, Dan, who was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business.

When he found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he needed a wife with whom to share his fortune.

One evening at an investment meeting he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Her natural beauty took his breath away. 'I may look like just an ordinary man,' he said to her, ‘but in just a few years, my father will die, and I'll inherit 20 million pounds.'

Impressed, the woman obtained his business card and three days later she became his stepmother. The lesson endeth.