Where did the summer go? I know where I went – nowhere much until a couple of weeks ago, when I got my driving licence back after six months of enduring the vagaries of public transport, which if you live in the country as I do, isn't that regular or reliable.  Anyway, I have learned my lesson now and have the delight of looking in my rear view mirror and seeing cars desperate to overtake me because I am obeying the speed limit and they are desperate not to.  May be I should put a sign in my rear window saying – "Just got my licence back – sorry don't want to lose it again!!"

So what did I do during the long summer months.  Well, a few conventions – one in Chiswick and one in Shepton Mallet in August for my cousin, Ian Burgess, which was fun.  We did it at what was then called BAPA (the Bristol Academy of Performing Arts) which is now called The Musical TheatreSchool, apparently.  My second daughter, Bindy is a student there now in her final year.

Daughter No 1 – Lucy has decided to switch careers and is training as a Primary School teacher in Oxford.  Until then she was working in TV – most recently as a researcher on 'Eggheads' – you'll see her name flash by in the credits of the current batch of programmes.  No 3 – Lally is at Warwick reading Film and Literature and No 4 - Rosie is still at school doing her A levels.

At the end of August, I filmed an episode of Hustle in Birmingham, where they now film the series, after a couple of years of filming in London.  All my stuff was with Robert Vaughan – the iconic 'Man from Uncle' himself, which was a delight. He is not a young man, clearly, but you would never know it.  He was on set,  the week I worked with him, from 7 in the morning until 7 at night and , although tired (who wouldn't be working a twelve hour day in their late 70's?) delivered the goods.  I won't spoil the story by telling you anything about it – but suffice to say that I am a 'mark' but I cause problems for the Hustlers!  Who would have thought that I would ever work with a member of the Magnificent 7? I think he's the only left, so I won't be working with any of the others.

I visited the Whoovers in Derby in September and had a great day playing railways at Midland Railway Centre at Ripley, near Derby.  It was such a good idea to combine a Dr Who Fun day with a railway museum.  The fans got to ride on a steam train with the lovely Anneke Wills and myself and at the other end we 'convened' in a railway shed. All around were leisure activities for the families as well as the stuff that would delight a railway enthusiast's heart.  I got to stand on the footplate of a steam train and shovel coal into the boiler, the kind of boys' own thing which never fails to put a smile on your face.  I hope they do more days like that; everyone had a really great time. And I include myself in that, despite the journey up when my 'real' train from Buckinghamshire to Derby stopped in Birmingham and emptied us all out to the accompaniment of the message that the replacement driver was 'sick' so the train was terminating in Birmingham.  Then we had to find another way of getting to Derby!!  I certainly cursed my heavy right foot that got me caught speeding four times in three years then!

At the end of September, I did my Panto Press call in Malvern with the rest of the cast - Mike Fischetti, Amy Thompson, Douglas Mounce and Sarah Thomas (from Last of the Summer Wine) – all of whom seemed good fun, so I am looking forward to working with them all in a few weeks.  Gosh, is itreally nearly panto time again?

In terms of acting work all that I have done in the last couple of months, apart from Hustle, is half a dozen or so Big Finish audios.  I would happily spend my entire time recording Big Finish stuff.  It has been a great year for that for Old Sixie, as I have had my series of stories with Charlie (India Fisher) then the Missing Stories/Lost Adventures – ones written for the TV series but never actually recorded for various reasons, including the 1985 cancellation of the series.  And now I have been recording a series of stories with my friend Frazer Hines, whom I last worked with a decade or more ago when we did a summer season at the end of the pier in Bournemouth with another chum Linda Lusardi!  It was great to work with Jamie McCrimmon again (after the marvellous time we had filming in Seville in 1984)  He is a naturally humorous individual who must spend every waking moment reading the Ken Dodd book of gagsand one-liners – as he is never short of a double-entendre or quick quip.

It has, as you will have gathered, been a quiet summer in terms of acting work – mainly because I declined to work away from home while I was unable to drive.  But things are back to normal now and I am looking forward to heading off to Malvern for the Christmas season and I'll then take a deep breath and see what 2010 has to offer.

As you will read elsewhere on this website, Tim Hirst has asked me to let him publish a digest of my articles for the Bucks Free Press –the local newspaper for which I have contributed a weekly column for the last 14 years.  He is in the process of selecting the appropriate 'gems' and when he has done so I will add some linking material explaining, updating and enlarging where relevant.  I hope that you will find it diverting.  I know that some of you log on to the Bucks Free Press website to read and comment on my ramblings – and thanks to all of you for that.  The more hits and comments I get, the longer they are likely to tolerate my wittering. I am up to Article No 744 and am keen to get to 1000 articles without missing a week. I haven't missed one so far.  It might even be a record if I did, who knows.  Five years to go!

Off to Wycombe Wanderers tomorrow to see them play Walsall – we haven't won a game for weeks, so here's hoping the new manager, Gary Waddock,  can work some magic for us.  We are currently 'propping up' the division as they say.  The only way is up – as the song goes.  If only that were true.

Happy Halloween all!