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Well it's Spring at last and the bluebells are abundant in the woods around our home,Ìý I can see a blue swathe of them out of the window of my study as I write this blog.Ìý I also see my car.Ìý Nothing surprising in that you may say.Ìý But two weeks ago I had a jolly trip up to Northallerton where I appeared before the magistrates of that North Yorkshire town because a man with a radar gun - and more importantly a uniform - a police uniform - decided to point his gun at me, one sunny October afternoon in 2008.Ìý The radar gun told him that he could stop me and tell me I had broken the speeding laws by travelling at 90 mph on a dual carriageway.

Oh dear - guilty.Ìý And the annoying thing is that I wasn't in a hurry.Ìý I was taking my daughter Bindy up to South Shields where we were doing a concert (her singing - me compering) for my friend George Hastings, conductor of a new orchestra which is trying to get the northeast interested in music by playing full orchestral versions of accessible music like film scores, and classic pop.

I was watching the road and not the speedometer. My generation of drivers got used to judging our speed by the road conditions and not the speedo.ÌýÌý The road was empty and straight and wide and we were both in a good mood, chatting and looking forward to the concert.Ìý Now I know the speed limits are there for a good reason - but all the times I have been caught there has been no danger whatsoever.Ìý I was radared twice in two days a couple of years ago - one going up to Scotland and one coming back the next day.!Ìý I was doing another compering gig, funnily enough.Ìý This tiime for the Royal Air Force band - what is it with me and orchestral music?

I was apparently doing 85 on the way up and 86 on the way back - as radared from a bridge in Midlothian on the A74.Ìý Six points in one fell swoop.Ìý The other three?Ìý Doing 40 mph in an underpass in Canary Wharf on a Sunday morning at around 7am.Ìý Again empty road.Ìý In all three cases - completely empty roads.Ìý And my Northallerton trip added the three pointsÌý that disqualified me from driving and turned me into a pedestrian - or at least a passenger!.Ìý I had a lawyer who tried to tell the court that I needed a car for my work and my busy life!Ìý I have earned my living principally from touring over the last ten years.Ìý And when I am touring I only take the jobs because I can commute or get home regularly.Ìý There are no buses or trains that can be get me back home to the remote area in which I live after the curtain comes down in Guildford, Milton Keynes, Cheltenham, Bath, Woking, Birmingham, Cambridge or Canterbury.Ìý But they are all commutable for me by car in around two hours maximum each way.Ìý But the lady with a decided plum in her voice and steel in here eyes (which never met mine once) who was chair of magistrates decided from the word 'go' that she wasn't having any truck with sympathising with my plight if she were to give me the full six month ban.Ìý She referred to me several times as a 'serial offender' - which made me feel likeÌý mass murderer.Ìý It is at times like that when you are completely at the mercy of a strager who has no idea ofÌý the effect they are going to have on the life of someone else - that you realise how lucky we are most of the time in this country.Ìý There are places in the world where you are at the mercy of a ruling few the majority of the time - not just when the traffic police feel your collar.Ìý

Anyway, now I cannot take any touring work until I am mobile again in October.Ìý I know I could stay in all those places and just not come home but the cost of accommodation these days combined with my desire not to leave my girls alone in the country for weeks on end means that for me (and indeed them!!) this is going to be a belt tightening year!

Fortunately Big Finish rides to the rescue.Ìý The missing season stories have meant that I have plenty to do.Ìý I have done three of them already - having last week completed Paul Finch's adaptation of the splendid story his father wrote for my first season - Leviathan - which was never done.Ìý And great fun it was too.Ìý I can only imagine that the expense of the sets and spaceships required made it too expensive back in 1984 - no such problem with radio!Ìý It LOOKS stunning!Ìý I have been able to do a couple of Conventions too - a great day in Barking for 10th Planet - loads of guests, loads of attendees and a good day all round. I got to meet for the first time one of my heroes of tv comedy - the great Richard Briers - who turned out be every bit as delightful as I had hoped.Ìý A fund of funny stories and a very sweet man. I heartd a bit of his panel and he had the fans enthralled. And I sampled the joys of the tube going through West Ham when there was a football match on at Upton Park.Ìý Thank you Northallerton Magistrates.Ìý I would love if it the ice queen who dismissed my appeals for a lesser sentence to enable me to work - were to be caught herself!Ìý Mind you she probably has a chauffeur!!

I also went to Memorabilia at the NEC for two days and met quite a few chums.

I have been up for a few jobs and not got them.Ìý A couple of West End musicals decided that they could re-cast without troubling me - sadly. And a TV programme similarly got made without enduring a contribution from me.Ìý They didn't even bother to let my agent know that I was surplus to requirements.Ìý Welcome to the real world, Colin.

So I have cleared out my shed.Ìý Cleared out the attic.Ìý Done my back in, gardening.Ìý And endured the agony of watching Wycombe Wanderers nearly slide out of the automatic promotion spots in League Two and into the Play-Offs from whichÌý they have failed to progress for the last two seasons now.Ìý This time however, despite losing on the last day to Notts County - I was there, squirming with nervesÌý we have gained promotion to League One

to meet Norwich, Southampton and Brightonnext season.Ìý Bring it on.Ìý I think?

My wife and I were diners at Hell's Kitchen too.Ìý That was great fun.Ìý Superb food - and because we knew before the show started to air that were going to be there one night, we watched - and got hooked on - the whole series.Ìý I never watch cookery shows normally - as the process of preparing food is for me a chore - not a subject for entertainment.Ìý However Hell's Kitchen is of course more about the journey of the people and less about the ingredients and processes.Ìý Loved the series, loved Marco Pierre - and really loved the food! I could happily dine there nightly!Ìý No disrespect to my wife.

Two daughters birthdays this month.Ìý Lally last weekend.Ìý Rosie this weekend.Ìý She is now old enough to drive - so here comes the expense of driving lessons!Ìý But she is the last thank goodness.Ìý It could come about that I will be supporting them and their cars - all of them - and not be able to drive myself if Rosie passes her test before October!Ìý That would be ironic I suppose.

The only plus for me is that when we go out now - my wife is the one who can't drink not me!Ìý Another glass of wine Mr Baker?Ìý Yes, why not!

Have a good Spring!

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