Oh boy!

A TOURING show of the music of the late great Buddy Holly is in the west of Scotland over the next fortnight, entitled Buddy Holly and the Cricketers. By coincidence veteran singer Des O'Connor, now in his late eighties, was reminiscing about when he toured with Buddy Holly. Said Des: "We were chatting in his dressing room in Hammersmith, when suddenly a rock the size of a small brick came flying through the window, shattering the glass everywhere. Fortunately both the rock and the glass missed us.

"I picked it up and couldn't believe my eyes– secured to the rock with two large elastic bands was an autograph book and a note which read 'We love you, Buddy. Please sign our book. All our love, Sylvie and Sharon.' Now that's what I call rock 'n' roll."

Coining it

GROWING old continued. When you write The Diary for The Herald and you confuse the referee who gave all those penalties to Rangers, Andrew Dallas, with his dad, Hugh Dallas, and put Hugh's name in yesterday's online Diary story. Apologies. It does remind us though that it was nearly 20 years ago when Hugh was officiating at an Old Firm game at Celtic Park and needed three stitches in a head wound after being hit by a coin thrown from the Celtic end. Weeks later Hugh was dining in the Glasgow restaurant Inn on the Green when resident jazz singer Linda Fletcher recognised him. She announced to the diners that she was dedicating the next song to Mr Dallas. Suitably chuffed he sat there as Linda then gave a very nice rendition of Pennies From Heaven.

Legged it

TALKING of growing old, a reader tells us her friend, married to a Scotsman, is German, and still struggles with British idioms. She was asked how she was coping with her husband who had recently retired being at home, and she replied that she was fed up with him being between her legs all the time.

On the throne

THE front page headline in the Sunday Times was "Brexit plan to evacuate the Queen". Reader John Henderson refers us to an episode of our favourite American crime series The Wire, where the city editor of the Baltimore Sun newspaper explains to a junior reporter that a building can be “evacuated,” but you cannot evacuate people. “To evacuate a person is to give that person an enema,” a fellow reporter chimes in.

Bottled it

OUR tales of whisky bonds reminds a reader: “In1974 a fire broke out in the Long John bottling plant in Glasgow’s London Road and one of the pipes was severed leading to whisky flowing abundantly. The polis in attendance rallied in providing suitable containers to prevent the amber nectar being wasted – including a case of hot water bottles rescued from lost property.”

Great Scott

ONE for you literary folk out there. David McVey points out that Ayrshire junior side Auchinleck Talbot's next two games are a cup tie against Heart of Midlothian then a league game again Kirkintilloch Rob Roy. He adds: "Perhaps Auchinleck's Tesco branch should get some Sir Walter Scott novels in stock."

Marooned

NEWS from America where Howard Schultz, the billionaire ex-CEO of coffee chain Starbucks, is thinking of running for president. As a reader phones to ask us: "Does that mean if he wins that he would build an identical White House just another block down on Pennsylvania Avenue?"

Also in America was the Super Bowl with American football fans over here who stayed up late to watch the game admitting it was a bit boring – including the half-time musical entertainment. As one viewer tells us: "You think Maroon 5 are bad? Imagine how bad Maroons 1-4 must have been."

Love it

WE mentioned Valentine's Day fast approaching, and a reader tells us his favourite Valentine's message he read in a newspaper which printed messages of love on the day was "Linda B. What are you looking here for? Was dinner and flowers not enough?"