I HATE kicking people when they are down... but are our tired, battered old railways every going to improve?

I had to make a journey by North West Rail from the other side of Manchester to Liverpool a couple of days ago.

The journey should have taken just over an hour... but oh, no! My first train was nearly 10 minutes late in arriving.

Then it was delayed by a broken down goods train, missing my connection in Manchester.

So, because of the new Winter timetable, I had to wait for nearly an hour for the next train. I eventually arrived at Lime Street, frothing at the mouth... more than two hours and 20 minutes after starting what should have been a swift, leisurely journey!

Perhaps the railways should change their slogan to: Let the train give you strain?

HERE'S another tale from the amazing, crazy hi-tech world of the mobile phone user.

A friend was puzzled when he checked his message service only to be told by a recording that work was being carried out on the line and he should try another retrieval number.

He kept ringing that for a few days and another recorded voice kept telling him "You have no messages".

In truth, he knew he had, so he eventually rang the operator who informed him coldly that he had to ring the first message number THREE TIMES to get back on line!

Am I losing the plot - I thought the mobile phone providers were in the information business?

Why didn't someone tell him what to do right away instead of wasting all that time?

I THINK Sir Cliff Richard's 40 years in the music industry was worth more than a bust in the foyer of his record company's headquarters. Cliff has brought joy, happiness and fond memories to several generations of loyal and adoring fans. Why not name one of London's highways after him?

THANK you for all your kind letters of support since I returned to the Magic 1548 late night slot (Sunday-Thursday 10pm -1am) I do appreciate your good wishes. Incidentally, is that really a picture of me in Bob Monkhouse's book Over the Limit - My Secret Diaries... you tell me!

TUNE into Pete's late night phone-in show, Sunday to Thursday, 10pm to 1am on Magic 1548.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.