Welcome to Recomends

I AM feeling poorly as I write this, with an unpleasant chesty lurgy probably picked up from one of my children. However, two things have helped raise my spirits as I splutter through the day.

First, reading an interview with musician Kid Rock, I was amused to find out his real name is Robert Ritchie. Were all those recommendations actually from Kid Rock, hiding behind his real name to mask a most un-rock-star-like love of walks in the Aberdeen area, public sculpture and thrifty living?

The pair also share a middle initial 'J' and, though I hope Mr Ritchie shares Mr Rock's middle name James, I was unable to verify this. When I called yesterday, he was out, possibly utilising the warmth of a library or shopping centre to keep his fuel bills down.

I guess the similarity pretty much ends with the name, to be honest, as Ritchie Recommends has never been in a relationship with Pamela Anderson, been arrested on assault charges for punching a DJ in a strip club – or cited for another assault on Tommy Lee at the MTV Awards in 2007.

The second thing to lift my spirits came when I collected my daughter from her panto performance last Saturday. As I wrote last week, I was dragged on stage by the dame in Sleeping Beauty at The Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, and suitably embarrassed. Anyway, as I picked up Maya, I saw my Recommends column on the wall among other publicity material for the show. As I looked at it, the dame's sidekick, Jamie (Arron Usher) came past on his way home and said the dame thought I'd been the best sport of all the stooges so far. This made me think seriously about a future career in panto – but my daughter told me it was a silly idea. Sillier, even, than Kid Rock being a regular contributor to Recommends.