Uke can do it!

I've always loved the ukulele. I grew up hearing George Formby playing and singing his cheerful songs. He was the hero of my hero, George Harrison. A while ago comedian Frank Skinner did a TV show about the instrument, and a ukulele convention featured, with young and old alike enjoying playing together. But much as I enjoyed it, none of this made me want to play. Let's face it, with carpal tunnel syndrome and fingers making a valiant effort to avoid developing osteo-arhtritis, I'd be stupid to try. But last night, on a programme called The Secret Millionaire (a rich dude going undercover to a deprived area to find causes to change his life outlook and milk him of some money) the man concerned took his ukulele with him, and as I heard him strum, I thought, "I want one of those!" They can be got surprisingly cheaply on Amazon, and I was tempted by the colourful array - oranges, reds, purples - but in the end I was swayed by a good report from someone about a normal-looking instrument:

Add in a Dummies book, a tuner and some plectra, and I'll be all set to start. I just want it to arrive!

Meanwhile, listen to and enjoy one of George Formby's greatest (and mildly rude) songs, When I'm Cleaning Windows:



By the way, in case you were wondering, the picture shows George playing a banjolele.