This evening Deb and I attended the first Brockington College Parents Annual Quiz Night (in fact it was only announced that it was to become an annual event at the end of the evening when said event had proved to be a great success) and great fun it was to! OK it was a little unfair that some teams had as many as eleven players and others as few as six but it wasn’t a deal breaker. Deb and I failed to secure a place on the Head’s Team’s (that was the 11 member team…no I’m not BITTER!!!) Table but found ourselves alone and loveless on the table next to them. It looked as if this was going to be a rerun of the quiz we attended when we were on holiday in Cornwall last October; Me Deb Nat and Hannah verse the others, some fielding eight or more players and we still came third (remember that it’ll be important later and I will be asking questions at the end1)
As luck would have it some parents who Deb knew, she knows everyone because she gets to meet them in the day whilst the night work beast that is me resides abed. Actually she knew these because Nat had been to their Son Jack’s birthday party at the Bowling Ally and she’s met them when she came to pick him up from the meal they went to afterward. Jack and Nat both play rugby for the school and being in the same year are in the same team.
With my usual lack of social grace I failed to learn their names or the names of their two companions who may or may not have also been parents of a child of Brockington. Well what a bit of luck this turned out to be because whilst I’m pretty good at quizzes (I shout at the screen during the Weakest Link ) both Deb and I have the same Achilles heel; we know sweet, sweet, sweet fuck all about sport. Well as it turned out all four of our team mates were veritable walking encyclopaedias of sporting knowledge. Added to which one of them (Jack’s Dad) was shit hot at pop music and actors too! Well, I may have been awaiting my chance to proudly answer Heisenberg’s Uncertainty principle, but neither of us was going to look this gift horse in the mouth and not only because gift horses have notoriously bad breath!
Well, we were steaming before the quiz even started and soon had most of the pictures questions either answered or named. Similarly, with the odd ones out we were doing reasonably well too but now it was time to begin the really thing.
The quiz was broken up into the usual rounds and because we used pencils and handed the sheets back in at the end for future use I can’t recall exactly what each round was about HOWEVER one thing I’ll never forget was the video round which started with this Lego Video version of Eddie Izzards Star-Wars Cantina sketch. Laught, Jesus the tears were rolling down my checks by the end and I honestly thought I was about tom lose control of my bowls. Now I remember why I’ve go the full versions of five of his concerts on my mobile (cell for you Yanks). If you’ve never seen this video then take a break, for A MOMENT before you continue reading, and enjoy…
Now you understand why I thought I was going to piss myself and if you’ve not come across the great Izzard before remember it was me who introduced you to him
Anyway the quiz continued on and eventually came to a close at 10:45. The winners were a team of six who are, allegedly, a fanatical pub quiz team and very competitive in second place were The Head’s Fucking Eleven (cheating bastards) and in third place were…Us, yes yet again Deb and I placed third (I told you to take note earlier).
It t’was a great night and I’m looking forward to next year and the rematch, we agreed we’d team up together again, but this time I think we’ll establish some rules about team numbers before we start…not that I’m bitter!
Were home for 11:15 to find the kids had gone to bed and neither one had killed the other. Given this was the first time we’d left them alone at home in the evening that’s not a bad result.
Showing posts with label Quiz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quiz. Show all posts
Friday, 1 April 2011
Thursday, 21 October 2010
THURSDAY 21/10 The Lizard, Mullion, Holiday Camp, Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose or HMS Seahawk, Toffe Apples, Rattler, Portreath, Fish and Chips, Quiz, Lolly Pops
This morning we’re off to see a few of the places we visited the last time we were down this way. Specifically, we’re visiting the Lizard the most southerly point on the mainland of Britain. It’s a spectacular place with incredible views as can be seen from the embedded pictures below. The lighthouse museum was unfortunately closed but we did get to take a stroll round the grounds of the Youth Hostel located next to it.
After leaving the Lizard we stopped at the cafe / base shop located next to Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose or HMS Seahawk as it’s also known. While we were there we discovered that there was a coach trip around the base that afternoon so we bought tickets for it. The trip wasn’t due to begin until 2PM so we had a little time to kill. We had stayed at Mullion Holiday camp the last time we were here and as this wasn’t far we decided to drop in there to see if Hannah and Nat remembered it. Our visit was a quick in and out (but with Gusto, me old Droog mates, with Gusto), Deb stayed in the car the lazy cow, and yes even Hannah remembered coming here. I say even Hannah because when ever you reminder her of something she’s done in the past she gives you blank look combined with another look that suggests that you are deluded and that she’ never been to any such place. There wasn’t time to drive down to Mullion village itself which was a shame as I remember the harbour and beach as being particularly lovely.
On our way back to Culdrose we stopped at a small cafe where Hannah had sausage and chips (absolutely delicious locally produced sausages) Deb and Nat each had a cream tea and I had a pint of Rattler cyder (yes that’s how they spell cider).
We were finished and back at Culdrose just in time; a few minutes after we arrived we were allowed to pass the armed guards (they had real guns!) and enter the base and board the coach. The tip was “awesome” some might say but with typical British understatement I’d simple describe it as “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.
We saw some amazing sites and the photos and videos, taken through the coach windows, don’t really them justice. Jets, helicopters, and turboprops the list just goes on. We must have seen a dozen or more take-offs and landings whilst we were there.
We disembarked twice, once to visit the tiny base cinema to watch two films, one about the Royal Navy in general and the other specifically about Culdrose. Here we also saw some of the classrooms where Royal Navy and overseas trainees lean how to service and maintain the fleet of aircraft based there. Our second port of call was at a maintenance hanger to view a stripped down SeaKing helicopter, the model that had just been phased out and replaced by the Merlin. The tour, which seemed to fly by, actually lasted the best part of two hours and was worth every penny we spent to go on it. The guide was so enthusiastic and such a supporter of the base and its role in local life. She was the lady we’d first spoken to earlier in the cafe who persuaded us to book the trip in the first place. If you’re ever in the area and get the opportunity to do this trip then jump at the chance, you won’t regret it.
By now it was late afternoon and we started back toward Clowdance Estate; on the way we stopped at Sainsburys where I bough some beer, provisions, toffee apples or the kids but no Rattler Pear Cyder. I only mention Pear Rattler here because Sainsbury’s price was the lowest we’d seen (£1.95 compared to £2.50 elsewhere) and so instead of buying a load at the cyder farm we intended to buy it, and ordinary Rattler, from here...we forgot so I came home with only the two bottles of pear and two of beery we bought at the cyder farm and no bottles of normal Rattler, None, Zilch, Sod All...Bugger!
After this we drove into Portreath, where the kids had soaked themselves the previous Sunday, and bought Fish and Chips from the chip shop on the seafront. Given the price we paid for these I was very disappointed in the size of the portions. When we had finished we completed the drive back to Clowdance Estate and had a few hours rest.
Later we sent an hour or so in he pool and sauna before attending the quiz night being held in the bar at 9:00 PM. Teams were supposed to be limited to four people but a couple of tables were obviously collaborating and effectively fielding a team of eight. Our team consisted of the four of us and while we didn’t win a single individual round we did come within three points of the best overall total score! Not bad for just two adults and two kids and, in fact, if we hadn’t changed three of my answers we would have actually tied for first place with forty eight points each. However I mustn’t forget to mention that despite the fact that our team didn’t win anything that both Nat and Hannah did manage to each, individually, win a lolly pop. Hannah won hers for shouting out the correct answer to the first question of the night and Nat for the stupidest team name. We were, officially the Clotted Dreams but according to Nat we were AKA. . . The
Afterward we left and returned to our rooms and sleep...night all! At this point if I were writing my normal blog I’d note tat I was only a few words short of a thousand words and then waffle on until I passed that milestone but there’s now no need for me to do so or at least there won’t be any need after a few words more.
After leaving the Lizard we stopped at the cafe / base shop located next to Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose or HMS Seahawk as it’s also known. While we were there we discovered that there was a coach trip around the base that afternoon so we bought tickets for it. The trip wasn’t due to begin until 2PM so we had a little time to kill. We had stayed at Mullion Holiday camp the last time we were here and as this wasn’t far we decided to drop in there to see if Hannah and Nat remembered it. Our visit was a quick in and out (but with Gusto, me old Droog mates, with Gusto), Deb stayed in the car the lazy cow, and yes even Hannah remembered coming here. I say even Hannah because when ever you reminder her of something she’s done in the past she gives you blank look combined with another look that suggests that you are deluded and that she’ never been to any such place. There wasn’t time to drive down to Mullion village itself which was a shame as I remember the harbour and beach as being particularly lovely.
On our way back to Culdrose we stopped at a small cafe where Hannah had sausage and chips (absolutely delicious locally produced sausages) Deb and Nat each had a cream tea and I had a pint of Rattler cyder (yes that’s how they spell cider).
We were finished and back at Culdrose just in time; a few minutes after we arrived we were allowed to pass the armed guards (they had real guns!) and enter the base and board the coach. The tip was “awesome” some might say but with typical British understatement I’d simple describe it as “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.
We saw some amazing sites and the photos and videos, taken through the coach windows, don’t really them justice. Jets, helicopters, and turboprops the list just goes on. We must have seen a dozen or more take-offs and landings whilst we were there.
We disembarked twice, once to visit the tiny base cinema to watch two films, one about the Royal Navy in general and the other specifically about Culdrose. Here we also saw some of the classrooms where Royal Navy and overseas trainees lean how to service and maintain the fleet of aircraft based there. Our second port of call was at a maintenance hanger to view a stripped down SeaKing helicopter, the model that had just been phased out and replaced by the Merlin. The tour, which seemed to fly by, actually lasted the best part of two hours and was worth every penny we spent to go on it. The guide was so enthusiastic and such a supporter of the base and its role in local life. She was the lady we’d first spoken to earlier in the cafe who persuaded us to book the trip in the first place. If you’re ever in the area and get the opportunity to do this trip then jump at the chance, you won’t regret it.
By now it was late afternoon and we started back toward Clowdance Estate; on the way we stopped at Sainsburys where I bough some beer, provisions, toffee apples or the kids but no Rattler Pear Cyder. I only mention Pear Rattler here because Sainsbury’s price was the lowest we’d seen (£1.95 compared to £2.50 elsewhere) and so instead of buying a load at the cyder farm we intended to buy it, and ordinary Rattler, from here...we forgot so I came home with only the two bottles of pear and two of beery we bought at the cyder farm and no bottles of normal Rattler, None, Zilch, Sod All...Bugger!
After this we drove into Portreath, where the kids had soaked themselves the previous Sunday, and bought Fish and Chips from the chip shop on the seafront. Given the price we paid for these I was very disappointed in the size of the portions. When we had finished we completed the drive back to Clowdance Estate and had a few hours rest.
Later we sent an hour or so in he pool and sauna before attending the quiz night being held in the bar at 9:00 PM. Teams were supposed to be limited to four people but a couple of tables were obviously collaborating and effectively fielding a team of eight. Our team consisted of the four of us and while we didn’t win a single individual round we did come within three points of the best overall total score! Not bad for just two adults and two kids and, in fact, if we hadn’t changed three of my answers we would have actually tied for first place with forty eight points each. However I mustn’t forget to mention that despite the fact that our team didn’t win anything that both Nat and Hannah did manage to each, individually, win a lolly pop. Hannah won hers for shouting out the correct answer to the first question of the night and Nat for the stupidest team name. We were, officially the Clotted Dreams but according to Nat we were AKA. . . The
Afterward we left and returned to our rooms and sleep...night all! At this point if I were writing my normal blog I’d note tat I was only a few words short of a thousand words and then waffle on until I passed that milestone but there’s now no need for me to do so or at least there won’t be any need after a few words more.
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