Busy and Quizzy ...

Man alive (men alive), has it been a hectic few weeks? All kinds of exciting businessy-type things are coming together apace, meaning that I am spending increasing amounts of time in this position .....................

Pic.No.1 Hunched in front of the computer with a Mona Lisa smile (actually, I write my blog in exactly the same position - and that is where I am now - spooky)

I like looking enigmatic I do .... and windswept. It all contributes to my mysterious persona. And just in case you were wondering why I am dressed as an eskimo inside the house, it is because I am too tight to turn on the heating. Aside from being tight, you can tell that I am busy, because I am trying to run two projects at once on separate laptops. 

Not that I can use two laptops simultaneously mind, I just like to look like an incredible multi-tasker. It's like when you see pictures of City Traders at work. The more screens they have, the cleverer they are ..... allegedly. Ummmmmm. City Trader ..... clever? That'll be oxymoron-tastic then.

I remember when I used to work in aerospace. One of the chaps on the shopfloor used to have a problem with body odour. One day, I needed to ask him about a job he was working on, so I approached him holding a lavender-scented handkerchief under my nose (like they did in the medieval times when people were rotting alive with the Black Death). 

Stinky bloke clocked my handkerchief and remarked indignantly, "the only reason that I smell like a dead badger is that I've been working so hard I haven't had time to go home do my stuff."

Outwardly, I said; "that's bloody admirable, that is."

But inwardly I was shouting; "jeez you know you smell like a dead badger and you are happy to run with it?" I could tell by the way my eyes were watering, that the honk was the accumulation of many days of soap-dodging. And I would have bet a fiver on his underpants rotting off his body before they ever got close to a washing machine. [Note: he was forever more called 'Dead Badger' by everyone in the company after this debacle].

Anyway, I digress. And I can assure you that things are not so hectic that I've had to enter dead badger territory. No way hose.

In fact, I had been working so hard that I decided that I needed a bit of time off. So on Sunday, I telephoned Steve and suggested that we took Izzy out for lunch.

"Yeh, let's go for it, I can't be bothered cooking," he said.

"Cool, because I want to try out a pub we haven't been to before," I said, "it's in the Headington area of Oxford."

Pic.No.1 This was the pub that I wanted to try. It was called 'The Black Boy', and it was in the Old Headington district of Oxford

Pic.No.2 Fancy a sneaky peak at the interior of the Black Boy? It is a proper gastro-pub, and only ten minutes from our front door

Pic.No.3. There was only one problem with the pub .... the menu. Although it was all gourmet food, and I am quite an adventurous eater, there was very little on it that I fancied. Not a problem for the first visit .... but if the menu didn't change, it would definitely inhibit future visits

Pic.No.4 The lady of the house was very friendly (and glamorous), but I think that Izzy may have felt that she was a tad over-enthusiastic when it came to taking her order for fish fingers. That's six year olds for you

Pic.No.5 Oh bloody hell. I have just realised that I am in the restaurant and still wearing the horrible fleece jacket from home (the one I use to keep me warm because the heating is off). Maybe me and Dead Badger aren't poles apart after all

Pic.No.6 This is what I ordered. It was Pork Belly. Although it was beautifully presented, and wonderfully cooked, it was so fatty that I struggled to find any meat. Tasty though it was, it was like eating breast implants

Ah, so lunch was over.  

But excitingly enough, the day didn't stop there. Oh no, that evening, I had been invited by Tim and Denise (the parents of one of Izzy's bessie mates) to participate in a pub quiz organised by the school in order to raise funds. See, I am like Mother Theresa but with shaped eyebrows.

It was being held in the 'Abingdon Arms' in Beckley village. And they had put together a quiz team and were desperate for particpants .... hence my involvement.

I must admit that I do enjoy a good quiz, even though I am not particularly good team fodder, given that the only thing I know about in-depth is landing gear. And Boeing aircraft. And gadgets.

Pic.No.7 My team chums Denise and Tim

Pic.No. 8 Here you can see some of the teams partaking in the quiz. Our team came second overall but it had nothing to do with me ...... (that lady looking at the camera was a genius and bagged loads of questions, and so did her husband to her right). The night was bloody good fun though

So dahlink, tell me, what is the worst thing that has happened to you this week?! Or have you had fun stuff going on?