A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace. CONFUCIUS

Sunday 29 November 2009

Odd One Out: Hasty Conclusion

Oh, heck! If I carry on like this, with such a slow reveal, then it'll take until the end of next week! And I haven't got a lot of time, so...

3. True. But Keith Emerson never needed to worry. This was in the mid-1990s; a local band called Spitfire McGuire, quite big in North Notts for, well, a few months; had to quit 'cos I was finding it hard to get up for work on Monday mornings...

4. True. Durham Uni. Mid-1970s. Final year. Final day of final year. Traditional end of year show by non-returning undergraduates, soon to be graduates. Satirical verses read by yours truly on shiny toilet roll which unrolled more and more rapidly with each scabrous stanza...

5. True. Difficult now to recapture my state of mind at the time... But it's been lightly documented already on this blog...

6. True. The airport at Palma, Majorca, in the mid-1990s. The Ryanair queue. Surprisingly, Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford, her film director partner and soon-to-be husband, were travelling bucket-shop. We recognized them. No one else did. Hackford scowled many times in our direction. Just leave us alone! Keep your eyes elsewhere! Mmm, my eyes may have strayed elsewhere, but the tips of my fingers evidently did not...

7. True. Publishing sales conference, Linda Barker, celebrity author, etc, etc.

8. True. Everyone seems to have passed their driving test 1st time round here... Course it was easier back then - when there was no written test...

9. FALSE!!! To those who thought otherwise... How could you? I mean, who do you think I am!!! Besides, my wife reads this rubbish. And she's the only one (the only wife, I mean...)

10. True. It's publishing again, celebrity author Michael Winner invites us to his posh house, champagne and another champagne (but not a 3rd, he's not that generous)... yawn... yawn...

11. True. Frankie Howerd. Pebble Mill At One. The BBC studios. I'm a shy and callow youth, alone with Frankie in his dressing room. Now, help me dear, shall I wear the pink shirt or the purple one? What a decision? I ask you? I help him choose. I couldn't help noticing that both shirt collars are dirty.

12. True. A CAMRA Real Ale 'Conference' at Aston University (I kid you not) in the 1970s. No one else from the book distributors would go - they were all ill or having babies or otherwise engaged, funnily enough - so it was left to me, the shy and callow greenhorn recruit. Luckily the audience was sparse, and mainly worse for wear. And there were some large, real-ale ladies there with suckling infants - honest! Fair put me off my regurgitated statistics.

8 comments:

Rita said...

Well that's a relief to hear that you only have one wife!!

Yes, you can use the photo if you like. I do love that old man, he was one of the great little "gifts" of the Camino. What a joy to spend a bit of time with him!!

Rachel Fox said...

I thought 9 was too obvious! That's what I get from trying to be clever...
x

The Weaver of Grass said...

Knew I was right. As I said - in the R family there are no secrets!

am said...

This calls for:

"The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure. To live it you have to explode."

and:

"Number 9, number 9, number 9"

I didn't think you had a wife in South America (-:

Did I understand correctly that you are planning another extended walking trip in January? Loved the recent walking trip in Scotland.

gleaner said...

Like Rachel I thought 9 was too obvious.

That's a great and appropriate quote in Am's comment.

Rebecca said...

(9) as the answer was too obvious. Thot it was more fun to pretend one of the others may be the answer.

At least we know your marbles are intact :-)

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks all, and thanks am for such a great comment. Yes, the Camino calls yet again...

And yes, with or without marbles, I only have one wife.

Thanks, Rita - that picture sums it all up, somehow.

Raph G. Neckmann said...

Really enjoyed all this! Glad you've only one wife.

'Regurgitated statistics'? Are you a ruminant too, like me? :)