....My calendar girl......

The Boss' Advent calendar...she insists on a traditional one every year....no chocolate....no toys.....just Christmassy pictures....and every year they get harder to find....in fact she bought this one herself!

The last 24 hours have not been good for me.

Last night coming home from a beer with B and D it was raining....big, fat very cold rain drops.....falling on to very cold surfaces...and forming black ice instantly. It was so bad I had top walk home in the road as the pavements were treacherous. When I got outside the house I stepped on to the little slope up to the drive, my right foot began to slip....I planted my left foot down....and both feet went from underneath me. I went full length, face down....and then I couldn't get any purchase to get up....so I had to crawl to my car (only about 5 metres). No real damage done.... just sore knees and a banged up left wrist and shoulder....and cold and wet....and the wind knocked out of me.

Today I missed hebs at break time.....I stayed behind for a pupil who asked for help....and then failed to turn up....and the drive home was a dice with death thanks to idiots on the road.

Tonight's quiz was a nightmare....the questions again were badly skewed....so much so that Phil the League secretary ( who plays for us) is writing to the question setters and is resigning as Sec...he gets all the phone calls of complaint.
Just how unbalanced were the questions.....well in the five matches that took place....all 4 home teams who got the second lot of questions and our opponents who chose to go second won....not only that they all scored between 53 and 55 points.....and the teams who got the first set of questions lost......and they all scored between 41 and 43 points!

Here's some for you to try, including a couple of examples of the unbalanced ones.

1.Which is the oldest bridge crossing the Seine in Paris?
2. Which hymn was written in 1779 by a former slave trader turned church minister?
3. (Our question) which Japanese company are now the world's leading supplier of Badminton equipment?
4. (Their question) Which Australian company are the world's leading suppliers of clothing and equipment for swimmers, their name now being almost a by-word for brief, tight trunks?
5. (Ours) The seeds of the carob tree can be crushed and used as a substitute for which food?
6. (Theirs)The root of which plant can be ground for use as a cheap coffee substitute?
7. (Theirs)Which High Energy Nuclear research facility is situated near Geneva in Switzerland?
8. (Ours)Situated outside Batavia, Illinois the High Energy Nuclear research is named after which scientist?
9. In 1653 who wrote the book "The Compleat Angler"
10. In Greek mythology/history who was the leader of the Mermidons?
11. The bridge building company Dorman Long of Middlesbrough built which bridge that opened in 1932?
12.Born in 1963 with the given name William which actor was nominated for an Oscar as best supporting actor in 12 Monkeys?

We got 1,2,3,5,8,9,10 and 12 right......they got 4,6,7and 11 right...and we still lost! Shows you how easy their other questions must have been.

Das vidanya moy padruga.


Answers
1. Pont Du Neuf
2. Amazing Grace
3. Yonex
4. Speedo
5.Chocolate
6. Chicory
7. CERN
8. Enrico Fermi
9. Isaac Walton
10. Achilles
11. Sydney Harbour Bridge
12.Brad Pitt.