Selective Memory

There was a question about Charlton at the quiz. Alex took us back in time to 21 August 1965, and mentioned Keith Peacock, and wanted to know what was unique about Keith in combination with this date. There was a snort from David, and a comment to the effect that there was one person in the bar who knew things about Charlton, possibly implying that it was an easy question. But it wasn't at all. I had no idea why Keith Peacock should have become unique on 21 August 1965. As no one else had any idea, Alex, having checked, as is his wont, that no team had got the right answer, gave a clue, which was that this date was the opening day of the season. This produced a flurry of realisation as people opted for Keith having been shown the first-ever yellow (or red, but surely not?) card. But I squashed that one, as I knew full well that the coloured cards idea came in during the seventies. So we had no idea. The answer is, for my fellow-Charlton-supporting readers (or maybe you know), that Keith has the honour of being the first-ever substitute to be used in an English League game. Alex didn't tell us who it was against, but my ever-valuable resource, Soccerbase, informs me that it was away, like last season, to Bolton, and also like last season, Charlton let four in, though they managed two in reply.

Now the interesting fact is that this question actually appeared two weeks ago, not this week, and while thinking at the time that I had better make a reference to it (having been a teacher for many years, I know the value of admitting to not knowing things; what students really dislike are smart-arse know-it-alls), the whole incident unaccountably slipped my memory when I came to do the blog some days later. So, evidently, in spite of the best of intentions, I was subconsciously reluctant to admit to the fact that there had been a Charlton question and that I hadn't known the answer. Pity, because we don't get many Charlton questions, not compared with questions about Liverpool (Alex supports them) or Leeds United (Tony's favourites). The only one there has been was a connection: what connects Meridian; Bleecker Street, Bob Dylan and Charlton Athletic? The answer is of course Greenwich, and the question was posed about three years ago. By me.

This week there were very few people; in the end our team lined up the same as the previous week, except that we were supplemented by Mike, an Irish friend of ours who is over for a month from London to work on one of the Centre's famous summer courses.

We were sliding towards third place, as Edu's team, even without him, were storming away with it, and our eternal rivals looked certain to overtake us when they played their joker on the final round. In fact we tied for second place with them, which necessitated some tie-break questions. Unlike the last time when these two teams played off, we lost. But we did, all four, get spot prizes. Again, a jolly social evening ensued, and I wandered home contentedly enough, in the heat of the night, looking forward to the arrival on Wednesday of the new air conditioning unit I had ordered earlier on that Monday evening.

The next quiz will be the last till mid-September, so I am hoping that the entire team (Mush should be back from his travels) will be able to turn out, though Mike is standing by.

The only counterpanes (see previous post) I could at first find on the net had people lying on them, and quite often naked people at that. But I finally had an idea. There is a fine selection on the John Lewis page, here, though unfortunately they are referred to as bedspreads. How vulgar!

I'll post a picture using the new system before long, perhaps one of Charlton's new signings.

London

The above post was written and ready to roll on Thursday morning, and then I delayed posting it in the light of the London bombings. I personally feel that life has to continue normally at times like this, but we live in strange times, and often, people who try to get on with normal things are ostracised as not having enough respect, or sympathy, for the people who have suffered as a result of an atrocity.

I would like to say, though, that this blog does not exist in order to supplement the news media; it is merely an online diary about my personal life, for the most part as reflected in my support for Charlton Athletic (of whom more tomorrow) and the doings of our quiz team.

I trust that my readers will know perfectly well that I am not going to be in favour of people being horribly murdered as they travel to work. No sane person is, so please do not assume, because I haven't rushed into online print to denounce the perpetrators, that I do not care. But life has to go on. Madrid has already lived through one of these tragedies, and I was in New York shortly after the 2001 one, as well, so I know all about this, and the important thing is not to give in and stop living as you otherwise would, but to go on, however downhearted you might feel.