But Richard H brought up four very interesting topics.
For instance, do you know where in the UK the table football game Subbuteo was founded?
Or have you heard of the comedian Robert Moreton?
Or do you know what heritage carrots are?
Or do you know the difference between Jus and Gravy?
Well let me enlighten you. Ricard H played subbuteo against the founder and lost 1-0. The game was invented by the delightfully named P. A. Adolph and started life as a game in Tunbridge Wells in Kent. I spent a lot of my youth in Tunbridge Wells and even got engaged there but I had no idea that the table flicking football game came from there.
Peter Adolph was demobbed from the Royal Air Force at the end of World War Two and was searching for a new business opportunity and decided to invent a tabletop football game. He adapted it from an earlier game entitled Newfooty. Adolph was a keen bird watcher and called his football game after a bird of prey known as the Eurasian Hobby whose scientific name was Falco Subbuteo.
The first Subbuteo sets were produced from Langton Green near Tunbridge Wells. There was even a museum in the town. Today there are Subbuteo clubs all over the world. I have tried playing it a few times but find it rather dull and pointless although I did once write an article for a local newspaper about the Norfolk championships which were won by Colin White from Caister near Great Yarmouth. I played him for about five minutes by which time he was 5-0 up - all totally pointless.
Incidentally there's a plaque to Mr Adolph in Tunbridge Wells.
Robert Moreton sounds like a strange cove. He was born in 1922 and was a straight actor before becoming a comedian. His gimmick was having a Bumper Fun Book where he pretended to search for a joke before getting confused but eventually coming up with a punchline which was usually for the wrong joke. Now doesn't that sound hilarious? Must look him up on You Tube.
On the menu board at the pub was a dish that featured heritage carrots. So we assumed that these might just be very old carrots. But no they are carrots that are the original carrots and can be purple, black, white or yellow in colour. This is how carrots used to be before the Dutch got hold of them and developed a standard orange colour. So how do heritage carrots taste? Well they taste just like carrots. And why did the Dutch make them orange in colour? Simply because that's the Dutch national colour as you would know if you've been watching the World Cup.
And finally, the difference between Jus and Gravy. Yes there is a difference although I've banned my grandson from using the word jus when he makes pancakes. I've also stopped him using the word compote as being just too pretentious. Jus isn't thickened with flour and is usually thinner than gravy.
Now don't say you don't learn some interesting things from my dribblings.