On Friday night I took part in my first tablequiz since last June and, since that was the novelty event that is the Ballyhaunis Inter-pub, it’s probably fair to say it was my first proper TQ in over a year. I know, weird.
The quiz was in aid of the local primary school. A friend suggested I take part and I thought “Why not?”
My initial problem was to gather a team. It’s been a while and, frankly, life has changed a lot in the intervening period. My father-in-law would have been up for taking part in times gone by, if he was needed, but alas we lost him, suddenly, on February 16th. I try not to get too personal on the blog, as you know, with a notable exception. I miss him terribly; he was as good as a second father to me for the over 20 years-or-so I’ve been hanging around his house. Last year, claiming he needed to do something to fill the days following his retirement, he acted as site engineer/foreman/hod carrier for the renovation of our house. Indeed, on the day he died, he was out at our still-feels-new house, helping us to finally make a start at doing something with our garden. Still, however I feel personally, I am endevouring to be there and do my best for Ev, Mrs TQ.net as she goes through the experience I know so well from last year.
Bizarrely enough, she decided to actually accompany me to the quiz, as a means of getting out and about. I think it’s only the third time she’s ever gone to a quiz with me! Along with our friend Ger, we were also joined by a man called Joe, who hails from Kiltimagh and had been brought along to the quiz by his wife. It turned out they had a group of five, so Joe was the man who pulled the short straw and had to declare himself available for any team that needed a fourth.
Come the end of the night, we had done very well. We finished on an impressive 94/100, albeit that wasn’t good enough to win. We finished third behind ‘C U There’, a team made up of staff from the local Credit Union, who finished on a wonderful 96 points.
The two point gap is important as one of our six incorrect answers was possibly the worst wrong answer in the history of quizzing! I kid you not. You will be laughing shortly when you have a read through the list.
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