Something has been niggling in the very murky depths of my brain recently. You know those cobwebby corners filled with sludge so that absolutely NO learning can take place without a mop being employed first?
A few weeks ago, Dave and I went to a Quiz night. I sat there quietly for most of the night, muttering answers to questions I was only half convinced were correct. The team was doing well, what with the rest of the table being intellectuals and all.
About ten questions from the very end of the quiz, the question master asked a question that made my eyes light up and made me jump from my seat proclaiming 'I know this one. I know this!'
My team members were very grateful as they didn't have the foggiest and so there I sat basking in glory about to impart my wisdom onto each and everyone of them.
I felt invincible after that. I had proved myself there and then in that Greek Orthodox Church Hall. It was clear that no one else in the room had got the question right and that made my smugness all the more clear to those inferior academics sat around me.
When the answers were read out, I waited expectantly for my question.
"And the answer to No. 42 is.... Southampton!"
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Bugger. Shit. What happened? I got the bloody thing wrong!
I immediately crumbled as my team mates jeered me. They wouldn't let me forget my stupidity and I felt ashamed that I obviously had not even learned the history of my home town.
The question was this..."Which UK town did the Mayflower ship depart from before making it's historic journey to America?"
It was obvious to me...Plymouth. I grew up in Plymouth. There are hundreds of landmarks named after the historic voyage and ship. The ship even landed in 'Plymouth' in New England for gods sake. There are even the Mayflower steps that are honoured with a plaque documenting the day the ship left and how many passengers it was carrying to the new world.
(By the way, the actual Mayflower steps are a few metres up the road from the ones that are officially the steps. It was thought that these ones in the picture above looked a lot prettier than the ones actually used and so the Americans would spend more money on souvenirs!!)
So as I prepare to go to another quiz night tonight, I feel as if I should clear up this horribly messy business before I can claim closure on the episode. I've just researched the subject a little on the internet (and we all know that t'internet never lies!)
If you want to be picky about it, neither the Question Master or I were correct.
It appears that the 'Mayflower' departed from LONDON before stopping off at SOUTHAMPTON for a feed. It then travelled to DARTMOUTH cos of a leaky companion boat.
It docked there whilst fixing up said companion boat before sailing on as a twosome. The Mayflower and it's companion boat sailed for a couple of hundred miles into the Atlantic Ocean and then snarled a collective 'bugger' as the neighbours boat was fuckedy leaking again!
It docked there whilst fixing up said companion boat before sailing on as a twosome. The Mayflower and it's companion boat sailed for a couple of hundred miles into the Atlantic Ocean and then snarled a collective 'bugger' as the neighbours boat was fuckedy leaking again!
It sailed back to PLYMOUTH for a while til it was deemed that the companion boat was a complete bunch of arse at the whole floating thing and that the 'Mayflower' would sail alone to America.
Therefore the Mayflower sailed from PLYMOUTH to arrive in Plymouth in New England....
So who is right then?
6 comments:
i will say you are right, i wouldnt have had a clue!!! i remember the game we played at rhonas that new year! you and rob were hammered, we got Dr Miller and i was thinking yes!!! the clever bloke and you still beat us!!!! never mind it was worth getting beaten when you slid into the living room trying to be sober and landed on your arse!! cue dave taking you home!!!!
You should copy the countdown clock on my blog and make one for Shazza's arrival.
I would have agreed with you and said Plymouth, I feel that you must put the quiz master right so this doesnt happen again and tell him to look it up in future!!!!
Right I've read up on it and YOU were right.
Yes, the Mayflower set said originally from Southampton BUT we are talking aboot a voyage of discovery here.
Where did it set sail from? England. We agree that. NOW if it set sail from England it can only be from one place. That is the last place it resided in Engalnd.
Hence the answer in Plymouth.
Go chin the quizmaster.
Shazza, Ta. I remember that night well (not). Why did I have to get drunk and fall over in front of Rhonas parents??!
Jane, Just have. Thanks. Didn't realise you could change the reasoning for the clock. Must admit, the whole american date thing threw me a little. Have got it right now though.
Moo, I knew it couldn't be just me. We were bought up with the tales of the Mayflower, Frankie Drake and the likes weren't we?
Spunky, am currently writing a formal letter of complaint with demands for a public apology. Will let you know how it goes.
(some guy actually bought in a print out of an internet article at last nights quiz night to prove that he had answered a question correctly the previous week. We all sat there coughing 'wanker' whenever he passed!)
nat it was funny but scary too, we thought you had really hurt yourself but you were just drunk! its normally me that gets pissed and makes a total idiot of myself so it was kinda nice to see that i am not alone in that respect! cant wait to get there and make more of an idiot of myself!!!
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