Lockdown, quizzes ...and pineapples

These memories were prompted while I was assembling the 7 prizes won every week now in the Online Lord C Quiz , when currently some 80 take part in answering the 7 rounds of 10 questions each. I do it all, setting the questions and tie breaks etc . Prizes are a bottle of wine for 4 of the rounds and last week it was with 3 Pineapples. The week before wine and mangoes and before that wine and toilet rolls .
All good fun and a test on the knowledge of quizzers.

The Pineapples brought back some memories of years ago.

In 1973 I was a director of Littlewood's Mail Ordering and Chain Stores. And one day a call from Sir John Moores to see him and to be asked to go to the Côte d'Ivoire on an exploratory trip. We had been contacted by the Trade Minister there saying he would like to be considered for trade from his country to our stores .

To the Côte d'Ivoire

So . Bags packed -- and off I fly , with Air France out of Heathrow . Fly to Abidjan and my very first footfall on Africa soil. Stay at big hotel full of French tourists . Meet with the Minister of Education -- as it turns out. He told me of the factory making school clothing and took me to see it. Yes. All the school children were kitted out -- from his factory ! !
Not a good situation in truth .
Back to my hotel which had an inner courtyard with swimming pool with a high walkway all round as one exited ones room. Lots of ladies of leisure sunbathing , all French.
The Ivory Coast as I knew it from my stamp collecting days, was a French Colony up to 1960 and the main language was French.

Pineapples

My first sight of fields and fields of pineapple plant as was taken out into the bush to get to the factory – in stifling heat of course . And the fruit grew, to my eyes, in such strange way ,with the fruit we know sitting atop the low plant . Row after row of them ripening in the tropical sun. So strange to me .
Back I flew to the UK – And given the political aspects we did not open trade .
Amazing to think that still most of such fruits we enjoy , come by air from Costa Rica. Even in lock down days.
And you might win some one day in the....

Lord C Online Quiz

If anyone would like to take part in the quizzes to while away your days of lockdown, just contact me (at rjw@notrubraw.com) with your email address and I will send to you. Cost to you is just £1 a head of the team, which goes towards the cost of prizes.

Good fun and a chance to use the grey matter.

Ralph Warburton