The Hutton Halloween Gig

Well, there’s the only three photos I managed to grab, from tonight.   Up top, there is Emma, doing her best not to pose, to the side are a couple of the Woodlanders team, and that’s Ria, at the bottom try very hard to not look shocked.   Or possibly gamine, I should say, if I want to sound continental.

Maybe not.   Either way, we had four teams in, tonight, which was about what I expected, including the No Idea’s, who lost tonight; – by a point.   Quiet, but mostly old friends of the quiz.   And a lot more actual people than at the original Hutton first night, all those years ago.

And, although Sue, the landlady has knock my price down, a little, I think she’s in for the proverbial long haul; – and offering to pay for more posters, from her budget, which reduces my costs, a little.

Anyway, I’ll post more tomorrow, including the actual quizzes themselves.

Catch you then.

Tonight, Once More

Just popped into the Hutton to check it’s still on tonight.

My word, it’s looking rather better than it did in there!

Thursday; – Fit the First

Well, here’s Thursday!

Which is as good a way as any to start.

I’m nervous, it’s got to be said.   It has, after all, been nine months since I was anywhere near the Hutton, and was “temporarily discharged” by the previous manager’s.   Which, along with the balls up Andy and Shelley managed to make of their end of running an otherwise successful quiz, didn’t exactly endear them to me.

Which doesn’t sound stunning, possibly, but, in my experience, running a halfway decent pub quiz doesn’t just rely all on the quizmaster; – half of it’s all about the staff and management.

I really shouldn’t blame them too much; – the Hutton was the first pub they took on, as tenants or or managers, and was at the start of the smoking ban, which didn’t help, and just before the credit crunch started to bite … The fact they eventually decided to give it up after something like a year was no surprise, particularly as Punch put up both the rent, AND the prices.

But, back to my earlier point about staff.   Well, Andy and Shelley made a couple of wrong choices …

One of whom managed to alienate a good half of the regular teams, and that definitely didn’t help.   About four, in all.

Which, given we had between eight and ten regular teams, was a chunk of regular income.

Oh, I can’t blame them, totally, they were on a budget, but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth.   And considering the staff member concerned was – as far as we could tell – using cocaine, which they’d been warned about, several times.   You can imagine what I felt.

But …

It’s all new, now.

Sue, the new landlady, used to run the Castle, back in the day, and somewhat competently, as far as I could ever see.   So that’s hopeful.   It’ll just be a case of attracting back punter’s, and some of the regulars.   As Sue and Zeki, her partner, used to run a very successful pub in Harlow, I’m told, that strikes me as a good sign

Here’s hoping.   Wish me well.

Tuesday; – Fit the fifth.

More stuff from last night, folks.   The following’s is last night’s fear and terror round.   I’ll be publishing the rest, come thursday night.   After all, I don’t want to give too much away, now do I?

ROUND FIVE.   FEAR & TERROR.

Q41) Sinophobia is a fear of people from which East Asian nation?

A41) China

Q42) Alliumphobia is the fear of which vegetable?   (Bonus for telling us which country eats the most of it.)

A42) Garlic.  (Believe it or not, China!)

Q43) Of what is Wiccaphobia the fear; – knowledge, witches, or wooden baskets?

A43) Witches

Q44) Melanophobia is the fear of which colour?

A44) Black

 Q45) Aurophobia is a fear of of which precious metal?

A45) Gold

 Q46) Frigophobia is a fear of what; – the cold, the damp, or domestic refrigerators?

A46) The cold

Q47) If you have an unreasoning fear of childbirth, are you tocophobic, cotophobic, or napophobic?

A47) Tocophobic.

Q48) Walt Disney ironically suffered from suriphobia. Suriphobia is the fear of which rodent?

A48) of Mice (from the French “souris”, meaning mouse).

Q49) Androphobia is the fear of who; – men, women, or children?

A49) Men.

Q50) Homichlophobia, is the fear of what; – fog, rain, or thunder?

A50) Fog.   (Fear of thunder is called brontophobia.)

Tuesday Night: – Fit the Third

Thought I’d post these photo’s up quickly, but I’ll post more in the morning.   But, suffice to say, that was quite a good night.   There’ll be changes, for Thursday’s but return at the Hutton, but for now, I’ll get sleep.