I spent most of my weekend travelling to, or from, Llandudno, in order to attend the Welsh Liberal Democrats Spring Conference with Ros, and a very pleasant journey it was too, with the grandeur of Snowdonia, lambs gambolling in the fields and the rest of the North Wales experience.
The event itself, at least what I saw of it, seemed to be going well, and I took the opportunity to compare notes with members of the Welsh Conference Committee for possible use later. The conference dinner, something we don't do in London, was a lot of fun, and I got to share a table with an all-star cast including Roger Williams, the MP for Brecon & Radnor, Kirsty Williams, the Assembly Member for the same patch plus Eleanor Burnham, the local Regional List AM. The fact that I couldn't talk to Ros (she was at the opposite side of the table) was made, as a result, much more bearable.
The fundraising element comprised a raffle (you were surprised by that, weren't you...), three table quizzes and a game of "Deal or No Deal". What I learnt from the quizzes was that Will Howells has an encyclopedic knowledge of Winter OIympic venues (odd, because we really aren't that good at things involving snow and ice), and that George W. Bush is even more stupid and tongue-tied than even I had thought possible.
I had bought an envelope when one was proferred to me without actually realising what it was. Once the game was introduced, I suppose that I shouldn't have been surprised when my number (five, the number of cats from whom I rent my home) came up as the contestant. It was time to match wits with banker Alison Goldsworthy, a noble adversary indeed. Luckily, and a little to Ros's surprise, I suspect, I gave the impression that I knew what I was doing, and was able to convert my £5 stake into a £25 donation to the Welsh Party by dint of some astute deal non-making.
I was impressed my the ingenuity, and think that this is certainly something that other Party groups might want to try in the future. Make sure that you have someone who can count as your banker though...
One thing that did initial puzzle me was the presence of a sizeable contingent from Cowley Street who, as it turned out, were there to lead some training. Unlike me, I guess that some of them will be in Avie more for the Scottish Spring Conference this coming weekend.
Although I picked up the wine, I quickly handed it over to Mark Cole, who was the real brains of the Olympics round!
ReplyDeleteQuite bizzare this. I've been thinking of starting up my own blog so have been trawling through those of others to see the lie of the land, only to find that people have been talking about me without me even knowing!!
ReplyDeleteI must admit that I have got a geekily impressive Olympics knowledge! Though I can't remember being given the bottle of wine. But perhaps it's because I'd drank a lot already by then...