When Stoford Living's development manager Phil McConnachie accepted an offer from colleague Jon Andrews to be "shown the ropes", little did he realise it would involve bobbing about in a boat.
For seasoned sailor Jon, who runs Stoford Living, the residential arm of Stoford Developments, had invited the office out for a sail on his 32ft yacht Sundowner.
The invitation brought nautical novices Phil and Stoford's head of finance Julie Robinson one Friday night to Swansea Marina where the boat is berthed.
Phil said: "We were out from the early hours until 4pm on the Saturday sailing around the Mumbles in conditions that Jon euphemistically called 'fresh'. At least no one was ill!"
Phil and Julie got to take the helm, work the sails, make use of their pre-sail lesson in knots – and even managed to catch some mackerel for their lunch.
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Solicitors are not exactly renowned for being shy and retiring – and one football obsessed trainee at Black Country firm Higgs & Sons is certainly no exception to the rule.
Richard Griffiths, who has been with Higgs for almost two years, has built a reputation for two things during his tenure at the firm – his love of Wolverhampton Wanderers and his love of the spotlight.
And it seems the 24-year-old has even developed a knack for combining the two passions, as his recent foray into the world of television demonstrates.
Appearing on Sky Sports' Soccer AM programme as one of the "fans of the week", Richard, resplendent in his Wolves kit, was picked to sashay up and down the catwalk accompanied by presenter Tim Lovejoy and a female fan known as a soccerette. Having been a former incumbent of "Wolfie" – the Wolves mascot, Richard took the task well and truly in his stride. It is reported that his bosses at Higgs – many of whom are also Wolves fans – were happy for him to represent the firm in this way and were just grateful that despite the ribbing he has received since appearing on the programme no-one has yet stooped so low as to ask the solicitor/supermodel to "show us your briefs"!
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Birmingham born playwright and entertainer Malcolm Stent, addressing a recent gathering of business people at the British Jewellery, Giftware & Finishing Federation's AGM at the Council House, told his audience that, contrary to popular opinion, "Brummies aren't thick".
He noted: "When I read an article by a leading female playwright that the Birmingham accent is the worst in the world and all Brummies are thick I thought it was time to put the record straight!
"In Birmingham we fear no man, we respect everyone, the only problem appears to be the way we speak! But in fact there is actually a strain of genius in Birmingham, a rare logic, which those outside Birmingham cannot understand."
Bravo.
And here is the Bright guide to being a Brummie.
1) All Brummies confirm the end of each sentence with what they started with! Example ... You're alright you are! I went there, I did! She's alright, she is!
2) Everybody is 'son'. Alright son, cheers son, nice one my son!
3) Everyone remembers when West Midlands Travel had a promo for 2p bus fares everywhere (even though it was over 15 years ago)
4) Everyone knows where the Wheatsheaf is, how to get to the Big Onion, and where King Kong used to be.
5) No one has ever actually seen a prostitute at the 'back of Rackhams'!
6) 'Greggs' bakers is really 'Braggs' and always will be.
7) You don't think twice of getting a 'round in' for £20 – but are gutted when your car needs a new exhaust for, yep, £20!
8) You say "town" and expect everyone to know which one.
9) You always have the exact change when you board a bus.
10) You can't see anything strange about your three favourite bands being ELO, Black Sabbath and UB40.
11) You know that Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice. You feel the need to share this information with everybody you meet.
12) You could never see anything odd about Crossroads.
13) You have dinner at lunchtime and go home to tea.
14) You haven't been to the Rag Market since your mom took you there to get a school blazer in 1974, but have to date signed 37 petitions to stop it closing.
15) You believe that Drucker's Vienna patisserie was invented for you.
16) When anybody asks you to recommend a good Indian you can provide them with a list of a hundred.
17) Your grocer is Indian, your off-licence owner is Jamaican, your laundry man is Chinese, your favourite barman is Irish, your favourite cafe owner is Austrian, the watchseller on your corner is Bangladeshi, your last cabbie was Pakistani and your favourite chip shop owner is Cypriot.
18) You think pork scratchings are a health food.
19) You think the Rotunda is a smart piece of architecture.
20) You think all arguments can be ended with the words "Shakespeare was a Brummie".
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St Modwen's development director Derek West has cajoled a group of business friends – and his daughter Abby – to accompany him next week on a 300-mile cycle ride from London to Paris.
No, they are not the official advance party testing the route of the first stage of next month's Tour de France which starts at Greenwich and finishes at the Eiffel Tower – although they might maintain they have been training as hard as their professional counterparts!
Derek has just as manly concerns, so to speak. He is aiming, with his cohorts, to raise more than £10,000 for the Prostate Cancer Charity.
Last year, by chance, Derek was diagnosed as having the problem and he had a successful operation last October. This prompted him to plan the charity ride to both raise awareness of the condition and aid the charity's funding.
So for the past few months fitness – and abstinence from various of life's pleasures – have been top priority for Derek, who this week had to tone-down his 60th birthday celebrations, and for Dominic Goold, managing director, Goold Estates, Craig Bales, property director, Poundland, John Mursell, investment director, Colliers CRE, and Stuart Wilson, management consultant, BT.
Abby has also been keeping fit and giving them encouragement on the weekend training rides which have averaged 65 miles a day.
Anyone who would like to contribute should go to the Just Giving page: http//www.justgiving.com/derekparis
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My Looking After A Client Award this week goes to Birmingham real estate advisers DTZ for introducing Irishman Damien Byrne to the wonderful world of corporate cricket.
Considering he had never played the game before, Damien was doing rather well when he batted against Martineau Johnson in a John Bright Trophy match at Britannic Park, Moseley, on Monday. After astutely ignoring wide first delivery, he clubbed his second ball for a single wide of mid-wicket. But then he was run out by a country mile after his nameless Welsh partner called for a suicidal single.
Thanks mainly to former Warwickshire wicketkeeper Stuart Eustace’s elegantly struck undefeated 38 and skipper Andrew Berry’s 30, the Colmore Square-based firm totalled 158/7 in their 16 eight-ball overs. But their bowlers managed to get Martineau in the game by over-enthusiastically following England’s lead conceding 53 extras.
But with the batting side needing just ten to win, wicketkeeper Tom Huddleston, who had taken three catches, gave his pads to Eustace and produced an impressive final over hat-trick to give his side a dramatic five-run victory.
On Tuesday, Wragge & Co proved too formidable for a game Drivers Jonas side and rain washed out the week’s other two scheduled games in the Williams de Broe-sponsored tournament.
Results - Week 7
Mon June 11 – DTZ 158/7 in 16 overs (S Eustace 38 rtd, A Berry 30, D Hughes 27*, T Speed 2-24, K Hayfield 1-3) Martineau Johnson 153 in 15.4 overs (I Sheppard 36, T Huddleston 3-4. D Hughes 3-12) DTZ won by 5 runs.
Tues June 12 – Wragge & Co 178/5 in 126 overs (D Curtis 40, rtd, D Hodgson 36 rtd) Drivers Jonas 98 in 12.4 overs (D Kosna 39, K Henry 24, K Gamble 3-19, N Ball 2-4). Wragge won by 80 runs.