…John Richardson for his ‘Mouse and the Elephant’ joke.
After one of the most highly competitive Jokathon’s for many years, John graciously received the new Mike Hayes Jokathon trophy—regarded by many in the bar afterwards as a cross between a piece of cheese and a door stopper.

The Cheese Door Stopper

Indeed, Mrs Richardson is currently using it to hold open the door to the Richardson’s outdoor clothing department. She also warns that for any mice that are tempted to nibble at the trophy, she intends to clobber them with her husband’s cricket bat.

The other Jokathon prize was “The Logbook of the Low Countries” by fellow CADS member Wout van der Toorn OBE, a Dutch economist with a keen interest in history. With its two and a half thousand references, it gives a chronological summary of important events in the history of The Low Countries set against major events in the wider world.

Wout van der Toorn OBE

The one joke in there was forcibly removed by the publisher…

The ‘Battle of the cheese crazed cricket mice in the Richardson’s clothing cupboard’ was sadly omitted. It was considered, at the very last moment, to be of little relevance to the bigger historical picture. The fact that it is far fetched, and possibly untrue, played a significant role in its omission from the book.

Logbook of the Low Countries  ISBN: 9789088600524;  RRP € 24,50
Available at bookshops and via internet. www.seaside-publishing.com