Name of the Game

I had a meeting yesterday with a farmer who also runs an irrigation business.  We are looking at the most efficient way to water some of our summer-flowering plants.  He did a Nuffield Scholarship on the subject and is one of the leading lights in drip-feed technology.  His name is Anthony Hopkins. 

It's bloomin' unlucky, I reckon, when someone with the same name as you becomes famous after you have been christened.  He must have heard every comment in the book.  If I had the same name as a famous person I would carry a cricket bat to thank people for mentioning the fact.

I managed to resists making any corny comments to Anthony although God knows how hard it was.  When I offered him a coffee I wanted to say "... or would you prefer fava beans and a nice chianti. Th th th th th.  I wanted to say it so badly that I almost exploded.  I had another little wobble as he was leaving and I had to stick a biro in my leg to stop me from saying "Enjoy what Remains Of The Day."

Anyhow.  Names have been a bit of a thing going on lately.  Lovely eco-entrepreneur Heather Gorringe, my favouritest businesswoman in the whole world (after Ivana Trump, obviously), was telephoned by someone looking for Herbert Orange.  I intend to call her that for evermore.

Also. Following on that the stuff that I wrote about Richie Farmer, the commissioner for agriculture in Kentucky, I have stumbled across nominative determinism.  This is where you have a name which is in some related to your work. I was playing a game on the subject on Twitter the other night with Jack Davies (he works for another farming journal - I'll probably get dragged down to FW Towers and tarred and feathered for putting that link in.  No doubt they will use red and yellow feathers to make me look even more corporate).

 The best names of actual people that we came up with were (I'll do a Pick of the Pops Top 10)

10  Chair of aneaesthesiology and pain management in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois is called William J Tranquilli

9  In the early '70s, the art adviser to Newcastle Education Authority was Geoffrey Drewitt

8  There is a reasonably well known jazz drummer called Ray Pounds. "Ray Pounds on the drums"

7 Minister for Tourism in Gibraltar - Joe Holiday

6 Presenter of Farming Today - Anna Hill

5 Presenter of Farming Today - Anne-Marie Bullock (I think that Tina Turner's real name is similar to that.  I am not suggesting that Tina Turner is presenting Farming Today these days)

4 Presenter of Farming Today - Mark Holdstock (Hold Stock geddit???)

3 Presenter of Farming Today - Ian Silage-Clamp (I made that one up)

2 Chap from Britsih Waterways - Lee King

1 American Urologist - Dick Chop