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Missing link

The days before Christmas are the time for PRs to chance their arms and try to convince magazines like this one to squeeze in any old guff, as editors scramble for that most sought-after byline: Phil Space. And the period before the recent Christmas holiday was no different with one release catching my eye: 鈥淕ordon Strachan鈥檚 Favourite Sport Resort Offers New Buyers Guaranteed Returns.鈥� It sounds like a quirky song title. It鈥檚 not. Turns out the under-fire Scotland football team manager has had a place at La Manga in Spain since 1989. And there any link between the football teams of Spain and Scotland ends.

Ace of clubs

Sticking with football, I鈥檝e been invited to take a tour later this month of Tottenham Hotspur鈥檚 new ground. It鈥檚 being built by Mace and the north London club is hoping to be out of its N17 stronghold for just one season. In short, Mace has been told to get a shift on. Anyway, the tour party will hear that the Populous-designed ground 鈥渨ill be unrivalled in terms of design, atmosphere and hospitality鈥�. I put this to an Arsenal-supporting colleague and asked if he fancied coming along. He said he鈥檇 do something unmentionable in the changing room so I took that as a No.

Loyal customers

Those clever people at architect firm Orms sent me Christmas and new year wishes in the form of a passport. Called a Brexmas Passport, it had a stamp marked The Snowman 鈥� with 鈥渂roadcast prohibited鈥� running across it. And another marked UK Customs 鈥� one of which was 鈥淲atch the Queen after lunch鈥�. How true.

More than 7 million of us did so on Christmas Day, making it one of the most watched shows of the festive period.

Dressing for Brexit

On the subject of Brexit, a spoof catalogue arrives in the form of PPE catalogue that has been rebranded Brexit Protection Equipment. Promising cover for 鈥渁ll employees exposed to a risk from Brexit鈥�, it goes on to list the sort of items available 鈥� for example, longer length trousers 鈥渢o protect against being cut off at the knees鈥� or perhaps readers might fancy air comfort gloves 鈥渋deal for when the heat gets turned up sometime next summer鈥�. Thanks to Liz Male Consulting for the chuckles.

Doing the honours

It鈥檚 the time of year when my hacks trawl the list of those who have been awarded gongs in the new year鈥檚 honours list. A number of the industry were recognised but I was rather tickled to find out that the middle name of newly knighted tennis player Sir Andy Murray is Barron. Great Scott! Tennis world number one, Wimbledon champion, BBC Sports Personality of the Year 鈥� How many titles does a man need?

Jumbo package

On a recent visit to the 拢5bn Silvertown development in London鈥檚 Docklands, my hack was interested to learn more about the area鈥檚 vibrant industrial past. In among photos of the more humdrum goods of pork and grain to pass through the docks, developer First Base found archive pictures of elephants being hauled from cargo ships. That鈥檚 quite the logistics problem. Presumably they were bound for the zoo 鈥�?