The Chap Olympiad returns to London’s Bedford Square this summer on Saturday 16 July.
For the last several years “the Chap Olympiad has provided track, field and bar events for the floppy of hair, the rakish of trilby and the elegant of trouser” in “celebration of Britain’s sporting ineptitude: sensational cravats take precedence over sweaty lycra; more points are awarded for maintaining immaculate trouser creases than crossing the finishing line“.

Events include Umbrella Jousting (above), the Well Dressage Event, Beach Volleybowler, and Gentlemen’s Club Golf (below).

The Chap Olympiad, which opens with the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic Pipe, “is a gathering place for the most eccentrically dressed sportsmen and sportswomen of the nation“. And despite the name the Olympiad is by no means restricted to those of the male gender.
More information, pictures and tickets at www.thechapolympiad.com.

This week we’re stretching the definition of “oddity” a little more than usual.
Last year Londonist published a couple of selections of amusing announcements London Underground tube train drivers have made over their tannoy systems. Here is a selection of the best …
Sorry for the delay, we are just waiting to clear a drunk dancing topless man from the tunnel.
Would the guy with the piano accordion please put your trousers back on.
Apologies for the delay but we have lost the driver.
We are currently experiencing delays on the Northern line due to a handbag on the line at Bank.
Ladies and gentleman, upon departing the train, may I remind you to take your rubbish with you. Despite the fact that you are in something that is metal, fairly round, filthy and smells, this is a tube train for public transport and not a bin on wheels.
Please do not obstruct the closing doors. Specifically, please do not use your children as a wedge to hold the doors open.

Please keep your kids with you at all times. Even the annoying ones.
Don’t forget to take your children and livestock with you.
Please let passengers off the train before boarding. It’s not the storming of the Bastille you know.
There’s a dog on the line ahead. They’ve sent a manager to rescue it. That’s not going to help.
[10 minutes later]
The dog is now at Plaistow. So it’s making better time than us.
This train is early and is now being delayed so that it is late. I don’t understand this either.
Mind your fingers, mind your toes, watch the doors, they’re gonna close.
I can assure the passenger in the second carriage that it is not raining in the train. Please put your umbrella down.
For those of you alighting here at Willesden Junction, welcome back to paradise.
There are lots more here and here.

Here’s another in our series of the strange and weird from our local auction house.
Left’s start off with something which is an occasional visitor, but turns up in a flock in this sale: stuffed birds (all separate lots) …
A stuffed songbird on a branch in a Victorian glass cabinet
A taxidermy barn owl in shrubs, under glass dome on mahogany base
A taxidermy barn owl on tree stump under glass dome on mahogany stand
Taxidermy: a Hen Harrier on wooden base under glass dome
A taxidermy kestrel on rocky base in glass and wooden case
Followed quickly by …
A rare mounted vintage animal head, probably a blackbuck, with one with normal horn, the other withered, on a wooden shield, with fragmentary taxidermist label from Byculla, Bombay
But then …
Two goatskin rugs, unused
The goats must have been mighty cold!
After which we sadly have to descend into the relatively ordinary …
A collection of cigarette cards; (some in albums) on the topics of dogs, The Reign of King George V, motor cars, railway engines, etc. also loose cards including fish, English period costumes, History of Army uniforms, Typhoo tea cards, ‘Cellarius’s Ancient Atlas New edition 1835’, and a leather bound album of old photographs concealing a hidden musical box
An Elizabeth II silver clown orchestra of five musicians, each performing on loaded circular base, 6″ and smaller, London import marks for 1974
An antique brass turban box plus a Johnson and Ravey brass cased mechanical spit
A large decorative silver coloured vase, a decorative bird in cage, a silver plated hinged pen box plus other decorative ethnic bowls, jars and dishes
A good selection of vintage shoe horns to include one Bakelite and metal, plus oriental leather canvas and beaded shoes, etc.
A collection of animal figurines including a large zebra, frogs, parrot, a Russian horse, cats, and a collection of Laurel & Hardy fridge magnets, a Nao figurine of a girl, and a Beswick figure of a Robin.
A large pale [sic] and lid [actually it’s a churn, not a pail] plus two further smaller pales [sic] with handles, and another, also a wicker log basket
An antique oriental bronze temple
In pieces!
An unusual Edward VIII commemorative toilet roll holder, circa 1936, with an unopened pack of Tri-Sol medicated toilet paper (price 6d), together with twelve Wedgwood Edme undecorated coffee cups and saucers
An interesting Chinese bronze large cover, possibly to a brazier, Ming dynasty or later, cast with the eight trigrams and with inscriptions, with two handles, 39 cms across
Just the lid; nothing to go with it!
A box of old fishing floats, several glass and wrought iron table lamps, a box of wooden items including animal figurines and boxes, a quantity of old horse shoes, a box of vintage tins, some commemorative, and a box of glassware including pressed coloured glass and a Cornishware storage jar and cover, plus others
A charming lot comprising a handsome Marks Garage, lot also includes a small quantity of vehicles, some boxed including a Corgi Toys Bentley Continental Sports Saloon, a Corgi Classic 9031 Renault, unboxed vehicles include a Ford Zephyr, by Meccano, a Dinky Aveling-Barford and a yellow Dinky Super Toy Mobile Crane, lot also contains a silver plated tea pot on stand and milk jug and sugar bowl, etc.
A Vintage ‘BP Zoom’ metal petrol pump
An unusual garden ornament in the form of an obelisk on concrete plinth
A vintage Agricastriol hand delivery pump for oil in original green cabinet
And finally three things I never thought to see, and certainly ot away from the big auction houses …
A single manual harpsichord by William Dowd, Paris 1975, in a blue painted case with gold line decoration, the sound board painted with flowers and raised on a turned painted stand. This lot comes with a padded removers case, a small leather attaché case of tools and a red pouch of tools.
A two manual harpsichord by William Dowd, Paris 1975, the blue painted case with gold line decoration raised on stop fluted tapering legs. This instrument comes with a padded removers case and a red pouch of tools.
And especially …
A Brookes Champion Standard B17 reproduction penny farthing