"I didn't have any friends at school, didn't want any. I felt better being alone. I sat on a bench and watched the other play and they looked foolish to me."

No, this isn't an extract from Kevin Chesters' 'The Penzance Years' (soon to be available in all good book stores), but a quote from Bukowski's 'Ham on Rye' W+K's first Book Club read.

It was a controversial choice which provoked some lively debates as we enjoyed the most expensive chocolates in the world thanks to a currency mis-calculation but Neil Christie.

Overall our collective view was probably best summed up by Helen Foulder: 'What I love about literature is the way it lets you spend lots of time with people you'd never normally meet.  After reading this book I really know Henry Chinaski, boils, wanks and all.'

Not for the faint hearted but definitely worth a read.

Yesterday our offices were visited by a group of Norwegian politicians and planners from Bærum who were visiting different companies in the east end to get an idea of the urban development in the area and the regeneration and new use of old buildings.  Unfortunately they only got as far as reception but one of the group made a surprise disovery amongst our bric-a-brac:

"one member of the group (half of which are very mature, so to speak) recognised the man on the photo above the opening/ door next to the reception desk – the man who founded Nike. Quite a few years ago this man trained the Norwegian national team of athletics, and the Nike-founder stayed at his house a few times…he was serving waffles and coffee, and demonstrated the new soles he was working on with the waffles…"

You heard it here first.  Bill Bowerman + Norwegian waffles = Nike empire.