As you might guess by the title of this blog post, I’m going to tell you a joke that my brother-in-law Geoff passed on to me a couple of days ago when I visited my sister who is laid up with a broken leg (and would be “climbing up the walls” by now with the boredom if it weren’t for the fact that she can’t go anywhere). Mary and I don’t always find Geoff’s jokes funny but this one made us chuckle.

The Perplexed Duck

This duck came into a bar, landed near the beer pumps and flapped around a bit to get the attention of the barman.

“What the heck?” exclaimed the barman.

“I’ll have a pint of the best and a packet of prawn cocktail crisps please barman,” said the duck in a voice not dissimilar to Donald Duck.

“Goodness me!” blurted the barman. “You’re the first duck I’ve known to come in here and ask for a beer and crisps – you’re amazing! Hey, I wonder if it’s even legal for me to sell alcohol to a duck?”

“You won’t be breaking any laws. I’ve been drinking beer in pubs since before you were born,” lied the duck (of course ducks don’t live as long as humans – and the barman was all of forty years old!).

The barman pulled a pint for the thirsty duck and reached behind the bar for a packet of prawn cocktail flavoured crisps. However, he was still a little wary of the cocksure duck.

“So where do you work then?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m working on the building site down the road – you know, the new Barrett homes?” responded the duck nonchalantly.

“Well I’ll be blowed,” the barman warmed to the duck, “the Mrs and I have been admiring those new houses – they seem to have so much more style nowadays. They used to be like little boxes.”

“You’re not wrong there,” the duck said with pride.

“But, honestly, with your talent,” began the barman on a different tack, “I can’t understand why you don’t join a circus. Someone with your skill must be one in a million. Surely you’d earn a lot more working in a circus?

“A circus?” the duck was bemused. “Sonny, as far as I know circuses have tents… What would a circus want with a plasterer?”