Stan Kegels construction story reminded me of some of the silly things my husband had people believe:

People who have boats and yachts will tell you that sightseers ask them all sorts of stupid questions. In our fishing harbour we have a lobster unit, and a pump mounted on the quay circulates fresh sea water through the tanks to keep the lobsters alive. One day a man asked my husband what the pump was for.

With a straight face he replied: It is used to rectify changes brought about by the tides. You see, when it is low tide, they pump water from the harbour into the ocean to get the water to the same level. When it is high tide, they pump the water back again.

The Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn, South Africa, run underground for some 2 km. As we were coming out of the caves, some people approached us asked us what is better: to visit the caves early in the day, or late afternoon.

Late afternoon may not be a good Idea, my husband replied. When the sun sets it gets awfully dark in there.

During a storm our 60 ft wooden trawler sprung a leak. Luckily the harbour is not very deep at that point and she was sitting comfortably in the sand, her decks awash with sea water.

While my husband was trying to salvage his dream, many onlookers gathered, among them the harbour master and some old salts. They were speculating on the condition of the boat and why it had sunk.

It didnt sink, hubby replied, I let it fill with water from time to time to swell the planking.

I think I married a con man. In all three cases the people believed him.