So there I was ......

..... minding my own business trying to fathom out

6 Across: Proportion, five letters - something, something,

T, something something.

 

 

6 Across has always been regarded as F, something, something, K of an

ill-fated clue in my family ever since my father died whilst in the course

of solving it, many moons ago. right there in his armchair.  

Admittedly it was the Telegraph Cryptic

which does put an altogether different slant on the matter.

Mine was in a small book of "Coffee Break Puzzles"

so I didn't really feel in any imminent danger.

Pick any two, they all look dodgey to me!

 

 It was at the exact same moment that the front door nearly

came off it's hinges.  When I finally got downstairs to answer

it there stood two extremely dodgey looking geezers
on the doorstep complete with a fine collection of tattoo's both

front and back although how far down they went was

anyone's guess.

 

 

Over the weekend my son had left a trailer full of rubbish to be

taken to the dump and they had spotted the old copper boiler

and various other bits of metal that they offered to take off my hands.

 

"Nothing to do with me mate" I said craning my neck to look

up at the smaller of the two, "it belongs to my son."

"When will he be back" said tattooed man No 1.

Knowing full well that it wouldn't be until the weekend at the earliest

I continued to bluff it out not wanting them back again

any time soon.

 

 An offer of a fiver soon went up to thirty notes when thankfully

my daughter in law pulled into the drive.  Suddenly the heap of worthless

rubbish grew in value (that girl can barter) and the price

rose and rose.  It was like being at an auction when two old dears

both want the same piece of Spode for their dressers.

Money eventually changed hands and the blokes left.

 

Funny how potentially tight corners seem to turn up even

when you are minding your own business.

I must have something about my person that attracts them.

 

The answer was "RATIO" by the way - just in case you were stuck.