This minor obsession of the Rupert Factory brigade, in being able to tie a bow tie correctly, is extraordinary. I have been tying my own shoelaces since a very early age. Having spent some 20 years in the only worthwhile rank - Master Aircrew (Frogs and Puddles!!) the obsession came to pass in the form of an obnoxious J.O. at a mixed party. Well oiled, he joined my, then, wife and self and pulled my bow undone. His latent hysterical humour was quickly stifled when I re-tied it and asked, straightfacedly, why he had done that. No answer - so presumably that bit isn't covered in the syllabus.
