Things you did when you where younger?

[Alex321]

I don't remember much being particularly reckless. Bit of fishing in an old quarry, legging it when the bailiffs appeared.

Did some sailing at school - Thursday afternoons were for CCF (Combined Cadet Force), but if you didn't want to join that, there were other activities available, one of which was sailing (and building mirror dinghies from kits in the winter).

Also played Water Polo for the school and later for University.

Then in University I took up caving and scuba diving. Didn't really carry on with either afterwards. I seem to have always had a strong affinity for water.

 

[richardfm]

Kayaking and sailing (yachts not boats)

Yachts are boats...
I sailed dinghies as a teenager, before that I was in the cubs but never made it to scouts.
In my later teenage years I went on demos, including getting arrested here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lewisham

I was part of the anti NF counter demonstration

 

[Moon bunny]

I was a gobby little so and so who liked shouting insults at Brit. soldiers, once had an officer having to hold back one of his men off us, wish I could repeat what I said on here.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Like others I played in quarries when younger.

 

[richardfm]

I was a gobby little so and so who liked shouting insults at Brit. soldiers, once had an officer having to hold back one of his men off us, wish I could repeat what I said on here.

Was that in Northern Ireland?

 

[colly]

Starting early in life l was always in trouble, or so it seemed.
Weekends we're often spent and my Nan's place in Sudbury, West London. I was about 8 at a guess and had an older mate called Ernie. One weekend we made a go-cart from some planks and old Pram wheels. It was tame pushing one another around so we dragged it off to Horsenden Hill. At the top of a long tarmac path we set of down the hill to see how fast we could go. Which was fine except at the bottom the path led out onto a lane the other side of which was a grass bank then l think The Grand Union Canal. Ernie was using string to steer and l was facing backwards using my feet to brake. Why we thought we would be able to stop l dont know because the hill was very steep. My efforts at braking made little difference and when we finally got to the bottom of the hill Ernie almost managed to get us past the cannon like bollards. Almost because the rear wheel clipped the bollard and we shot across the lane teetering on two wheels, laughing like fools and we crashed into the grass bank at speed.
The cart disintegrated and we both ended up on the bank, clothes torn, covered in mud, cuts and bruises.
Far worse than the accident was the reception l got from my nan. My shoes were all but shredded and it did not make her a happy bunny.

One incident among many.

 

[Moon bunny]

Was that in Northern Ireland?

It was. It took a good talking to from a supermarket manager to make me realise I had a brain and was wasting it and turn my life around from shelf-stacking in a supermarket to shelf-stacking in a museum.

 

[richardfm]

Starting early in life l was always in trouble, or so it seemed.
Weekends we're often spent and my Nan's place in Sudbury, West London. I was about 8 at a guess and had an older mate called Ernie. One weekend we made a go-cart from some planks and old Pram wheels. It was tame pushing one another around so we dragged it off to Horsenden Hill. At the top of a long tarmac path we set of down the hill to see how fast we could go. Which was fine except at the bottom the path led out onto a lane the other side of which was a grass bank then l think The Grand Union Canal. Ernie was using string to steer and l was facing backwards using my feet to brake. Why we thought we would be able to stop l dont know because the hill was very steep. My efforts at braking made little difference and when we finally got to the bottom of the hill Ernie almost managed to get us past the cannon like bollards. Almost because the rear wheel clipped the bollard and we shot across the lane teetering on two wheels, laughing like fools and we crashed into the grass bank at speed.
The cart disintegrated and we both ended up on the bank, clothes torn, covered in mud, cuts and bruises.
Far worse than the accident was the reception l got from my nan. My shoes were all but shredded and it did not make her a happy bunny.

One incident among many.

That was a dissapointing end to the story. I was looking forward to reading that you both ended up in canal😄

 

[biggs682]

Cycling
(a lot more than I do these days)

Same

 

[colly]

That was a dissapointing end to the story. I was looking forward to reading that you both ended up in canal😄

After writing that l had a quick look on googlemaps and the canal is not so near the lane at that point as l had remembered. Mind you it must be 62 years since.

 

[Salad Dodger]

Kayaking/open canoeing/canoe camping. I was an instructor for a canoe club for about 10 years.

 

[Dave7]

Yes, I did the dumb things.
Most of what I did would shock the elfin safe tea brigade. Some of it would get me an ASBO or worse.

Crewed a 420, learned to judge when you unhook from the trapeze before a full face plant and worse.
Sailed winter series, Boxing Day icicle stuff.
Then we got wet suits.

Did caving, mostly for the photography. Still have the slides.
Some ice climbing. New Year camping in Glencoe.
Walked the Zillertal, the summer everything shut because of the snow. Bit extreme that was.

Sailed a retirement project boat from 2003 to 2020 to most ports to the west of Dover.

Still in touch with the four other guys who became Queen's Scouts with me.

Learned most about leadership and caring for your team in the Scouts. Harvard does not get near dealing with cold, wet, hungry boys.

Also learned about my limits and how near the edge I could go and get back.
Now I have rheumatism, my heart is unreliable, eyesight is shot. But I had fun most of the time getting here

What's that phrase ? When I go to the grave I want to be kicking, screaming and shouting "Holy sh*t, what a ride that was".

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

What's that phrase ? When I go to the grave I want to be kicking, screaming and shouting "Holy sh*t, what a ride that was".

Nah - I want to be like my Uncle Billy and died suddenly and peacefully and die with a smile on my face
unlike the passenger on his bus at the time

sorry - saw an opportunity to shoe horn an old joke in!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Caving. I was thin back then.

I have no photos. Cameras weren't very waterproof in those days.

Riding a bike with a Brooks saddle.

 

[Alex321]

Caving. I was thin back then.

I have no photos. Cameras weren't very waterproof in those days.

They weren't, but we used to carry an old ammo tin with snacks and (if we had one) a camera. I never carried a camera down the cave with me, because the only camera I had in those days was a Zenith SLR that weighed half a ton (or seemed like it). I actually still have that camera, but haven't used it for at least 20 years.