Things you wouldn't dream of doing now.. but back then
Discussion
Just reading a GG thread where someone had pointed out the irresponsible behaviour of a cyclist towing his kid in a trailer thing on a dual carriageway..
Anyway, this got me thinking. When I was about six or seven, back in the early-mid eighties, our family had a piano which sat in the living room gathering dust since the novelty had worn off many years before.
Eventually my parents decided to get rid, and my dad subsequently borrowed his friends early 80's ford pickup truck to dispose of said piano at one of the local pubs.
Sat in the middle of the flat bed, and tied down with nothing more than a couple of bits of old rope, my mum waved us off as my brother and I sat on edge of the pick up merrily hammering away at the keys uncoordinated one last time. The journey was a good 15 minutes long, with a mix of A and B roads.
Seems utter lunacy now, and I'm sure if I mentioned it to my parents now they would be hugely ashamed and possibly even deny it ever happened :-)
At the time, no drama what so ever!
Different world now..
Anyway, this got me thinking. When I was about six or seven, back in the early-mid eighties, our family had a piano which sat in the living room gathering dust since the novelty had worn off many years before.
Eventually my parents decided to get rid, and my dad subsequently borrowed his friends early 80's ford pickup truck to dispose of said piano at one of the local pubs.
Sat in the middle of the flat bed, and tied down with nothing more than a couple of bits of old rope, my mum waved us off as my brother and I sat on edge of the pick up merrily hammering away at the keys uncoordinated one last time. The journey was a good 15 minutes long, with a mix of A and B roads.
Seems utter lunacy now, and I'm sure if I mentioned it to my parents now they would be hugely ashamed and possibly even deny it ever happened :-)
At the time, no drama what so ever!
Different world now..
Making a cycle/skateboard ramp with a plank of 4x2 and some house bricks.
Why we were surprised that, after adding the 4th brick, the whole thing fell over when the next person tried to jump off it I'll never know. The scuffed wrists and knees should've been warning enough not to try it again...
Why we were surprised that, after adding the 4th brick, the whole thing fell over when the next person tried to jump off it I'll never know. The scuffed wrists and knees should've been warning enough not to try it again...
Jumping off the rafters of grain stores and 'swimming' through the grain to get back to the ladder by the wall to go up again.
Playing about on building sites I the evenings, also usually involving jumping off scaffold on to piles of sand.
Standing on the back seat of a Golf convertible directing the driver as we clung on to the roll over hoop for dear life.
A number of other things that I'm not about to post on the internet.
You get older, your get wiser, you wish your body was still young enough to let you do half these things today, even though you now know them to be terminally stupid!
Playing about on building sites I the evenings, also usually involving jumping off scaffold on to piles of sand.
Standing on the back seat of a Golf convertible directing the driver as we clung on to the roll over hoop for dear life.
A number of other things that I'm not about to post on the internet.
You get older, your get wiser, you wish your body was still young enough to let you do half these things today, even though you now know them to be terminally stupid!
Did the hay bale riding in my youth. Once nearly fell out out (or off) a TR2 as I was sitting on the side behind the front seats and I didn't see the bend coming so wasn't holding on. Can still remember riding my first motorbike helmetless in jeans and T shirt. All frowned on nowadays.
On one trip back from the Christmas Tree Forest Shop, we had forgotten to bring the rope to tie it to the roof.
Opened the sunroof and one of us held onto the tree for the 20 minutes it took to drive home...
Also, of course everyone favourite, Kids pick up from school, 9 kids in a mini....
Opened the sunroof and one of us held onto the tree for the 20 minutes it took to drive home...
Also, of course everyone favourite, Kids pick up from school, 9 kids in a mini....
When I was younger I was playing in the back garden with my brother and, as I went to fetch a ball from under one of the conifers, I saw a hedgehog. I then proceeded to watch this strange creature for what must have been about an hour without a break; even resulting in me having a poo under said tree as I didn't want to leave it for fear of missing something spectacular - such as it turning into a butterfly etc.
Oh, to be 17 again.
Not sure I'd do it now though.
Oh, to be 17 again.
Not sure I'd do it now though.
My brother and I spent every summer at my Dad's Auntie & Uncle's in Scotland, where they lived in the middle of nowhere.
Notable highlights:
- Sat in the spare tyre on the bonnet of an old Land Rover whilst being driven around by said uncle at high speed
- Being pushed a LONG way out over a road/track from a rope swing which looked like it would snap at any moment
- Driving myself (aged about 10) in a clapped out Daihatsu Charade around up and down the dirt track (put it twice into a ditch and had to be rescued)
- Driving said car past my brother and my Dad's uncle as they shot at the car from the porch with an air rifle
Christ why aren't I dead?
Notable highlights:
- Sat in the spare tyre on the bonnet of an old Land Rover whilst being driven around by said uncle at high speed
- Being pushed a LONG way out over a road/track from a rope swing which looked like it would snap at any moment
- Driving myself (aged about 10) in a clapped out Daihatsu Charade around up and down the dirt track (put it twice into a ditch and had to be rescued)
- Driving said car past my brother and my Dad's uncle as they shot at the car from the porch with an air rifle
Christ why aren't I dead?
MrBarry123 said:
When I was younger I was playing in the back garden with my brother and, as I went to fetch a ball from under one of the conifers, I saw a hedgehog. I then proceeded to watch this strange creature for what must have been about an hour without a break; even resulting in me having a poo under said tree as I didn't want to leave it for fear of missing something spectacular - such as it turning into a butterfly etc.
Oh, to be 17 again.
Not sure I'd do it now though.
Oh, to be 17 again.
Not sure I'd do it now though.
Giving 7 people a lift in my old Austin 1100 without considering that a long steep hill with a roundabout at the bottom coupled with all the weight might not end well.
As it happens we got the roundabout with no brakes just as a gap opened up in the traffic and I just sailed over it and off down the road.
As it happens we got the roundabout with no brakes just as a gap opened up in the traffic and I just sailed over it and off down the road.
Swing in the barn was huge, about 40/50' long. We were eventually banned from it after my brother slipped off and landed on the blades of the muck-spreader. It was his birthday party, so a quick trip to the nurse, a few stitches in his scalp and a jab, back to the jelly and icecream.
When I was 16 I came off a Yamaha TZR125 at around 80+mph into ditch/tree. The impact was enough to wreck the bike, bend the forks back, buckle the wheel, burst the tyre.
I was wearing shorts, a t-shirt and trainers. I did have a helmet on which the visor was smashed off of.
I had barely a scratch on me.
I was wearing shorts, a t-shirt and trainers. I did have a helmet on which the visor was smashed off of.
I had barely a scratch on me.
Summer holidays by the sea, my uncle used to drive 8 kids to our favourite swimming place, on the way back he would read and drive (probably not more than 15-20mph) while I leaned over and steered, and the rest rode in the back, in the boot with the lid open and riding the rear wings like horses. Austin A60 BTW.
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff