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02 Sep 18 - 08:51 AM (#3947611) Subject: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Big Al Whittle I wish I'd learned to cut up onions with dazzling speed, like the chefs do on telly. |
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02 Sep 18 - 09:03 AM (#3947615) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: punkfolkrocker soldering and valve amp repair, driving, Krav Maga... |
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02 Sep 18 - 09:10 AM (#3947619) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Senoufou reading music speaking/reading/writing Mandarin crocheting dancing the Mapouka |
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02 Sep 18 - 09:31 AM (#3947623) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Steve Shaw I'd love be a little less humble. |
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02 Sep 18 - 09:32 AM (#3947624) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Steve Shaw And I'd love to not leave words out sentences. |
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02 Sep 18 - 04:08 PM (#3947692) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler I just can't get the knack of plastering. I have never tried welding but would like to have a go. Would like to more about stone carving. As for social skills...... Robin |
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02 Sep 18 - 04:13 PM (#3947694) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Joe Offer Guitar... |
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02 Sep 18 - 04:15 PM (#3947695) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Jos I believe you can learn stone carving on Portland (Portland near Weymouth in Dorset, not Portland ,Oregon). As for me, I never did learn to ride a bike. I think I've left it a bit late now. |
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02 Sep 18 - 04:38 PM (#3947698) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: JennieG Clicking my fingers. I just can't do it. |
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02 Sep 18 - 04:44 PM (#3947699) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Raggytash Al, chopping onions quickly can be learnt fairly easily. Firstly you need a very, very sharp knife, without that you are on a loser. Secondly you need to learn to fold your fingers to create a vertical surface for the knife to slide up and down on. Thirdly you need to practice, practice and practice and finally you need to learn not to cut yourself. |
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02 Sep 18 - 04:52 PM (#3947700) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: gillymor Luthiery, a few years back we had a world class luthier living in these parts who has since relocated a few hundred miles north and he kept my instruments in fine working order. Since then I've been accumulating tools and slowly learning the basics and doing okay with it. |
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02 Sep 18 - 05:33 PM (#3947704) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Bee-dubya-ell The Vulcan Mind-Meld. |
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03 Sep 18 - 11:42 AM (#3947807) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Tattie Bogle Playing French horn. (Parents said no!) Ski-ing. (tried twice, got injured both times) Flying planes. |
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03 Sep 18 - 12:44 PM (#3947819) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Senoufou Ha Tattie, I made enquiries about flying lessons some years ago at Norwich Airport. They have little two-seater planes there for this. But the price for lessons was astronomical (understandably I suppose) I tend to think of all the things I HAVE learned to do over the years:- swimming riding a bike roller-skating and ice-skating walking on stilts horse-riding knitting and sewing, embroidery and dressmaking cookery, especially baking (cake-decorating etc) speaking a few foreign languages decorating the house (wallpapering, painting with emulsion and gloss) playing piano by ear (!) gardening and growing vegetables driving a car I ought to make a list of things to start learning, but I get rather tired now, and lessons cost money. |
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03 Sep 18 - 12:53 PM (#3947824) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Steve Shaw I can't stick wallpaper up round corners. It kind of rules me out of sticking any wallpaper up at all when you think about it. |
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03 Sep 18 - 01:01 PM (#3947828) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Senoufou It is tricky I know Steve. When I lived alone, I had a go and did the whole of my quite large house all by myself. I gained in skill the more I did. Those decorative borders were all the rage, and I did them too. I also put up cove moulding (that Gyproc stuff) using a mitring block to cut the angles. I have to thank my father for that, as he taught me how to use tools, do papering and gloss doors without having 'paint slip'. But I couldn't do any of that now of course. I'm not very strong and start puffing and panting just doing a bit of dusting! Another thing I wish I'd learned is car maintenance. Our neighbour and his son are agricultural mechanics, among many other things. They can turn their hands to anything! |
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03 Sep 18 - 08:46 PM (#3947896) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Steve Shaw I could do almost anything mechanically with a Morris Minor as there was so much room under the bonnet that you could almost climb in and sit next to tbe engine. I open the bonnet of a modern car and I haven't a clue what I'm looking at. It took me five minutes to find the dipstick in Mrs Steve's car. |
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03 Sep 18 - 09:12 PM (#3947901) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Rapparee Bringing down a mastodon with a spear and an atl-atl. |
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04 Sep 18 - 03:51 AM (#3947928) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Senoufou Our village garage has been there forever. The father, Dennis, is about eighty, and still tinkers about, while his son, Richard, does most of the actual work with one apprentice. Richard was telling me he has now bought a diagnostic computer thing which one plugs into a 'port' on a modern car and it tells you what and where the problem is! I'm addicted to that 'Wheeler Dealers' programme. The 'Dealer' finds and purchases old clapped-out cars and his partner the Wheeler, who seems to be an absolute ace mechanic, puts right all the faults and replaces parts etc. The car is then given a respray and sold on. They work in California and the UK (they're Brits) That's a skill I wish I'd acquired for sure! |
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04 Sep 18 - 06:47 AM (#3947978) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Tattie Bogle My son had a flying lesson for his 21st birthday (one hour, cost an arm and a leg!) Flew from Tayside airport in a 2-seater Cessna: the instructor was only a few years older than him, and had learned to fly in Canada. They flew over Edinburgh and up and down the River Forth. Jealous or what? Funds wouldn't run to any more lessons! |
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04 Sep 18 - 08:17 AM (#3947991) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Senoufou I'm extremely jealous Tattie! When we fly to Edinburgh from Norwich Airport, we go with Flybe in a little Dornier plane with tiny black propellers.There are only about fifteen seats on board, and the flight attendant is usually Emma, lovely lady. She brings Tunnocks cakes and a nice cup of tea. It's sadly only an hour's flight, but when we get near to Edinburgh, we fly over the Pentlands, Arthur's Seat and the Crags, and can see the Forth, the Castle and everything. Magical. At Norwich, there's often a private jet or two sitting on the tarmac, and we wish we were millionaires so we could fly ourselves to Edinburgh or West Africa whenever we so desired! |
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04 Sep 18 - 02:47 PM (#3948100) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Tattie Bogle Yes, it's great flying up from "dahn sahf" on a clear day and taking in all those views! The flight path varies from day to day, as can be seen from the Silverknowes to Cramond walk: some days all coming in from the East, others all taking off eastwards! There us now a lovely cafe at Silverknowes, the Boardwalk Cafe, where you can watch all the planes: and they are also going to start cricket on the beach at low tide, as at Elie in Fife! (Apols for thread drift!) |
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04 Sep 18 - 04:27 PM (#3948123) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: The Sandman being a trapeze artist |
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04 Sep 18 - 04:55 PM (#3948125) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Senoufou I'll never forget the first time we flew up to Edinburgh so that my husband could meet my sister. He'd flown over the Alps on his way to the UK, but at quite an altitude. Norfolk is very flat, as is Abidjan, so he'd never seen any hills up close. The plane sort of banked, and Arthur's Seat looked enormous from our window. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. Later we walked down to Holyrood and stood almost at the foot of the Crags. He nearly broke his neck looking up at the sight of some people who were walking up to the top (something I'd done loads of times when I was very young) I think those hills (and Edinburgh Castle) had a huge effect on him. On another note, the riding stables in our village is having an Open Day for charity on Sunday, and they give short horse-rides for a few quid. I'm hoping I can be hoisted aboard a sturdy steed to show off my riding skills, and that husband can be persuaded to get on a horse too. He'll be terrified, but I want a photo to send to his mum in Africa. 'Votre fils monte a cheval!' |
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05 Sep 18 - 01:37 AM (#3948155) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: JennieG Sandman - my husband's ancestors had a circus. His paternal grandmother was bareback rider "Mademoiselle Eugenie".....real name Emily Perry of Perry's Circus. It toured Oz for over 100 years. Perhaps you could have found a job with them. |
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05 Sep 18 - 01:51 AM (#3948157) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Acorn4 Sight reading piano. |
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05 Sep 18 - 02:22 AM (#3948158) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Bonzo3legs How to pass my Chartered Accountants' final exam, then my boss would have to pay me a decent salary instead of the pitance I get now!! |
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05 Sep 18 - 02:32 AM (#3948161) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: olddude All of the above |
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05 Sep 18 - 07:11 PM (#3948353) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Big Al Whittle i wish i'd learned to read booklets about how things work. i tend to undo the packaging and plug things in , press the start button...sort of let the the situation develop. |
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06 Sep 18 - 04:07 AM (#3948447) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: BobL Al, I wouldn't recommend that with anything sharp. Or anything that (like my new coffee machine) can squirt steam and boiling water. |
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06 Sep 18 - 04:34 PM (#3948624) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: olddude Does porn star count |
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06 Sep 18 - 05:04 PM (#3948632) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Big Al Whittle porn star counts as two.... very imaginative! |
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07 Sep 18 - 12:14 AM (#3948683) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: olddude Circus acrobat and porn star combo Deep sea diver porn star Walmart greeter |
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07 Sep 18 - 12:16 AM (#3948684) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: olddude President of the US and small hands? |
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08 Sep 18 - 04:55 AM (#3948935) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Thompson Whistling properly and tunefully with trills Electricianship Carpentry Plumbing (these last three, and maybe also the first, should definitely be taught in school, along with cooking and sewing and basic knitting and crochet) Roller-skating (used to be good at this as a kid, but can't work those new single-line skates, and have never found a hall with a lunge so I could be harnessed in and saved from falling while I learn the trick of balancing again) Gardening - or rather, controlling the garden, which has bullied me into leaving it almost completely wild Playing the fiddle, or indeed having enough rhythm to play any instrument Dancing, ditto; I not only have two left feet but appear to have a third and fourth that tangle them Navigation - having a proper sense of direction Recognising faces, and instantly being able to recognise and remember someone I've met years ago (or even days ago) As for riding a bike, it's easy enough to learn as an adult; it should only take half a day, if that. You get a bicycle that's a little too small for you, and lower the saddle so your feet are touching the ground when you sit on it, then you scoot along. Keep doing that, try raising the saddle a little bit so your toes are touching the ground and keep scooting; when you're confident in this, try using the pedals for a stroke or two, then pedalling steadily. Then move up to a proper-sized bike, and by the end of the day you should be pedalling along properly and enjoying it. |
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08 Sep 18 - 06:41 AM (#3948967) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Steve Shaw I can never remember the way to anywhere after only a few days. All I have to say is, it it left or right here, and I get screamed at for being an idiot... |
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08 Sep 18 - 07:48 AM (#3948983) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Thompson I have actually got lost in a train corridor within the last year. |
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08 Sep 18 - 09:26 AM (#3949011) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Steve Shaw I lost my car in a hospital car park* last week. After wandering around like a headless chicken for ten minutes, I suddenly remembered that we'd gone in Mrs Steve's car, not mine, and that I'd been looking for the wrong car. *I was only getting my hearing aid mended! |
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08 Sep 18 - 09:44 AM (#3949012) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: gillymor Hard to calculate the amount of time I've spent wandering around the parking lot of Home Depot looking for my truck before realizing I'm driving wife's car. Good exercise, I suppose, and I'm not in too much of a hurry these days. |
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08 Sep 18 - 02:47 PM (#3949061) Subject: RE: BS: skills i wish i'd acquired From: Thompson I'd also like to be able to (accurately) use one of those throwing slings that Palestinian boys use for throwing stones. Tried making one and using it for throwing tennis balls for my dog, but the ball would go anywhere. |