(Mind you, I sometimes remember the dumb things I did when I was a mere lad... makes me cringe now!
trouble is, my best mate of the time insists on
telling my kids all about it when we meet... 
) David
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/4575291.stm
Probably one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time. Hope they recover and don't get too much stick for it after.
Darwin strikes again?
(Mind you, I sometimes remember the dumb things I did when I was a mere lad... makes me cringe now! trouble is, my best mate of the time insists on
telling my kids all about it when we meet... )
David
We filled copper piping with weedkiller explosive mix, put it on wheels and lit the end so it woul;d shoot along the ground. Thing just sat there - then exploded. Noice was so loud my mate burst an eardrum, the firebrigade closer the street as they thought it was a gas mains explosion, and we found melted twisted copper all over the place - none of it hit us - a miracle thinking about it now. Mind you, we were about 10, not 20 as this eeegiot was.
Never thought of it like that really, they are only dumb when they go badly wrong. When I was young we put a rope swing up from a tree atop a high bank using 40 feet of rope we found. We climbed another tree to launch and at the highest point over the drop down the bank were about 60 feet off the ground. We had a good afternoon and then went and left it there. Some older kids came and one of them was on it when the rope broke. Luckily a hawthorn bush broke his fall, and his legs ribs and collar bone and lacerated him quite badly but he could have gone down a lot harder.
how many dodgy rope sings have many of us made - and how many over streams, rivers, ravines etc?! i remember once three of us on a rope swing when it
snapped and we all fell 20' landing on top of each other - shaken but not stirred 
Ned.
Not the brightest tool in the box
Before I was old enough to legally ride a bike on the road, I did so regularly and was regularly pursued by the police. To avert the continual run-ins
and inevitable chases, I worked out that I could get to one of my friend's house via the railway track, thus avoiding the hassles. Trouble was, a
certain Dr. Beeching decided to not only to close down hundreds of miles of railway lines, but to also remove the bridges.
Well that wasn't about to hinder a twelve year old with a 360 Bultaco motocross bike! I kicked some of the bare hardcore into rough
"ramps" and frequently made the six mile trip to my friend's house, jumping six or seven roads in the process. It all ended one day
when I jumped over a passing police car and the game was up. All the bridges were fenced. 
I never even considered it was irresponsible or dangerous. When I think back on some of my even scarier antics, it does make me cringe now. 
as dangerous and stupid as they are, some of these misadventures are kinda cool and as long as no one gets hurt they're good for reminissing
(sp?) and possibly one day telling grand kids..
(all imvho)
Ned.
I believe very strongly that kids should be allowed some freedom to take risks, have adventures, and so on. It's the only way they will learn
what real life can offer - they'll certainly not get it from sitting in front of a TV or playing games on the PS/2!
If kids take a fancy for motorcross - teach them how to do it properly. If they want to go climbing, get them to a climbing wall with an instructor.
If they want to swing from a tree on a rope, so be it - maybe they'll get a broken bone or two, if they're unlucky it can be worse.
It's still worth the risk so they'll grow up with a sense of adventure.
Far better than ending up a paranoid, over-protected and over-weight couch potato, like so many kids do now.
Unfortunately, in this case, they didn't engage their brain before playing with petrol...
David
(FYI - my son has suffered many sprains and bruises, and a severely broken lower leg, while growing up. He is now an adult who takes responsibility
for his own life and amusement - and he's a keen rock-climber!)
remember, it's all fun and games until someone loses a bol**ck. even at 19, i look back on some things and think hmmmmmm, perhaps that
wasn't so clever
and as norm would say, the most important safety rule, is to wear these safety glasses.
tom
btw, this is norm V
Rescued attachment norm.jpg
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
I believe very strongly that kids should be allowed some freedom to take risks, have adventures, and so on. It's the only way they will learn what real life can offer - they'll certainly not get it from sitting in front of a TV or playing games on the PS/2!
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
...If they want to go climbing, get them to a climbing wall with an instructor....
and he wasnt so lucky that time. He broke his talus bone in his ankle, actually he shattered it. And it
will probably need contructive surgery to mend it (that bone has very complex blood flows or something). If it doesnt mend correctly he wont be able
to walk. 
When last did you see a home made soapbox cart, nailed together from scrap wood and wheels pinched from a pram?
We used to built them (many, many years ago) and ride them down the local hill, steering into a patch of long grass at the bottom to slow down .
One chap, who's family had some car wrecks in the back garden made a HUGE cart, by attaching two live rear axles complete with 13" car
wheels, to a wooden framework. The front axle was attached to the frame through the upward facing diff prop mount, allowing it to be steered by means
of a rope tied to each end!
It went like hell down the hill, but took every kid in the neighbourhood to push it back up...........
Cheers
Fred WB
I now have a crown over the remains of one of my front teeth thanks to falling off one of them when I was a kid! Well, to be exact, there were 5 of
us who fell off my cart...
David
quote:
Originally posted by Fred W B
When last did you see a home made soapbox cart, nailed together from scrap wood and wheels pinched from a pram?
quote:
Originally posted by Fred W B
When last did you see a home made soapbox cart, nailed together from scrap wood and wheels pinched from a pram?
I had one of those carts...and stuck a lawn mower engine on the back. That was great fun and provided hours of entertainmet!
I've had a couple of goes at the aerosol can flamethrower, and only 1 went wrong, but not badly. I managed to throw it on the floor before it
exploded
Adam
quote:
Originally posted by phelpsa
I've had a couple of goes at the aerosol can flamethrower, and only 1 went wrong, but not badly. I managed to throw it on the floor before it exploded
Adam