Blot on the landscape brings back fond memories of childhood for me. I remember watching that over Sunday tea with my folks. On Sundays it was a treat as Mum would push the trolley, laden with crumpets, toast and cakes, into the lounge for the one meal a week we could eat and watch TV.
Posh enough Godders, that we used the trolley that my Milkman father made when he was at school in his woodwork class and that all the cakes were homemade by mum (and sometimes me). Mum is no longer with us, sadly, but Dad still has his trolley at home. My wife is upset that I am the only one of the offspring that wants to have the trolley when Dad is ready to give it up. My sisters think it isn't "en vogue" enough; I think it's cool.
My brother has the oak coffee table I made as my final year school woodwork project. My mum gave it to him thinking it was he who had made it as she thought the workmanship was far too good for it to have been a piece of my handiwork. I have asked my brother for it several times and he refuses to give it to me as he believes my mother's version of events as true. It is very hard when as a young man you realise you are not the apple of your mother's eye but I try and keep my spirits up and show a cheerful face to the world.
Two of the nicest people I know were unloved and badly treated by their parents, so they grew up expecting little and were the most loving people you could meet. It suggests that we should ill-treat our children.
Never done woodwork in, never built anything in school. I only know how to wire a plug because my dad showed me.
Boys of my generation did Technical Drawing, Woodwork and Metalwork in preparation for an apprenticeship while the really thick boys had to do three sessions of gardening. The girls did Needlework, Cooking and Domestic Science in preparation for motherhood. The boys therefore grew up knowing how to do practical things about the house instead of playing computer games like FM2013 and the girls learned how to feed their children properly instead of buying ready meals and fast food.
Could have been me, but I fail on the loving person test. I'm more of the miserable git type, but then, Godders ....
Mmm. Modern kids [yes, I know you are 29] don't grow up to be resourceful anymore. I was pretty damn rubbish at woodwork, metalwork and all those skills where feel and having an eye for accuracy are an attribute. But through pastimes and interests I became resourceful and the more you do it, the more you can do it and adapt the knowledge to other things. There is no magic formula to it. Often, it is just sound common sense that you use.
I should add that, with the internet to guide anyone, there is little excuse NOT to be resourceful now. Almost any practical question can be answered by someone who has done it before. Start with little things to do and work up to bigger things.
That's where my son missed out. His Dad was brought up in the old fashioned way learning all the useful stuff. Being raised by me, he knows nothing. Shame really as it can save you a lot of money and he could have been useful to me as well
Disagree entirely. I am bollox at any DIY; I just about paint. I have tried several things following Internet instructions and I am just not cut out for it. I laid a patio 6 years ago and my Dad came up and relaid it. Saturday I made two raised veg tables, that looked so easy. Next time you're near Northampton, come and have a look. They are in, but boy they're not good. Some people are just not practical. I can cook, clean, iron and do the gardening; don't let me fix or make ANYTHING.
I do appreciate that there mare people around who are more resourceful than others, FLT, but by your own admission, you can cook, clean, etc, etc... That is beyond certain people. Certainly, don't knock your ability to cook. We both know you have a bit of history there. As they say, horses for courses. The mistake is never trying to be more resourceful than you already are. One day, you may even lay that patio better.
With the modern world revolving so much around IT, could you not argue that youths spending a lot of time in front of screens improves resourcefulness in a different way?
My old man regularly comes to a situation or a question he cannot answer. He asks me, when how I would ever know something of the kind is beyond me. I always have to tell him, "well go onto the internet, and someone will have written about it".
Indeed, resourcefulness is present in many different areas. For example I'm totally crap at mathematics. My arithmetic is fine because I live in the world of arithmetic, as do most people [hate it when people say do the math because they're not]. My brother is ace at maths, so I go to him if I have a problem which needs solving. Of course, it's rare, because I don't live in that world. Perhaps I don't live in that world because I'm no good at maths..? The thing is, we live in a world where, at the drop of a hat, there is an expert on hand who wil charge you an arm and a leg for the merest information or skill. That's fine, because he or she has possibly taken years to acquire that skill, and the cost is worth their expertise. But there's an awful lot of **** out there too, masquerading as skill and it still costs an arm and a leg. I have personally had to correct a wiring installation that my brother had done in his kitchen, by certified electricians [they had those new certificates] because they had done the job so poorly and there were blown trips and fuses everywhere. By doing something at beginner's speed it's surprising how well one can do a practical job that an expert or so-called expert has taken years to acquire the skill. And, as I say, start with small things to gain confidence and grow from there. And again, as I say, with the internet as a guide, it is easier than ever before. However, if you really can't do the simplest things, at least you've tried.
I haven't a practical bone in my body. This is exacerbated by the fact that I can never be bothered to get the right tool for the job. I may know that I have a toolbox in the shed but will still attempt to do any job with an old spoon or a kitchen knife.
