haymin 2,465 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I would still dam streams now if I wouldn't look like a mentalist Got my grandad to thank for all that you should be concentrating on getting a shack before the comp pmsl ? 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
clipo 871 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 http://m.arbroathherald.co.uk/news/local-news/major-probe-after-train-is-derailed-1-2622218 :hmm: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WILF 44,334 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I was talking to a lad yesterday, 23, has a boy aged 3. The lad has lived his whole life within half a mile of the sea. He's never seen a rock pool, doesn't know what a hermet crab was, never fished, never looked under sea weed. Has never really walked in the countryside, never seen frog spawn, etc. now fair enough, I know his dad and he's a pub 7 days a week guy. This lad seems to be not much different. It got me thinking..... What kind of start to life is the lads boy going to have? I couldn't imagine growing up without living most of my youth in the countryside. Jumping burns, collecting eggs, catching tad poles, minnows...... This young lad just laughed when I said you need to show your boy a bit of nature, is this the norm? Ok his old man might not be a good dad,, I don't know,,,, However my old man did 12 hour shifts on nights regular whilst I was growing up,,,so to be honest my old man didn't do much with me,,,but I was lucky to grow up in a little village in the 70,s. When we only had 3 tv Chanel's ,,, no mobile phones,, x boxes or computers ,,,,,, so back then us kids did what all kids had done growing up,,, we played games,,, played sports,,, and explored ,, climbing trees,,, looking at nature,,,,, I think we were the last generation doing all this,,, Grafting to support your family is one thing mate, pissing all the money up the wall in the boozer while your family is at home and you pay them no mind is quiet another in my book. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ideation 8,216 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Whats become apparent from reading this, is that some parents just buy things for their kids, and others do things with them and show things to them. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CBdogsA1 420 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 If you dam a burn in this area you will get a visit from the water bailiffs after they knock it over. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Malt 379 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Whats become apparent from reading this, is that some parents just buy things for their kids, and others do things with them and show things to them.Its lazy parenting mate. You either amuse your kids or buy them things to amuse themselves with. Maybe because people are relatively much better off than they were when a lot of us where young it's became easier to fall into the trap of substituting parenting with money.. My kids come home all the time whining about what some of their mates have got. Lad my daughters age has got a 42" TV in his room, the newest iPad, iPhone, ps3, Xbox, etc. He's 11 FFS.. Another of my daughters mates lost her brand new iPhone 5c in school today apparently, put it down to listen to some music at lunchtime then forgot about it when they went back to class . Problem with giving kids all that too soon is that they don't appreciate the value of f**k all, even if you can afford to give it to them in the first place.. I'm waffling now, it just gets on my tits having to explain to my kids that its not really normal for kids their age to be given the best of everything when they ain't really old enough to appreciate it.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brewman 1,190 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Lived on the edge of the town just near the countryside, the beach was about a mile away and the hills and forest about 2 with plenty of fields in between. My dad wasn't one for the outdoors or spending time with me for that matter always on the beer. I suppose it was his culture and it was the same in his social circle. Not making excuses that's just how it was. From my bedroom I could see the hills so I had a hunger for them so when I was old enough I practically spent as much time as possible. I did all the young boy stuff making dens, sneaking up on rabbits etc. For my 10th or 11th birthday I got the SAS Survival Handbook my parents were happy enough to buy it as it's all I wanted. I taught myself how to make traps fires and decent shelters etc but left nothing behind. I always had a lock knife, string and matches in my pocket, these days you'd get lifted for that. That was the best part of my childhood. I would go on the hop, hide my books in a plastic bag and bury them while I went up the hills. When I came home mum asked where I was so told her I was on a field trip, wasn't lying lol. Had plenty of those. It taught me respect for my surroundings especially the countryside. Now I'm going to hopefully pass it on to my children and be a part of it. I think it's a sin not to at least show them the hidden countryside other than from roads. It does teach them respect and appreciation from a young age and will hopefully continue with them. Now that they can walk a little bit further I can take them out for longer so can't wait for the rain to settle. Because we live in the country I've told them what happens to lamb and cattle so they're prepared and know it doesn't just come from the butcher's. It's my eldest girl's 5th birthday soon and wanted to get her something different, saw a small Wusthof knife nearly half price so got her that as she likes helping in the kitchen. Her respect for the blade is second to none and will show her how I butcher my next lamb, I hope to show this year her how a rabbit is prepped from coat on to ready for the pan. Probably not this year but definitely by next I'll take her fishing as she has said she want to go so she can catch one to eat. I like going out for a beer maybe once a month but I get excited thinking about bringing them out showing and doing stuff etc. How or why most parents don't do as we do is beyond belief for me. It's been a bit of a waffle but couldn't sleep since 3ish thanks for reading. 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NEWKID 26,211 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Lived on the edge of the town just near the countryside, the beach was about a mile away and the hills and forest about 2 with plenty of fields in between. My dad wasn't one for the outdoors or spending time with me for that matter always on the beer. I suppose it was his culture and it was the same in his social circle. Not making excuses that's just how it was. From my bedroom I could see the hills so I had a hunger for them so when I was old enough I practically spent as much time as possible. I did all the young boy stuff making dens, sneaking up on rabbits etc. For my 10th or 11th birthday I got the SAS Survival Handbook my parents were happy enough to buy it as it's all I wanted. I taught myself how to make traps fires and decent shelters etc but left nothing behind. I always had a lock knife, string and matches in my pocket, these days you'd get lifted for that. That was the best part of my childhood. I would go on the hop, hide my books in a plastic bag and bury them while I went up the hills. When I came home mum asked where I was so told her I was on a field trip, wasn't lying lol. Had plenty of those. It taught me respect for my surroundings especially the countryside. Now I'm going to hopefully pass it on to my children and be a part of it. I think it's a sin not to at least show them the hidden countryside other than from roads. It does teach them respect and appreciation from a young age and will hopefully continue with them. Now that they can walk a little bit further I can take them out for longer so can't wait for the rain to settle. Because we live in the country I've told them what happens to lamb and cattle so they're prepared and know it doesn't just come from the butcher's. It's my eldest girl's 5th birthday soon and wanted to get her something different, saw a small Wusthof knife nearly half price so got her that as she likes helping in the kitchen. Her respect for the blade is second to none and will show her how I butcher my next lamb, I hope to show this year her how a rabbit is prepped from coat on to ready for the pan. Probably not this year but definitely by next I'll take her fishing as she has said she want to go so she can catch one to eat. I like going out for a beer maybe once a month but I get excited thinking about bringing them out showing and doing stuff etc. How or why most parents don't do as we do is beyond belief for me. It's been a bit of a waffle but couldn't sleep since 3ish thanks for reading. Bang on mate, As kids we were always in the woods or on the river, our house was the last one on the estate and our of our back garden we were onto the river, woods etc ( they're building a new housing estate on the back field, no amount of petitions will stop them, the old mans been there for 60 years, he's gutted)... Any way, summer we were never in, fishing, building rafts, nesting, out with my whippet ( Hagler lol), everyone had old motorbikes, ferreting, building dens, camping out and building fires, getting accross the woods in the tree tops... There were kids everywhere, although there was the odd shit time in my childhood in glad experienced everything I did.. No doubt it's different now, not the kids fault IMO, my lads 8 at his age I was gone, was scrumping and laughing like f**k as the farmer chased us, hedge jumping, football using the council garages as goals... Unfortunately my lad hasn't got that freedom...do I make sure he gets those experiences through me ( I still love it anyway so it's a win win), don't get me wrong if I allowed it he would play computer games all day as well, he's a kid after all, moderation IMO.. I walked the dogs through our local park recently, about 7 o'clock on a Friday evening.. Every bench had kids from my eldest girls school, on the piss and smoking blow.. No worries I suppose we all were having a drink etc at 15, but I'm not the type to let my girl go up the park and do it, she's 15, I give her her freedom, but when I hear there's kids in her school taking coke, ecstasy, and even heroin, it scares you as a parent.. We have an attitude that she can talk us about anything ( well the wife more than me tbh), it's the only way as they get older and think they know everything ,I reckon. We'll still have our heartache with her no doubt... 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sandymere 8,261 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 In cities it must be hard, children grow to live where they live and as more and more live in cities so less will understand or enjoy the countryside. Plus there are lots of pressures pushing against country sports from the rabbit huggers of society. I was brought up on the edge, one end of the street ended in housing estates where the gang I belonged to roamed, fighting gangs from the neighbouring estates, at the other end of the street was a wood with a stream and then fields. I tried both but the countryside won, ferrets, airguns, damming the rat infested stream beat wandering the streets lol. To a degree I was biased towards natural history as my old man was head keeper at the local zoo so I had form. He never really took us out but it was accepted that lads had ferrets etc and viewed nature in a realistic light. I would still consider myself a naturalist getting equal joy from watching a rare bird or unusual animal behaviour as I do hunting. To me they are part of the same thing, humans are part of the natural environment so have there part to play rather than just spectators watching from the edges but how do you teach that to an inner city kid or a country one stuck on a computer game? Wiil the countryside just be an adventure playgound of the future. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
baw 4,360 Posted February 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 :notworthy: some excellent posts on this thread, I love reading them. I'll read something I forgot I used to do and I'll remember it, f***ing great well done guys, keep em coming Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bosun11 537 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I grew up a city kid, Anfield, Liverpool 4, it don't get much 'inner' than that BUT back then every family enjoyed days out, it was a big deal come summer, some may have a weekend away, in a tent or caravan, luxury...! We were luckier than most, my Great Aunt had a caravan up the coast in Formby and me Mam changed her job from factory work in Jacobs biscuits to school dinners, so that we could spend all our holidays there. During the holidays me Dad still worked (he was never off!) but would spend summer evenings on the beach or the pine woods... It was magical..! True some kids never left the city but I can hardly remember that, like I said, it was a big deal for all kids then to have days out and talk about your adventures none stop in school as soon as you could... Formby, about 1975... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kay 3,709 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 My dad worked 3 shifts all his working life but as a child I was welded to him .. on his rest days as a small child we walked the canal , saw my first fox & badger with him ... grew produce in the garden ... kept rabbits which he taught me to look after .. even though I am nearly 50 I still go out with him .. his mobility is very limited now but we managed a day trip to llangollen & went over the aqueduct on a boat & a walk round the lovely little town I find myself going to grab his arm now as he walks using a stick which he hates wiered how the roles have reversed now he used to grab my hand as a kid 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
baw 4,360 Posted February 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I grew up in a street predominantly Protestant, most of my mates were and still are. I went to a catholic school and had I suppose the unusual position of having different school mates to after school and weekend mates, real mates I suppose. The street I lived was what you call rough and ready and the contrast between my real mates and class mates was like night and day. Class mates were only interested in football, pretty much nothing else. I took one of my class mates fishing, we had to sneak a telescopic rod out of his house, his mum thought I was a bad influence lol. He got into it a bit but it never lasted. My street mates however, we'd be upto all sorts as you did back then. I can mind when I was about 10 the teacher told the class to split into groups of 2 and pick a project to study. I paired up with a mate and everyone thought what they'd do. I knew exactly what I wanted to do and it was to get out the f***ing class. The other kids came up with stuff like writing about tv programs, football players etc. I said to the mate, I know, we'll study plants. He laughed it off but once I told him it would mean we'd get outside he came round to the idea lol. Anyhow, the teacher asked us in turn what our project was, lastly it was us and I said plants that grow in the playground miss. She thought it was an excellent idea and I thought ya f***ing dancer, we are onto a alive here. She thought it was that good an idea all the other projects should be scrapped and it should be a class project so not only did I not get unsupervised freedom for a few afternoons the whole class were drawing me daggers too but do you know what, it was f***ing brilliant. We'd collect as many plants as we could, dissect them and pin them in our folders pointing out what it was and all the parts to it. Probably the only time a lot of them in the class ever bothered with nature 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NEWKID 26,211 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Unfortunately it wasn't my dad who taught me to fish, hunt, nest etc.. But his best friend, he was my best friend too, when he died nearly 4 years ago, we were all gutted... He never wanted much, money meant nothing to him.. He was a proper country boy, he'd pick me up from the youth club disco on a Friday night , Susie the lurcher in the back of the van, and we were gone, he'd have my old clothes with him, we'd lamp that night, them ferret or fish the next day, every 2 weeks we went out on a charter boat, We'd walk miles to fish the canal, 3 or 4 in the morning to be there first light... We both kept pigeons, I secretly kept a ferret lol... He had ferrets, I'd go poaching hares with him as a kid, exited and shitting myself at the same time lol.. The only thing he wouldn't let me come on was his salmon poaching trips at night on the river, I suppose having an eager kid in a dingy in the middle of the night ain't a great thing lol... It maybe rose tinted but who gives a f**k, I loved it and still do, they were great times, he was a great bloke.... 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
clipo 871 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) I got bullied to f**k about being into dogs and the countryside as a kid used to get called weird for going lamping on a friday night while all the other lads were getting pissed over the park but i didnt give a f**k i remember once telling the group of lads i hung around with about running a hare on the lamp and one of them said he would come out....next thing i no 3 more had talked there self into coming aswell!!! So on friday at school we arranged to meet at a park a short walk from where i live and i meet them with my dads saluki x, deerhound x and spaniel as well as being "armed" with two gat guns and a black widow well as im sure you can imagine we didnt catch a thing lol but god it was funny seeing the other 4 lads shoot at pigeons 50ft up oak trees in the wind with gat gun darts had the lurchers and the spaniel chasing rabbits all over the shop and trying to hit ducks on the lake with the black widow them lads were buzzing and we dropped the dogs and weapons lol off at home and went to drink the 6 litres of white lightning we stashed earlier all night the lads were talking about the "big hunt" and they loved it unfortunatly they never got truly bitten and only came out a few more times each but the defo had a respect for what i did and why i did it!! Good times but its probably best they never got bitten as i doubt we would of got away with to many nights like that Edited February 20, 2014 by clipo 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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