A predominately outside and varied work life. How has yours been?

[Ratman]

But then you'd have no one to bitch about wouldn't you...  be careful what you wish for...

Your english is atrocious..... and you want to profess and write stories!!!!

Jog on!!!

[Vespasian]

29 minutes ago, Chessa said:

I wanted to be a Fireman as a kid - but I was told it wasn't possible for girls. I was a Tom-boy, but it was the 70's... I played outside all day long (both in England and Spain), climbed trees, fences, rode bikes, skates and skateboards, roamed, swam in the sea, picked blackberries, prodded frogs, stroked cats and dogs, dug holes, jumped in puddles and made mud pies, sandcastles, botanical potions, and child imagination fuelled worlds. I was banned from playing football in the playground at school, because I was a girl.

 

So, Church school; then Convent school in the UK, in the 70's and 80's. Parents split up. Father moved overseas. Traditional academic subjects taught and gained - plus some specialist stuff one would expect from such a school at such a time (typing on type-writers, scripture, debate skills, deportment, needlework etc).

 

Ran away at 16 to live with ...(nightmare). Held down a Saturday job in a Dutch garden nursery. Made "buttonholes" from fresh grown roses, for local weddings. Went to FE college. Studied and gained psychology and sociology A levels and passed a social care course with p/t work placements in all sorts of social care settings - from schools to hospitals, to hostels for adults with disabilities, to homes for the elderly. Started rock climbing and indoor wall climbing. I was the only "girl" amongst my peers to climb with the "boys", or at all. This was the 80's and 90's. It was rare for females in the UK to rock (or tree) climb. It wasn't always acceptable - but I didn't notice, or didn't care.

 

Uni. 90's. Linguistics and Philosophy. Still climbing. Still working p/t.

 

Travelled and worked in outdoor centres and the dear old YHA, then on to manage a brand spanking new indoor climbing wall and a bit of access and conservation work for the British Mountaineering Council. 

 

Lots of climbing and a bit of mountaineering too. Worked for a camping company in the French Alps in my early to mid 20's - still with my hand in at the climbing wall.

 

Post-Grad cert in Teaching English...

 

Returned and had children. Then a divorce in my 30's. Single parent, with a young family, worked in admin, nursery school, hospital and even home-schooled for a while. Moved house a lot - renting, struggling but still smiling.

 

2010 - moved into first owned house and started renovating it. Retrained. Forestry Commission volunteer (Shadow Ranger); volunteer at a local environmental charity where I got my CS tickets through a lucky funding break with Lantra (for being a "girl" in a male dominated trade!!! Times were at last a' changing!); and doing gardening courses at a local Victorian walled gardens.

 

Started own gardening business in 2011, and started working as a Groundy a couple of years later - training on the job in the hope of making it as a climber one day. Still doing up the cottage (and doing eco- building courses to learn lime plastering etc), children living with me part-time. Still smiling.

 

2015-16. Breakdown. Lost house, kids, loved-one, van, business, and will to live.

 

2017 - ended up living nomadically and doing environmentally conscious garden and tree maintenance from my rucksack of tools - beginning with friends' gardens.

 

2018 - Still gardening. Looking to expand my skill-set. Started indoor climbing again too. Listening to music again...and smiling again.

Man theres some dark times in there..  

 

I can't help wondering what lies at the bottom of it all..   some childhood trauma, a personality flaw...

or just life in general beating down on you.   certainly is a puzzler..   

 

Still, you know what they say about reaching the bottom of the barrel, the only way now is up..  chin up and keep looking up...

 

[Vespasian]

12 minutes ago, Ratman said:

Your english is atrocious..... and you want to profess and write stories!!!!

Jog on!!!

I said I fancied myself as being able to write a good one.. if I could be bothered mind..  

 

I mean I was fifteen when I aspired to do that..  or was that being an actor..   I fancied being the new richard burton without the looks, or voice for that matter..  

 

I used to listen to his rendition of Under Milk Wood, but somehow it never had the same gravitas when spoken in a broad Lancashire accent..  well you should know it don't does it...

[Ratman]

I said I fancied myself as being able to write a good one.. if I could be bothered mind..  
 
I mean I was fifteen when I aspired to do that..  or was that being an actor..   I fancied being the new richard burton without the looks, or voice for that matter..  
 
I used to listen to his rendition of Under Milk Wood, but somehow it never had the same gravitas when spoken in a broad Lancashire accent..  well you should know it don't does it...

Well..... clever bollox that you aspire to be!!! How do you know that i speak with a broad lancashire accent???? Or can relate to such? Other than for you knowing that i live in Clitheroe????

Well I’ll tell ya shall i, oh clever and educated one, brought up on youtube and fairy magic philosophy, sat in every night on your reclaimed poof, chewing down on a wanna be’s pot noodle!.

I am in fact of viking origin, sent across the murky waters to infiltrate and seek out those who pledge to be who they are not..... and well i’ve hit the jackpot tonight havent i, you are in fact a judgemental wana be arse, a fully fledged bulls pizzle, a opinionated retard of the highest order, a huge let down to humanity, a waste of good fresh breathable air. But lets not forget most importantly, you are the purest form of irritation towards a living piece of greenery.

Trees hate you! Be told!

[Vespasian]

7 minutes ago, Ratman said:

Well..... clever bollox that you aspire to be!!! How do you know that i speak with a broad lancashire accent???? Or can relate to such? Other than for you knowing that i live in Clitheroe????

Well I’ll tell ya shall i, oh clever and educated one, brought up on youtube and fairy magic philosophy, sat in every night on your reclaimed poof, chewing down on a wanna be’s pot noodle!.

I am in fact of viking origin, sent across the murky waters to infiltrate and seek out those who pledge to be who they are not..... and well i’ve hit the jackpot tonight havent i, you are in fact a judgemental wana be arse, a fully fledged bulls pizzle, a opinionated retard of the highest order, a huge let down to humanity, a waste of good fresh breathable air. But lets not forget most importantly, you are the purest form of irritation towards a living piece of greenery.

Trees hate you! Be told!

And so to bed......

 

C U tomorrow Rat bastard, I'm off to bed for now....    you viking you!!!!...  hahahaha

[Ratman]

And so to bed......
 
C U tomorrow Rat bastard, I'm off to bed for now....    you viking you!!!!...  hahahaha

Dont forget your pillow! And just incase youtube hasnt educated you on the basics...... the pillow goes OVER your face!

[Stubby]

9 hours ago, TIMON said:

 

How the ‘eck would you know??

My point . Exactly . ?

[billpierce]

Can everyone stop prodding g the troll. This was a nice thread a while back

[felixthelogchopper]

14 minutes ago, billpierce said:

Can everyone stop prodding g the troll. This was a nice thread a while back

Indeed. People need to remember that a troll is for life, not just Xmas.

[westphalian]

Only one job ever for 30 years. Retire from same job in 31 months. Beat that for boring

But I plan to be a 16 stone climber when I retire. Anyone hiring?