Hey Pad long time hope your good ......came across your post looking for the DYM challenge thread, Really looking forward to next chapter of this missed out last time think you got as far as being in the army i think and coming back home ....as i said before alot of courage to come on any forum and post about your past well done Dub.....
Sorry for delay but I've been away and when I got back life kicked me in da nuts as per ..Devilfish was a hero of mine and mehh. Contd..
Climbing ….. One of the towns we visited annually had a humungous boulder close to where we camped. It was circa 30/40 foot high & the locals said it was the remains of a meteorite. Inevitably, the climber in me became attracted to it like a moth to a flame and for a couple of summers I spent a LOT of time unsuccessfully trying to climb “Meaty”. My folks & brothers thought I was just mad!
The third year & first night back in town for the summer I sneaked off at dusk to reacquaint myself with Meaty and lo and behold found myself on top! On getting down.. well I hadn’t really given getting down much thought TBH! (Early climbing mistake! Duh!!)
At this point I could tell you lies and say I spent a miserable night, cold, scared & lonely, but I didn‘t. In fact, I spent one of the most magical nights of my life listening to sounds one only hears on cloudless, warm summer nights in Ireland. My most unforgettable memory…the sound of corncrakes.
What are CORNRAKES I hear you ask? Well, they are VERY secretive birds that nest in corn & barley and were common in Ireland when I grew up. They are very vocal and have distinctive nocturnal calls …they simply call out their names! “Corncrake.. Corncrake”.
I remained stranded on Meaty until late the next morning when, after being discovered missing, I was rescued by a search party comprising family and locals.
I learned later the locals said that, to their knowledge, Meaty had never been free climbed before. I was initially elated but failure gnawed at me as only getting up & down meant success. I remedied this the following year! Also, no bones were broken….Oh btw ..I was aged 11 & 12 at the time…….. ;-)
Fast forward 4 or 5 years……I’ve now spent roughly 50% of my time between family and boarding school and I’m even more desperate to “escape” from the family & its way of life. I am no longer the punch bag at home but it’s obvious I’ve become an outsider. To complicate things I now have a girlfriend.
Jeez Pad ..like you don’t have enough problems I hear you cry!! Sigh..
BTW I’m gonna skip .. learning latin, becoming an altar boy…. mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!
A chance table talk (with a hero of mine) made me realise some folk actually read my “blog” so….I continue
LIFE ….At boarding school life was tough.. but I coped… & then some.. probably due to my upbringing…
One day a really sadistic (American ) English teacher who introduced himself to the class (I’m aged 10/11) by lining us all up and giving everyone 6 of the best with a leather strap!! Imagine the anticipation of the impending leather... After it was all over & amidst wailing and tears, he said.. “That was for doing nothing! Just think what you’ll get if you really messed up!”
Although I was used to pain he caught my attention I can tell ya!
After the lesson he gave us our homework for the next day. There was a hint of more leather in his voice when he told us to learn Marc Anthony’s speech “Friends, Romans Countrymen” WTF !!!!!
The next day at English class we were all quaking in our boots! When homework came up he asked for a show of hands of how many lines people could recite. 4/6/8 etc. I was last hand up, bit the bullet, and despite a shaky start managed to recite it all! Kerching!!!
I was flabbergasted (and a tad peedd off) when he said “Well done! That’s the first time anyone has learnt it all! I only expect folk to learn 20 lines at most!”
In a strange way he taught me a valuable lesson. Incidentally, even now, I could probably still recite all 35 lines!!
One of my teachers.. a Christian Brother had become a really good friend & confidante & I confided in him my desire to run away. At great personal risk, he and my mother, yes my mother, organised & arranged for myself and my girlfriend to “disappear“.....
My mother helped after an unfortunate incident when she realised my life was in real danger. I still have the scars..
How does a mother say goodbye to a son to save him? I’m guessing those scars run much deeper.
I never see my mother, father, 6 x uncles, or 5 of my brothers again….
Great read ... With the question how do you say good bye to a loved one. Obviously every situation is different.. but if you truely think its the only way, and the people/kids are safe then that is all that matters. I know a good mate(female,leaving her husband) had to make such a decision for her own safety and wonders every day whether she made the right choice but she knows for her kids sake it was the right decision.
Great read, thanks for sharing. very much looking forward to the next instalment.
Although very different in most ways our childhoods were a little similar in some, my mother, being a bit of a hippy at heart, spent many years travelling. over the years I have lived/travelled in trailers/caravans, tipis, yurts and showman's wagons (horse drawn). By age 10 had lived in every county in the uk and quite a few in Europe, France, Spain and Germany.
I remember when we were 'parked up' on a beach in North Wales called Afon Wen, it was next to a Butlins, think I was about 7 so you can imagine the fun we had there! At the time we were in a converted lovely old 60's ambulance. what made me mention this is there was a semi permanent Irish traveller site next to us and I became firm friends with two brothers, who's names escape me now, I will have to ask my mother. They frowned on the 'new age travellers' and the adults didn't socialise but as I was so young my friendship was tolerated. when the tide was out we used to clamber up over the rocks and follow the coast round for about 20mins and then climb our way up and over onto the field, over a fence and bingo we were in butlins! don't know if you have ever been, its a pay on the door and everything free inside deal so we would spend a few hours in and out of the pool and on the rides then quickly run back through the field and make our way home before we were trapped by the tide! unfortunately due to a rather nasty series of events we were not at that spot for very long, but ill stop now as iv already gone on longer than intended.
Sorry I was only going to say a few words but so many memories flooding back.
Very much looking forward to what happened next for you, don't keep us waiting too long : )
Comments
Without a doubt this is one of the best threads I've seen on sky.
Looking forward to more!
wp tonight pad.
Although very different in most ways our childhoods were a little similar in some, my mother, being a bit of a hippy at heart, spent many years travelling. over the years I have lived/travelled in trailers/caravans, tipis, yurts and showman's wagons (horse drawn). By age 10 had lived in every county in the uk and quite a few in Europe, France, Spain and Germany.
I remember when we were 'parked up' on a beach in North Wales called Afon Wen, it was next to a Butlins, think I was about 7 so you can imagine the fun we had there! At the time we were in a converted lovely old 60's ambulance. what made me mention this is there was a semi permanent Irish traveller site next to us and I became firm friends with two brothers, who's names escape me now, I will have to ask my mother. They frowned on the 'new age travellers' and the adults didn't socialise but as I was so young my friendship was tolerated. when the tide was out we used to clamber up over the rocks and follow the coast round for about 20mins and then climb our way up and over onto the field, over a fence and bingo we were in butlins! don't know if you have ever been, its a pay on the door and everything free inside deal so we would spend a few hours in and out of the pool and on the rides then quickly run back through the field and make our way home before we were trapped by the tide! unfortunately due to a rather nasty series of events we were not at that spot for very long, but ill stop now as iv already gone on longer than intended.
Sorry I was only going to say a few words but so many memories flooding back.
Very much looking forward to what happened next for you, don't keep us waiting too long : )
Regards James
What a remarkable read, you have drawn me in and captured my imagination.
**SPOILER REQUEST**
Please let it be the case that you and your "Girlfriend" are still together? - I love a happy ending!
Mandy
Is that you conquering "meaty" in your avatar??? lol
Great read, awaiting more chapters......