My life has been far from dull, it is incredible that at 68 I have so far survived to tell the tale. My autobiography is a work in progress entitled, 'My Guardian Angel is on Prozac'.
Here are a few of the main events during my childhood.
At the age of two I nearly drowned when I fell into a fishpond. I was nearly runover by a bolting horse and cart!
I have suffered several electric shocks before the age of ten. The Germans who occupied our home during WW2 left the electrics in a woeful condition.
I twice fell out of a tree I was forbidden to climb.
When I was eight I managed to get knocked over by the truck I was driving.
Kicking a live grenade around when I was ten was not the most sensible thing to do, although admittedly I didn't know what it was. I had the worst thrashing of my life for that bit of stupidity, it is a wonder I survived.
I could have drowned when I went fishing off one of the rocks and didn't notice the tide coming in. I was surrounded by water, it was a 4ft jump to safety. I was contemplating how to do it, when a man appeared from seemingly nowhere, picked me up and jumped across the gap with me. He then disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. I cycled home as fast as I could, not of course mentioning the incident to my parents, as another thrashing would have ensued. I have never wished to go fishing again.
I was on my uncles' boat when I was about twelve, I nearly fell into the briny when it lurched over as I was on the catwalk. My father grabbed me just in time. The current is very swift there and I probably would have been swept away.
During my adult life I have had a number of dangerous encounters.
I was nearly totalled by a herd of stampeding cows in a meadow.
When climbing up Offers Dyke the hard way, in just shorts and T shirt, I slipped when practically at the top, fortunately I righted myself, the 30ft fall might not have done me any good! As it was I was very badly scratched.
Against my better judgement I allowed my late elderly mother to drive me to the local garden centre, she managed to take out two cars and end up at right angles to a fence, when she was parking it!
I have had several falls, due to my own stupidity in the last three years, the latest on Nov 5th resulting in my badly fractured arm.
Those are some of there low lights, there is much, much more.
I am sure others have tales to tell too.
