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Useless skills we are secretly proud of

(151 Posts)
JennyNotFromTheBlock Mon 21-Sep-20 05:31:09

Morning everyone! flowers
I wanted to start Monday with something positive, so lets talk about cool skills we have that are actually pretty useless. Mine would be a nice handwriting while I don't write anything much and also I know Latin grammar by heart. Not that I can find a chance to use it. What about you?

TerriBull Mon 21-Sep-20 08:22:17

Knowing all the Kings and Queens of England from 1066 to present times in ascending order, not a lot of use in life I've found, not sure it's much of a skill either, although it's come handy in playing Trivial Pursuits with extended family a couple of times.

FannyCornforth Mon 21-Sep-20 08:47:57

I'm very good at spelling words backwards.
It started as an anxiety diversion thing, and then I got super quick at doing it.
I'd ask people to challenge me. It must have been very annoying!
I'm very good at removing unwanted insects. But I suppose that is quite useful.

monk08 Mon 21-Sep-20 08:49:27

kittylester Phil Lynott was born in our local hospital

Pantglas2 Mon 21-Sep-20 08:50:24

My dad taught me to gut trout and salmon, gut and skin rabbits and dress pheasant and grouse - I’ve yet to do any of those things as he presents me with fish ready prepared and no longer shoots!

Urmstongran Mon 21-Sep-20 08:51:59

I wasn’t allowed to practice whistling when I was at junior school. Mum told me off, saying it was a common thing for girls to do.
I was so jealous of my friend who could put two fingers in her mouth to give the best whistle ever!

I don’t think I have any particular skills ...
?

aggie Mon 21-Sep-20 08:56:17

I can read upside down print ! Great when hearing reading homework !

GrannySomerset Mon 21-Sep-20 09:01:15

Not a skill, but I can carry colour really accurately in my head which can actually be quite useful.

HAZBEEN Mon 21-Sep-20 09:02:43

A bit random but I can turn a tea towel into a chicken! I once did a demonstration to the class (with handouts!) when I was doing my Adult Trainer Award!

midgey Mon 21-Sep-20 09:06:09

I can remember my original National Health number! Long since superseded!

Marydoll Mon 21-Sep-20 09:25:18

Charleygirl, I too, can still remember all the Latin nass responses. Ingrained in my brain! ?
I can also conjugate Latin verbs, not much use for that nowadays! ?

JuliaM Mon 21-Sep-20 09:25:30

I used to be a rather good Rally Driver with a difference, most of the time it involved towing a Caravan on the back of my car, and one of only a handful of Lady Drivers to pass the Caravan Clubs test to enable me to help tow any Fellow members off a muddy Rally Field and back onto the Tarmac to continue their journey home. This was back in the mid 1980s, and the look of horror on some owners faces who didn’t know me, just a slip of a Girl in my early 20s driving a powerful 4x4, and being instructed by the Rally Marshall’s to hand their Pride and joy over to me or be stuck in the mud forever was a real picture to remember!

susieboo Mon 21-Sep-20 09:31:01

I Can Spell backwards without looking ?Totally useless skill

BlueBelle Mon 21-Sep-20 09:34:09

Here’s a really useless one but although I don’t practice any forms of keep fit I am still fairly supple and can do a full lotus (Anyone not familiar it’s sitting on the floor and crossing your legs over so each foot fits in the opposite groin)
Totally useless and no one would ever know unless I did a party piece hahaha

LadyBella Mon 21-Sep-20 09:35:19

I can still do shorthand perfectly. It has come in very handy at times. When the children were small they used to ask me what they were having for Christmas and I used to write it in shorthand and show them to see if they could work it out but of course they never could. They used to get really exasperated! My DH works part-time and dictates letters and invoices to me so the skill is still useful.

BlueBelle Mon 21-Sep-20 09:36:01

Oh and one more although I can’t remember much at all I can still remember my ex husbands RAF number and we ve only been divorced nearly 50 years

henetha Mon 21-Sep-20 09:36:53

I can pluck chicken feathers very fast. Not much opportunity to practise my skill these days but I grew up doing it. Cluck!

Kate1949 Mon 21-Sep-20 09:44:37

I can sing Silent Night in German. grin Well the first verse anyway.

Davida1968 Mon 21-Sep-20 09:46:28

I am good at getting the very last last bit out of things: hand-cream, toothpaste tube, cartons. etc.

Davida1968 Mon 21-Sep-20 09:47:09

And I can remember our family's Co-op "divi" number!

lizzypopbottle Mon 21-Sep-20 10:13:39

I'm a practising 4th dan black belt in Shotokan karate. It won't save me in a confrontation with a knife or gun wielding villain but they are few and far between in rural Northumberland! I just love karate! ?

lizzypopbottle Mon 21-Sep-20 10:14:46

Here I am.

Chardy Mon 21-Sep-20 10:14:54

We had to learn the first verse of O Come All Te Faith in Latin (when we knew no Latin). Today I've found out I can only remember 6 of the 8 lines. I'm off to Google it

SusieFlo Mon 21-Sep-20 10:21:56

I can bend my fingers at the top joint!

Carolpaint Mon 21-Sep-20 10:27:18

I can fire accurately a 303 or a 22 rifle. Not much good with a naval pistol. So come the Apocalypse, might be able to survive.

Purplepoppies Mon 21-Sep-20 10:29:06

Im a self taught cook and baker of cakes. Good at both. I rarely blow my own trumpet. People on here don't know me in real life so it feels safe to do so ?
I too can wiggle my ears.....
To the other ear wigglers... are you double jointed by any chance??? (Hyper-mobile these days)