Useless skills we are secretly proud of

I know random words from different languages even though I don't speak these languages fluently. Also I can think of a smartshow 3d template for every family gatherings (and make the presentation!). People say, I'm good at writing speeches for family gatherings, too, but I'm not so sure.

I went to a Catholic boarding school- we had to attend Mass daily so I can recite the vast majority of it in Latin. Ditto with hymns- little was in English.

Oh, and I can identify a lot of toadstools!

Lucca not all of it It works only for those parts that were taught in my university and DD's. She had troubles with Latin and I gained all my knowledge once again to help her and even knew some things I didn't learn before.

I recently impressed my GS by being able to list twenty three Native American tribes (well, I used to watch a lot of Westerns!). I am envious of anyone who can curl their tongue and whistle. I can also play the spoons!

I can darn, but I would swap one of you to be able to a piercing whistle! I never could learn how to do that! Would come in handy when my two dogs disappear at the park after squirrels.

Whitewavemark2 made me smile!

Mine is prevarication. I’m a genius at it.

Our sunday school choir used to sing the Books of the Bible, ginster, both Testaments. We were invited to Derby Catherdral once to perform. Just tried to do it and I can't!

I'm a mine of useless information and surprise people, especially our children, with the amount of rubbish I know. The latest was that Leslie Crowther was Phil Lynotts father in law!

Until I was over 60 I could bend my right leg up until my foot covered my ear - it was something of a party piece when I was young, and as I grew older, every now and then in the privacy of my bedroom, I would try to see if I could still do it. Now I am having trouble with my said hip it was a skill I wish I hadn’t had. You could say that pride has come before a fall!

True Jane but some skills are not useful enough for the younger generation to want to acquire them -not if Mum/Granny can do it for them.

Knitting mushrooms and peas sounds messy ?

Isn’t a useless skill an oxymoron?

A skill implies some effort has been expended in acquiring it. That discipline in itself has a benefit to the skill acquirer.
Most skills are transferable and the basic skill to do one thing can often be applied to a different situation.

I can do that piercing whistle. Handy when the children were young and handy now for the dog.
I can recite all the books of the Old Testament , a Sunday school requirement ?

Darning and Latin are useful skills.

I can knit mushrooms and peas.

I can wriggle my shoulder blades in an apparently gross manner!

Oh how I wish I could do that piercing whistle!

I can waggle my ears.

I can build websites, but not much opportunity to use that
skill these days!

I can whistle by curling my tongue, is that useless enough for you? Not very ladylike, I know.

I also darn, but I don't count that as a useless skill, because it is very much in demand in my family. I do "a stitch in time" ... all the time.

I will try and think of a useless skill!

I have never forgotten all my former telephone numbers from when I was a child, but when asked for my DH new mobile, my mind went blank.
MawB I also have some darning on the go but it's not skilled despite my lovely mushroom.
I would argue that Latin is an excellent and useful aide to understanding our own language and also comes in handy for translating old inscriptions.

In my mother’s day it was expected, but my daughters are still surprised that I can darn
Middle D had a Victoria Beckham sweater she wore a lot until the moths got at it - cue Mum to do some (although I say so myself) nifty repair work. I also excelled darning some holes in an expensive (designer gift) hand knitted baby coat. Now that saving the planet by make do and mend has become trendy I am enjoying the brownie points!

You know Latin grammar by heart? What, ALL of it? That’s a lot.

I can recite yards of poetry. Actually I find this quite comforting, so not really useless. I also know the names of the most of the steps in ballet.

What, all Latin grammar ?