Things you took for granted at the time and now realise you did well

Years ago I was a long standing Union Branch Secretary at my FE college. One year the branch voted in X, who was a member of the Socialist Workers' Party, as Chair.

I arranged a meeting with the Principal partly to introduce X. I waited outside the Principle's office but X didn't turn up.

Eventually I knocked on the door meaning to apologise. It was opened by the Principle's Secretary who looked harried and said, "Please come in".

Inside I saw the Principle and X leaning on their fists across a table and shouting at each other with their faces a couple of inches apart. Admin staff were dotted around looking absolutely appalled.

Luckily I was used to dealing with Engineering students (no offence). I marched up to them and physically thrust them apart saying, "Gentlemen, enough" and then "X! Outside! Now"!

In the corridor I said, "X you're not representing yourself or even the Socialist Workers' Party but our members. How do you think they would feel if they knew you had got into a fistfight with the Principle?

The incident was never mentioned by anyone but I never took X to a negotiating meeting again.

I suddenly thought of this, 30 years later, a couple of days ago. I wish I was as sure of myself now.

I am hideously travel sick, I am sick even when ship is still tied up at the dock. I can’t go on swings, watch the sea on tv let alone go on a lilo. Even sea swimming makes me nauseous.
It’s ridiculous but so unpleasant.
I need to take travel tablets for any journey over a couple of miles.

I used to sing solos in shows, at weddings and in various choirs. If I didn’t have some recordings of some of the occasions I don’t think I could believe I ever did it.

At secondary school I was chosen to be a ‘reader’ in assemblies because I had a clear speaking voice. I did this right from the first year and often at important occasions like prize givings and founders’ days. Then, in the sixth form, just before I went up onto the platform, a friend whispered” I couldn’t do what you do. I’d pee my pants!” I almost did and resigned from the readers team citing stage fright as the reason.

To solve motion sickness, cover one eye. I read it in a medical journal and bought some adhesive eye patches for our youngest who gets the woozies on a short car ride-it works.

When I was three months old (1923) my mother took me to visit her brother who lived in Jersey. Only boat in those days. She was so sick her milk dried up.
But that is where I got my nickname.

Whenever we took the ferry to France we had to take the short route because I was sea sick. A brandy would help and we judged the roughness of the sea by the number of brandies I needed.

I live near Swansea and often seen the boat in the port. It was often cancelled due to the weather conditions.

I clearly remember the days when the cheapest overnight accommodation on a ferry was a single bunk in a 4 berth cabin.
One time I had a bottom bunk and the most enormous woman was in the one above me. It soon became clear that she was unsteady on the ladder and appeared to need the bathroom several times during the night. I offered to swap but she was determined to keep her top bunk so I was called upon to help her up and down the ladder every time she needed to go. Always tried for a top bunk after that.

We have had various rough crossings sailing from Fleetwood to The Isle of Man. One of the Mona line of ferris hit a sandbank near Fleetwood and the ship almost rolled over.

My mum and I travelled regularly from Belfast to Liverpool when I was a child. Mum's family were in Liverpool, we lived in Belfast. To save money we shared a cabin with a stranger. Yes this happened back in the fifties. The stranger was an elderly lady. I was on the top bunk and was violently sick during the night. It all landed on the floor between the bunks. Mum had to put the light on and try and clean up. The poor lady probably never shared a cabin again.

Oh Absent you brought back memories of a trip from Denmark. Going out fine which not being good on boats was a miracle. Coming back totally different. No one allowed to walk about other than for food and to cabin as so rough. Even crew thought it bad. With 3 young children who did nothing suffer from seasickness in the morning they had to be fed and I couldn't stand up without trying to vomit. Exiting cabin a lovely couple with two young children volunteered to take my lot to breakfast. They insisted on leaving cabin key, and personal documents with me as security. Cabin maid then arrived saw me and exclaimed there was pills she could get me to help. Explained I'd had them to no effect. She came back with water, really kind but was eating an apple which on sight I just vomited again. She left closing cabin door behind her. As soon as I was off the boat I was fine but exhausted.

I can feel sick on a lilo in a swimming pool, but more memorably while snorkelling. I was so entranced by the sea life I didn’t realise that I was going to vomit….

When I was just twelve (December birthday) l played the piano for a Carol service for the brownies and guides plus their families and the vicar. There were probably around a hundred people there altogether. I used music (the proper versions, not the easy ones) but played as much from memory as from the book. It is something I have done in many settings since, including on violin and organ where necessary but, although I never thought anything of it at the time, l now realise that it was quite unusual looking back.

On the six week ocean liner voyage back from Australia in 1962 we rounded the Cape and the weather was horrendous. The parents were universally ill in their cabins and a gaggle of children ran about the ship impervious and having the best time ever. We ran on and off deck with nary a thought. We could have gone over the side in a trice and no one would have known.

Now, even a car journey can make me queasy.

My DH is a yacht sailor and has never ever felt seasick. He says that it is all in my mind, even though I am only sick in very rough weather. One day I will throw up all over him and tell him it’s only in my mind!

When I was 17 on thereabouts the main station in Hamburg still had the old German platforms that were very low and if I remember rightly there was only one step below the footboard of the train.

Even for young me, getting in and out of a train with a suitcase etc. could be awkward, and while I was waiting for my train, I saw an old lady struggling to descend safely from hers.

Without really thinking about it, I approached and asked as we had been taught in German lessons, "Darf ich helfen?" then lifted her suitcase down for her and offered her my hand, so she could clamber down more safely.

I was hideously embarrassed when she spent at least three minutes thanking me and praising my thoughtfullness and good manners. To me it was blatantly obvious that a girl of seventeen did not just stand and watch a lady of seventy-something strugling to negotiate the high step down to the platform.

I must add, not loving my poor mum being seasick!

How strange....I was talking about something very similar yesterday to my brother.

Before he was born, we were visiting relatives in Ireland and sailing over from Liverpool.
The sea was horrendous and my poor mum was so ill. I can remember stroking her hair and telling her "you'll soon be better", I was about 6 and absolutely loving every second of it!

My mum and I actually rescued a little boy & his father whose boat had capsized. We were in a fishing boat doing a 'trip round the bay' when we saw them.
I am told that we both looked at each other and dived straight in, me pulling the little boy and my mum the dad (we were both RLSS lifesavers). However, although often repeated as a 'family story' I have completely blanked it and can only remember the 2 of them huddling on the fishing boat.

Took on a very high achieving class, with a course I'd never taught before, with no training and no one experienced to guide me, in a new country. All students achieved their target grade and some exceeded them. Some of them went off to Ivy League / Oxbridge. In some ways it was the pinnacle of my career.

I used to fly long haul on my own quite effortlessly. Now after the long Covid pause, I feel I’ve lost the nerve.

What a brilliant thing you did absent. Makes me think of the Favourite Things scene from The Sound of Music.

I would have been useless. I have even managed to be sea sick on a trip around St Ives bay on a flat calm day!!

When the children were 4 and 2 yrs old I took them to Lehavre where MrOops was working, I was seasick all the way, poor kids were left to sort themselves out. Was the sea rough? Nope. Flat calm.
On the way home, which I was dreading, the sea was very rough and I was fine……….. I’m the same now.

Absent we could have done with your skills on many of the overnight sailings over the Irish Sea from Dublin to Glasgow. ?

On one memorable occasion I sat on a bunk with my father and brother in the men’s dormitory (too poor for cabins) whilst the Dubliners regaled us with song after song. Not much sleep was had but I still remember the craic and the singing raised the roof.

I get seasick watching a storm on film! Bleugh.
Although we live not too far from Dover , I try to resist travelling by boat or going on anything that wobbles, like a rope bridge…
It’s odd, but on several occasions I have been thanked for things I have said or done, for which the recipient was very grateful. I have absolutely no recollection of the event in question.