Ordinary everyday things I no longer know how to do

Chewbacca

Walking in high heels can now officially be added to the list of "things I can no longer do." Having made an absolute mess of slapping on make-up earlier today, I now find that when I tried to walk in stilettos, I look like I'm channelling Dick Emery.

Kim19

Well..... I was given a lovely bicycle recently. Thought all I had to do was get on board and pedal off with past proficiency. Not a chance. I seem to have lost all powers of balance and confess to not understanding this at all.

could you take the peddles off and lower the saddle an inch, so making it into a balance bike, until you can get with the programme again.
perhaps practice on level grass in park, pro tem.
good luck.

Zoejory

I can't write any more. I gaze at the pen I've picked up. Almost a foreign object. I put it to paper. End up with a nasty ham fisted scrawl. I only have to write birthday and Christmas cards these days and it's so difficult.

I used to be rather nifty with calligraphy. Now my handwriting looks like a 4 year olds done it.

I was getting the same and my writing always caused amusement because my school taught something called Marion Richardson and it just looks as though I have just left the infants. Though I could do calligraphy.
Now it is so messy I have given in and bought a three-sided ballpoint which you give to infants in the reception class as it is easier to grip. My writing though still childish is at least legible

I haven't wobbled around in heels for years.

I fancy a pair of Susan Calman's glittery trainers for posh evenings!

Kim19
That’s how I leant to use a computer. I still do it now if it’s something new. After all, you can’t break it.

Walking in high heels can now officially be added to the list of "things I can no longer do." Having made an absolute mess of slapping on make-up earlier today, I now find that when I tried to walk in stilettos, I look like I'm channelling Dick Emery.

I was recently flummoxed when asked to add an electronic signature to a document online - no idea how!

lixy

And I'm not even going to mention the rigmarole I go through to park the car in a car park these days!

Grief yes. Hate car parks now. Those barriers really stress me out, and I can’t follow instructions on those machines when there’s people hovering behind.

Was once stuck in a queue of people, because the barrier wouldn’t go up, no matter what the poor people in the car tried to do. In the end, we had to wait for a human being to sort it out!

No...I cycle or walk now. So much easier.

Just doing some reverse thinking....... I had this iPad I'm using right now in the mail without a clue how to use it. I'm now pretty conversant without a single look at any instructions. Don't know how that happened. Maybe I just pressed every button to see what it did. Not rocket science, maybe, but I'm not feeling quite so stupid now. Every little helps!

My daughter was telling me recently that QR codes were more or less been put out to grass pre covid, as not enough companies had embraced the technology but they have made a come back with a bang since.
I recently had to scan something and attach it to a document, something I used to do easily in my working days but I found nearly impossible to get right at home, I think because my laptop only has older software rather than the more updated version we used to have in work. It seemed so effortless in the office ?.
I often wonder what would happen if there was a cyber attack. I was in a local supermarket recently and some payment cards were not being accepted due to systems being down luckily I had another bank card which was ok but I did notice the supervisor with an old fashioned card payment machine, the type you put a paper sheet into and pull the handle across,to imprint the card details , I always called them a visa machine?

My daughter has solved the watching catch up problem for me. She`s joined in her name, but it will work for me as well.

nothing...and If I wanted to know how to do something I would go online and find out

One of our cars is keyless. One day, I was driving but the keys were in dh's pocket. I dropped him, turned the engine off and he walked off whereupon the car started!!

Keyless ignition story...

I was at a hotel with some people from work on a work event, one of them was dropped off by his wife, who then drove off in the car, which had a keyless ignition, as he waved her goodbye. She stopped on the way home to go shopping, 20 miles away. Got back to the car and discovered that the key was in her husband's pocket, back in the hotel, and she couldn't get the car started again. Had to get a taxi to the hotel and interrupt our meeting.

I have developed a split personality too. I get very ruffled and indignant if there is even a whiff of condescension or patronising attitude aimed my way, but I have been known to pull the baffled by technology, please help me young man trick.

I am really enjoying this thread! My problem is with technology for its own sake; yes I get that you can do it, but why? Keyless ignition is an example, just what does it achieve? Apart from an increase in car thefts. I desperately need a new laptop, but can't remember any passwords. On a more basic note, I can't get down to clean skirting boards, well, actually I can, but I can't get up again.

I can’t sing my much loved operatic arias any more like Tosca and Butterfly ; high notes have deserted me. But there are still lots of lovely songs I can sing as long as they don’t have sustained notes. My voice now is like dealing with a wilful toddler, it gets out of control and does it’s own thing.
I have an array of ‘controls’, DVD, firestick (which I mistakenly kept calling firefly) etc. and it takes TWO of them even turn the blinking telly on…
I’m dreading the 12th when I change from Sky to TalkTalk and fix it up myself.
Oh I now have to lift up my left leg by my foot to put it in my trousers.

I was quite pleased with myself when I booked my train ticket to Cornwall on line. When I got to the station I had to play the old lady card and get someone to show me what to do with my peace of paper though. They did seem quite used to having to do it!

We have to turn the Humax box on which then turns on the TV - but to turn off it must be the TV which then turns off the Humax box!

I consider myself fairly it literate but, apparently, we have to turn the tv and sky off in a certain order or sky talks to itself all night.

So good to see we are not alone! DGD tv is very difficult to find any ‘normal’ programmes and you can’t just change from BBC to ITV without going back a few steps! We have a smart TV at home but don’t really use the ‘smart’ bit!
We needed to get a new sat nav - don’t have an integrated one - I still haven’t discovered how to do some things which were easy on the previous one.
The one thing new I do like is when I go for my cancer check up at the hospital I can just show a small machine a bar code on my appointment letter and it recognises me and spits out a piece of paper to tell me where to go next.
I print off our travel documents such as the ferry booking and Covid passes - it is much easier when checking in and everything is ready to hand over.

I think * Barmeybat* is right. A lot of the time we just think we can't do it.

Well I don’t know how to get the blooming voice off our sky Q, I didn’t put her on, every blooming programme she spoils talking over the storyline! “ she turns her head slowly tilts head and gives a coy smile” etc etc! Enough to make a parson swear!

I'm very proud to say I can use my mobile phone for parking.
My OH is very impressed. The only problem is I sometimes forget to pay and I get a message at home telling me my parking is coming to an end. ?

I have never learnt how to do video calling, mainly because I can't bear to see myself on screen!

In my old age I seem to have lost my ability to spell correctly. I used to sure of myself but now have doubts and have to check the dictionary or on line quite often.