5 things we have done (admirable, illegal, amazing, unusual etc)

henetha
We have crossed from Romania into Moldover with our motohome. All they were interested in was the smart car that we tow.
We had to bribe the border guard o the Romania / Hungary border as the kiosk where you buy the vignette.
We bribed a policeman in Romania. We were speeding. He was so grateful he kissed my hand.
I often saw my Bulgarian friend bribe the border guards on the Turkish/ Bulgarian border. She was importing gold and silver.
I had a scary couple of hours in a Bulgarian police cell as there was confusion Re my passport.
We have taken our own boat from Calais to the med. we have crewed on 4 other boats on this journey.
We moored up in Paris where we tied up against a boat whose owner drove an armor plated car complete with guns in the centre console. He took us everywhere in it.

In no particular order:

I passed my driving test 1st time at the age of 20 but sadly have now lost my confidence and no longer drive.

I chatted to David Beckham probably 20+ years ago in the Trafford Centre. I congratulated him on winning Sports Personality of the Year two nights previously. Brooklyn was in his buggy and VB was buying clothes in ‘Next’. Imagine that in itself!

I got bitten on my face at 22 by a Westie when I crouched down to stroke him. He put his paws on my knees, I stroked his head and then he growled and bit me - I needed several stitches and still bear the scar. The dog was PTS. Worst thing? It belonged to my parents. I had not long been married and was ‘home’ and made a fuss of him. He always was a growler.

I worked as a medical secretary for 40 years at England’s first NHS hospital opened officially by Nye Bevan in 1946.

I met my husband when I was 17 and he was 19 and we’ve been married now for 51 years.

Sang Mahler's Resurrection under Sir Charles Groves' direction. I envy you. You are indeed a Luckygirl.

Survived being trapped in caravan with a young angry Traveller man weilding a shotgun.
Went up Snowdon on the rickrack railway and the train jumped off the track.
Conducted choir of 250 ... several times
Survived selling my home on my own during which long process there were 4 failed deals, my husband died, and we were in covid lockdown.
Sang Mahler's Resurrection under Sir Charles Groves' direction.

I got to the top and chickened out.

I absolutely agree. I did that too BB. They hold your legs but it is still horrific.

Never again!

Ohh can I have another one
Hanging backwards over the castle wall at great height to Kiss the Blarney Stone …it was terrifying

Most of the five things other GNs have done make mine seem very boring and tame. What exciting lives you have.

What an amazing lot you all are!

Had a poem published at the age of 13.

At age 11, presented a bouquet to ballerina Alicia Markova on stage at the Liverpool Empire.

Flew to Australia with two children under 3.

Brought up two boys on my own after my husband died when they were 9 and 6.

Have sung (not solo!) for the late Queen, the Pope, Princess Diana and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

He was the right Beatle for me kitty. Shame he didn't realise

rock climbing and took part in sweep search with RAF mountain rescue

climbed Helvellyn in a white out

essential pipe maintenance in my loft to cure a leak that caused a flood over my en suite ceiling. 4`11, I had to do some chimney climbing as in a rock fissure, to reach the high pipe joint

Made a nice workable allotment from a thoroughly neglected allotment. So much so that I did not need to pay any fee for several months

At 70 I prepared my house for sale by myself, negotiated and bought my present house, packed everything myself and hung everything, after learning what special screws and rawlpugs were needed for the inner thermalite blocks. Everything is secure

May I add one more.......

I survived driving from Torquay to Portsmouth and encountering the Beast from the East.

Aged 21, I flew for the first time ever, to follow and marry my British fiancé in Michigan, USA, spending a night en route in New York (incredibly surreal) where he was on a 12 month scholarship with GM.

Unusually for the times, on a few occasions we met the natural mother of the two year old DD we eventually adopted. Subsequently, we were blessed with a DD and DS of our own.

Attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace to which we were taken in a chauffeur driven car courtesy of DH's university.

After my divorce, I married my current DH whom I first knew in 1961 when we attended the same grammar school; he found me through Friend Reunited.

In 2015 I attended the Le Mans 24hour race as a spectator for the first of five occasions.

And you, Kate. But, you picked the wrong Beatle again.

What a fascinating lot you are!

Spent overnight in a motorhome in the car park at the Pentagon, Washington. (1988, it would never happen these days).
Had cup of tea and slice of cake with the guards on the border between Romania and Moldova.
Removed barriers and drove motorhome up a high mountain in Switzerland. Lots of snow. Very foggy at the top, and our gas froze so we couldn't even make a cup of tea. Drove down again very carefully.
Found an unconscious woman in a street in Torquay. Turned out to be drug related.
As a thank you for taking many goods to a village in Romania they insisted on the ritual killing of a sheep and serving it at a huge banquet in our honour. I will never forget the awfulness of this, and the long-drop toilet.

Congratulations kitty

Congratulations Kitty you dark horse and a very naughty girl.
I was also a very naughty girl and got pregnant at 16- my beautiful girl adopted but found me several years ago to present me with 3 grandchildren and now a great grandchild.
Married a patient
Sang in a Choral Society - no more Covid got my voice.
Leading a U3A Writers Group sent in some competition entries awaiting results, not expecting much.

Congratulations Kitty

Been hauled down by police from a drainpipe as I was trying to gain access to Paul Jones.

Dated the policeman who hauled me down.

Won a hula hooping contest and a bathing beauty competition.

Had 5 lovely children and 9 equally lovely grandchildren.

Lived in Australia but only for 1 year.

Been happily married for 55 years, today.

Sat on stage behind The Beatles. I have a photograph.
Had a one way conversation with George Harrison - he spoke, I gawped.
Accompanied by lovely husband to The London Clinic where he donated his bone marrow to a stranger in another county.
Went to a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
Survived an horrific childhood.

BlueBelle

1 Been caught out in a curfew and been taken home in a jeep by armed guard
2 Been on the highest white water rafting course in the world
3 Had coffee in a locked room lined with guns in Russia
4 Challenged single handed in the street (and won) a man who stole from my son
5 Done Christmas Day swim many times (so far up to being 80 years old)

Wow BlueBelle, you are brave. I'm particularly impressed by number 4.

I was thrown over a wall by a policeman in Trafalgar Square.

I spent the night in an unmarried mothers' home when I was 16 but I did not get pregnant myself until many years later.

I fell and broke my right wrist then a few years later I fell and broke my left wrist.

My DD was born the same day of the same month as Mrs Thatcher and Edwina Currie.

I once saw a man carrying a chimpanzee on his back at Paddington Station.

In my working days:

I organised a launch event for a children's charity for which my employer was the main funder. The event featured David Attenborough as the star attraction. We had several photographers, over 200 photographs and I did not feautre on any of them in any way. I hate being photographed and consider avoiding the cameras that day to be quite an achievement.

In the same job I made a visit to an offshore gas drilling rig with a BBC R4 team of presenter and recordist. It was for part of a radio series on geology and this one was on the geology of hydrocarbons.

Way back in my university days, I went down a working coal mine in Northumberland. It was in a coastal location and the working faces went out 2 miles under the North Sea.