Can you swim?

[RickH]

Was out cycling in the country once and saw a chap on a unicycle coming the other way. I really had to look twice to believe it. At the circus, fine, but he would have had to have cycled miles to get where we met; I've never thought they were machines for distance.

Did you miss the news that Ed Pratt has completed a round the world ride earlier this year? Having set off in March 2015 he finished in July this year having ridden 21,000 miles.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-44977806

[1066enthalpies1939]

I was of the generation and upbringing that swimming wasn't even thought about. Consequently, when I joined the RN aged 16, I'd never been to the swimming baths more than once in my life and was sort of scared of water. I learnt to swim, I had to, as it was all part of the basic training. These days, you can't even pass the interview to join up as a non-swimmer.

I've not been swimming since well before I left the RN in 1996. It could be that I've not been swimming for over twenty-five years.
No real intention of swimming again. I didn't like it much even though eventually I was actually quite good at it.

Can I still do it?
Dunno.

Mrs Mick F is the same as me, though she never really learnt to swim properly. She has swum, we've been swimming together once or twice, but it's even longer ago than me.

To this end, she's going to Tavistock pool this evening for a taster session, and if she's ok, she'll be taking swimming lessons. She's not convinced that she can swim at all now.

We'll see.

I find your comment that you are of a generation who never thought about Swimming. I am 65 we had swimming lessons at primary school and later in secondary school. Ilearnt late I was 11 yrs before I got the hang of it ,I went from a swallow learners pool to international size pool within about 3 sessions.

[Mick F]

How about stilts?

As a kid age six or seven, the chap down the road made me and my older sister a pair of stilts each.
Wood 2x2 poles with blocks nailed on as foot rests. Maybe 4ft long with the foot rests a foot or so off the ground.

It took me a week, and I could walk on them perfectly. My sister took a bit of time to learn, but I was brilliant at it. Still had mine when our girls were a similar age to me when I learned. They learned easily too, and I was still good at it though I was in my thirties by then.

They broke years ago, and I often wonder about making another pair and I have no doubt whatsoever that I could walk on them. Our grandson is nine in January, so it seems to be that I should get off my bum and make a pair for him ................... but I'll test them out first and show him how it's done!

[al_yrpal]

If you made a pair with one leg a foot longer than the other it might be useful walking around your garden

Al

[Mick F]

I'd have to get off at the far end and swap over left for right!

[peetee]

Make them long enough and you could get across the Tamar valley without having to ride up hill.