DON’T! – by Sheila

I was a very defiant child.  If someone told me “No!”, it made me absolutely determined to do whatever it was – and to some extent, that’s never changed.  I like to think that I am reasonably law abiding nowadays and have respect for other people, but within these parameters, I don’t like being told I can’t do something, without good reason.

I got into real trouble with this, when I was eight years old.  It was the playground season for handstands.  In those days, school playgrounds were not staffed during breaks and lunch times.  The children were left to themselves, unless a fight broke out, when help would be sought indoors from a teacher.  There would be a few weeks when everyone was playing skipping games, then perhaps it would be ball games, hopscotch or one of many other games.  Almost all the children would be involved in whatever the game of the moment was.  It had been handstands for several weeks, when we were told by our teacher that handstands had been banned.  No reason was given and we were all very surprised that the staff were even aware of what the current craze was.

Immediately after being given the handstand veto, we were sent out for playtime.  I remember going straight outside, finding myself a nice wall and doing a handstand against it.  As we filed back indoors, our teacher was standing at the top of the stairs, and I heard almost every child in front of me saying something along the lines of “Please, Mrs Mitchell, Sheila Wilson did a handstand” as they passed her.  There were four Sheilas in the class, so they had to make it clear which one was the sinner!  When we got into the classroom, my punishment was the usual Scottish one: the tawse.  I had to put my hands out, one on top of the other and hold them steady while I “got the strap”.  How unthinkable is that nowadays?

The tawse
The tawse

I didn’t learn, however!  Aged twelve, I set off on a much worse escapade.  I knew I was not supposed to climb out of windows, but one day the sloping roof below our bedroom window became too much of a temptation.  There was a skylight to the kitchen in the middle of the sloping roof, and I thought it would be fun to scramble across the roof and stick my head down through the skylight to frighten whoever was in the kitchen.  I never made it to the window.  A loose tile skidded under my foot and I went shooting off the roof down to the ground.  My sister Leslie, and step sister-to-be Jan rushed downstairs, and quickly carried me upstairs.  They kept me hidden for a couple of days until I was strong enough to walk again.  No adults found out about this for a full two years, when the pain in my back got so bad that I had to own up to what had happened.  This resulted in me being encased in plaster (and subsequently in a horrible boned corset) for many months, as described by Jean in her blog of 28th May.  When signing me off after this, the specialist said that I should not have children nor ever stand for more than ten minutes.  Of course I didn’t do what he told me: that’s clear to see!!!!!!!!  There would be no 3GKiliClimb if I had.

Roll on a few more years and I was told to take daughter Gwen to the orthodontist.  I had completely forgotten about this, until my daughters reminded me of this not so long ago.  I took Gwen for her appointment, and was told that she needed a brace.  Her teeth should all be wired together for a six month period, or otherwise there would be a gap between her two front teeth when she was older.  The girls tell me that I grabbed Gwen, telling the orthodontist that a gap between her front teeth would look just great, and marched her out of the door.  I got lucky that time – Gwen has the most beautiful teeth, without ever having had any intervention.

Gwen (with beautiful teeth!)
Gwen (with beautiful teeth!)

One of my grandparents’ obsessions was that it was very dangerous to sit on stone.   It was certain to result in piles – haemorrhoids to the uninitiated.  Any time we tried to sit down outside, a cushion would be pushed under us, as in the photo of Leslie and me as children.  Half a century later, on a trip back to Hawick, Leslie joined me in a bit of rebellion: we sat on the same steps in the garden which had been our grandparents’ WITHOUT ANY CUSHIONS!  They were wrong: we have been sitting on stone and lots of other cold surfaces all our lives and don’t have a pile between us to show for it!

Leslie and Sheila on their grandparents' steps. With cushions!
Leslie and Sheila on their grandparents’ steps. With cushions
Leslie and Sheila on what were their grandparents' steps. Without cushions!
Leslie and Sheila on what were their grandparents’ steps. Without cushions!

When I see notices telling me not to do things, I still want to do them.  Stew and I travelled in a taxi in Bangkok last year with this great strip of DONTS.  It immediately started me off fantasising about how many of them it might be possible to do during a short taxi journey.  By the way, in case you are puzzled, the second DONT from the right is about durian, that wonderfully smelly fruit.

Don'ts in a Bangkok taxi
“Don’t”s in a Bangkok taxi

On one of my regular walks between Whitstable and Herne Bay, I pass this NO SWIMMING sign.  The beach there looks no different from lots of other beaches along the coast where people regularly swim.  I am very puzzled as to why that particular stretch is prohibited, and am very tempted by it.  I have resisted taking matters any further so far……….

"No swimming" on the Kent coast
“No swimming” on the Kent coast

However, I had better behave myself on Kilimanjaro, hadn’t I?  I do know that there is a reason for the rules they have on the mountain and I will not do anything that could put any one of the three of us at any risk at all.  OK – so you have that in black and white!

Kilimanjaro rules
Kilimanjaro rules

4 thoughts on “DON’T! – by Sheila”

  1. Looks like a water buffalo to me Sheila!! Maybe they are taking the proverbial…… Or it might simply mean no wildlife. Neatly dodged BTW, Jo

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