More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)

[pat]

You do make me laugh, Pat!  A British thing, I feel?! 

Modesty prevents me from commenting further on this subject!! 

That's what we like to hear!

[pat]

Actually, on second thoughts, it would be nice to hear what others do in the way of charitable or voluntary work. So come on, let’s hear from you. Permission to brag granted!

[Hobbit]

So glad you continued with your story Les.  I'm finding it very moving & it makes me realise how lucky I was as a child.  My Christmas stocking was always nuts (in shells! ), an orange & chocolate pennies & I always had a few toys in a pillow case at the end of my bed!
Sorry Pat I have no bragging rights as I don't do any voluntary work!
Penny

[Hobbit]

By the way Les how great to see England doing slightly better in the Boxing Day test Too little too late but would be great if they could salvage a win from the series! Alastair Cook played out of his skin
Pen

[Les303]

Actually, on second thoughts, it would be nice to hear what others do in the way of charitable or voluntary work. So come on, let’s hear from you. Permission to brag granted!

I don't think that it is necessarily " bragging " to share with others that you choose to do charity work, after all, everybody loves a "feel good " story.
Personally, I " volunteer " a substantial amount of cash to both my local pub & betting outlet, purely for the selfless purpose of ensuring that those businesses continue to thrive.

Seriously though, volunteering for some sort of charity work, will be on my agenda when I have retired from the workforce.

[Les303]

 

By the way Les how great to see England doing slightly better in the Boxing Day test Too little too late but would be great if they could salvage a win from the series! Alastair Cook played out of his skin
Pen

After the first 3 tests, various commentators ( including some from England ) were criticising Cook's form, some even suggested that the only reason that he was not dropped for the fourth test was that they did not have an extra opening batsman on tour to replace him & all of them were predicting that this would be his last series.
Now, after that brilliant double hundred,  those same hypocrites are saying that it is the best that they have seen him play in his entire career. ( You should never discount a champion .)
Nobody really likes a one sided contest, so I reckon that all serious cricket fans were glad to see the England fightback & in particular, that spectacular effort from Cook to carry his bat through the entire innings , it set up the game for a potentially very exciting finish.
It's 3.00pm as I write this & unfortunately the notorious Melbourne weather has kicked in again & they are still off the ground with a rain delay so it looks like a draw will be the inevitable result.
I do hope that when we come to England in two years time to defend the ashes that not only Cook but also Anderson & Broad & maybe even a reformed Stokes are part of the English squad.
As much as I enjoy watching Australia have a relatively easy series win, test cricket needs to have close & exciting matches.
Did you follow the series last year when Australia went to India?
We were rank outsiders, given absolutely no chance of troubling India on their home soil.
The first four matches were all terribly close & Australia managed to get the series to two all.
The build up to & anticipation of the fifth & deciding match was enormous & although India had a convincing win in that last series deciding game, it was an enormously popular series right around the cricketing world.

[pat]

I don't think that it is necessarily " bragging " to share with others that you choose to do charity work, after all, everybody loves a "feel good " story.

You may be right, Les. Some psychologists would argue that bragging doesn't necessarily indicate that people are egotistical but rather that they're insecure and need the praise of others. Facebook is a perfect example. Whichever way you look at it though, unsolicited bragging is a rather unattractive quality. Perfect example - Donald Trump!

[Ozzyjack]

There are several aspects that have arisen in the discussion of “stories” that I would like to share a perspective on.

The first is on crying or the shedding of tears.  I was often told in my early years that real men don’t cry. IMHO this advice is detrimental to both physical and mental health.  I won’t bore you with details but if you are interested, google “the health benefit of tears”.   What reduces one to tears is both an individual and personal thing.  I cannot remember being reduced to tears by the many personal tragedies we all have if we live long enough. I don’t say it didn’t happen, I just don’t remember that it did.   Tear jerker movies that have most of the audience sobbing don’t affect me in that way.  On the other hand stories of cruelty to kids or animals, particularly dogs; extreme courage; or the use of power imbalance rarely fail to get the tear ducts flowing.  The typical “Lassie” type movie is a two handkerchief job for me.

The second aspect is on physical punishment to enforce discipline. I was lucky I never experienced this at home but it was common in the secondary school I attended.  My father, although an exceptionally strong man, was also an exceptionally gentle man. He never administered physical punishment although more than once I gave him reason to.  An example was when I was in my early teens, I was taught to crack a stock whip. On a mad impulse, I thought it would be a joke to flick him on the backside.  I got him with a perfect strike.  With the right technique you can kill a snake cracking a stock whip, so you can imagine how much it hurt.  His response was to question quietly whether I was proud of myself for inflicting pain on a person for no reason. I was ashamed.

Physical punishment to enforce discipline is more often than not counter productive.  Ozzyjune’s first career was as a high school teacher.  Her first year out was in a country school where academic achievement was low on most students’ priorities.  In the last day of the school year a student came to her and said “Please Miss, I’ve got the cane every week this year and I haven’t so far this week.  Would you please send me on report to the Headmaster’s office. I don’t want to spoil my record”.   Of course she didn’t.  However, if getting the cane is not feared and is seen as a badge of honour, how can it reinforce discipline.

The third aspect is the divided opinion on whether sharing one’s details of generosity is bragging.  Whether it is or not and some forumites are interested, then it has a place in the forum.  If it does serve a psychological need, then perhaps it is not such a bad thing, even if forumites are not interested.  My experience is that on the whole we seem to be a caring community.

This is starting to sound like a sermon so I am off to find a beer.  I am sure Les would approve.

[Hobbit]

It's 3.00pm as I write this & unfortunately the notorious Melbourne weather has kicked in again & they are still off the ground with a rain delay so it

[/quote]
Oh Les there was me thinking you'd nipped down to Melbourne & done a bloody rain dance!!
Sorry, in spite of all Pat's efforts, I still can't get the quotes sorted out.  I should do it more often then I wouldn't forget next time
I did follow the series you were referring to between Australia & India.  Amazing!
Pen

[Les303]

So glad you continued with your story Les.  I'm finding it very moving & it makes me realise how lucky I was as a child.
Penny

I am sure that there were plenty of kids that had it much tougher than I did.
I always had a roof over my head , a warm bed , food in my belly & the love of my family.
I might have lacked  some luxuries & endured a few hardships but the majority of my childhood was carefree, happy & fun.
Whenever I complained about having to go to school, my parents would always tell me that in years to come you will realise that your carefree schooldays were the best days of your life.

I am know in grade 6 & have been made captain of the footy team.
What an honour but what pressure, need not have worried , I won the best & fairest player award that year ( I still have that rusty little trophy in pride of place on the lounge room cabinet ) but more importantly i caught the eye of " Betty ".
Big Bruce was in grade seven & also fancied Betty so before I know it, I am goaded into my first fair dinkum fist fight.
I managed to give him a fat lip & nice bruise on his cheek bone but the teachers were there pretty quickly to break it up so I would not say that there was a winner or loser. ( I was just getting warmed up.)
I came off it with a bloody nose & a black eye ( which I was able to proudly show off for about a week ) but more importantly the invaluable reputation of a sixth grader, that not only took on but held his own with a much bigger seventh grader.

Finally, I am in grade seven, the senior grade at primary school , the big fish in the little pond, grade seven ruled the playground & more importantly, Betty & I were in the same class & big Bruce had moved on to high school.

First formal dance , first date , first kiss , first puppy love, what a great year but now the step up to high school & grade eight loomed, all of a sudden I would once again, be the small fish in the big pond....

[Hobbit]

Oh Les that conjures up a funny picture   I can't wait to find out what happens between you & Betty..
A very Happy New Year to you & all the Forumites.  At the time of my writing this you've already celebrated!
all the very best Penx

[birdy]

I haven't been on the forum for a while (Christmas and all related activities getting in the way), so I've had a lot of catching up to do. Am very interested in the life stories - getting to know y'all.  Looking forward to the next installments!

[Les303]

" I've started a nice new thread in the hope that you will continue your story.  Perhaps I ought to have searched out the old one..."
Pen

I cannot disappoint you Pen, so I have found the old thread & will continue ;

Year 7 has come to an end & we are all enjoying our school holidays.

I mentioned previously, that after my father passed, Diane (big sister) dropped straight out of school & found herself a job at the local supermarket so she was able to pay board & help Mum pay the bills.
At the end of that year, Trevor ( eldest brother ) finished school & found himself a job in a sheet metal factory so he was also able to pay board & (supposedly) also help Mum pay the bills. ( He has always been a tight arse & still is to this day. )
Barry ( middle brother & the brains of the outfit ) got a job doing a paper run every morning before school, half of what he earned, was supposed to go to Mum & the rest was his pocket money. ( I am not sure how he managed it but there was some very clever accounting that ensured that he kept 90% of what he had earned. )
My contribution was to go around the neighbourhood offering to mow lawns, anything that I earned, I was allowed to keep as my pocket money.

Barry & I had always been very close, we were brothers, but we were also best mates, I followed him around everywhere, after all, he was a star athlete at " everything " , an A grade student & always had girls chasing after him.
Of course after Dad's passing, our bond became even stronger, as he tended to take me under his wing & for all of those questions that a young boy would normally ask of his father, I would always turn to Barry for advice.

It's the first week of school holidays & all I can think about is building up enough courage to ask Betty for an actual movie date at the flicks for the upcoming Saturday afternoon matinee.
I convinced Greg & Ross ( two mates that I had been with all through primary school ) to ask their sweethearts to the movies & we would all meet up at the cinema on Saturday afternoon.
As naïve as I was, I knew that if you asked a girl out then you were expected to pay for everything, how convenient, I barely have enough money to pay for my own ticket & can not possibly cover her expenses as well so my reasoning was that I haven't chickened out but have simply deferred the event until I could save up the required funds.
Ross had an older brother named Murray & Greg had an older brother named Peter & they were in the same class as & best mates with my older brother, Barry.
By pure coincidence , all of our surnames began with the letter " B " so we were known as the (the little bees).
Barry had heard from the big bees what the little bees were up to & asked me what time I was going to be meeting Betty on Saturday.
He saw right through my feeble excuse & as he handed me some cash, explained that all you have to do is go over to Betty's place & knock on the door.
If her parents answer the door, just be polite, introduce yourself & tell them that you would like to speak to Betty as you wish to ask her to the movies on Saturday.

I can not ever remember being so nervous, as I tentatively knock on the front door of Betty's house.
Betty's mother answers the door, I remember my script & recite it perfectly.
Of course Les, come in & take a seat while I go and get Betty.
I can faintly here a conversation, " Betty, there is a boy here to see you, oh no it's not Bruce again is it, no, your father has spoken to his parents & he will not be bothering you any more, this boys name is Les , ok, I'm coming straight away.
As Betty sits next to me on the lounge chair, her father suddenly appears, what is going on in here & who in the hell are you?
As I stand up & start mumbling about who I am, Betty's Mum comes in & ushers Betty's father away.

As we chat about the previous school year & in particular what a great time we both had the school dance, my confidence builds & I ask her the question.
She responds with an immediate " yes " but I just have to check with mum first.
Then after an intense  " grilling " from both mother & father , approval is finally given.
Betty walks me out to the front gate to say goodbye but there are eyes on us so it is just a kiss on the cheek until I see you on Saturday....

[Hobbit]

Thanks Les - you never disappoint!  I can't wait for the next instalment.
I think the last test is due to start in Sydney tonight.  Have buried my head in the sand a bit after Melbourne Don't expect England will be able to salvage anything but you never know! Better gird my loins I think
Pen

[Les303]

Gooday Pen,

I do apologise for the tardy response,  I've been so busy the last few days, that I just have not had the time to get on line at all.

As i'm typing this , England are 4 for 73 & are going to do well just to take it into the fifth day.

Greg , Ross & I, all meet up at the front of the picture theatre well before the scheduled midday starting time.
It was essential that we arrived before the girls as we had to discuss tactics.
Do we purchase the tickets & snacks now or wait for the girls.
There was some heated discussion but as always, when the " 3 musketeers " disagreed on anything, it went to the vote & the vote was to wait, after all , none of us were overly confident that they would even turn up & if they did actually show up, then we could " show off " that we were paying for everything & would not make the mistake of buying a treat which they did not particularly like.
Now the really serious discussion begins , are you going to put your arm around her, are you going to try & kiss her ( do you even know what a French kiss is? ) , are you going to be game enough to go any further?
Next thing, a car pulls up driven by Betty's dad.
The girls all get out & walk toward us but just as Betty approaches me, she is called back to the car to speak to her father.
This whole time, his gaze is firmly fixed on me but it was only a couple of minutes before the car finally drove away & Betty re- joined the group.
The girls are suitably impressed as we go to the ticket counter & tell them to put their purses away & again at the snack counter.
There was probably about a half an hour of cartoons & then a short film before interval & then the main attraction " Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. "

The theatre was not overly crowded , so we were able to get the prime seats in the back row.
We all enjoyed & were so engrossed by the film that most of the boys preconceived strategies actually never took place.
There were some very clumsy arms around shoulders & a few awkward kisses but as time went by & the weekly Saturday afternoon matinees became a regular date we became much less interested in whatever film was showing & much more interest in each other.

I was on top of world, until, just a couple of months later, Betty told me the news.....