Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I
am interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence
at big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother
me. Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing
looks like God's Own Scalextric kit.


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure
could be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?

"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...

Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I am
interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder on
our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some fossil
hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence at
big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother me. Nor
the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing looks like
God's Own Scalextric kit.


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything - checking
and double checking everything where the outcome of failure could be
bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?

When I was 17 I had a holiday job helping a handyman at a haberdashers shop
in the Fulham / Chelsea borders. One day we had to re-glaze a 4th story
window pane, and I was quite happy to sit on the wide window ledge with the
window shut, putting in the putty - no ladders, no scaffolding, no safety
harness. Time went by - got my first house, happy up ladders and doing
gutters etc. THEN - first child is born and all of a sudden I find my self
not at all happy taking the 'risks' any more. Not a conscious thing, just
found myself going wobbly when I tried. So has nature and Darwinism put
something in the DNA to stop you taking risks as your responsibilities
increase? An intriguing thought


Andrew

On 24/03/14 11:21, Andrew Mawson wrote:

When I was 17 I had a holiday job helping a handyman at a haberdashers
shop in the Fulham / Chelsea borders. One day we had to re-glaze a 4th
story window pane, and I was quite happy to sit on the wide window ledge
with the window shut, putting in the putty - no ladders, no scaffolding,
no safety harness. Time went by - got my first house, happy up ladders
and doing gutters etc. THEN - first child is born and all of a sudden I
find my self not at all happy taking the 'risks' any more. Not a
conscious thing, just found myself going wobbly when I tried. So has
nature and Darwinism put something in the DNA to stop you taking risks
as your responsibilities increase? An intriguing thought

That's a very interesting observation...

On Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:12:55 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...ces-Sheerness/
Sheerness-0607-3961-lucy-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Age? Or conditioning?

Or a memory of... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-23970047 ?

Tim Watts wrote:

with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I am interested
in some observations: I have never had a significant fear of heights

I not so keen on "edges" though, doesn't matter if it's stepping round
the corner from the garage onto the porch (both single story flat
roofs) to clean out the guttering, or hundreds of feet of cliff.

A few years back I installed TV/FM/DAB aerials on the chimney using one
of those roof ladder conversion hooks, which took me half a dozen
excursions up/down to do the job, the transition from the upright ladder
onto the roof ladder (and more especially the reverse) was a *very* slow
and deliberate process.

[Sheppey Crossing]

It'd make me a little nervous, but it would have a decade ago too.

I have never experienced reticence at big high bridges before. The
QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother me.

That makes me a little nervous too, then again I have driven over this,
which is the same height as the QEII bridge, but considerably "humpier"

http://esf-protrainer.com/myPictures/Tampa/Skyline%20Bridge.jpg

it's just a matter of reminding yourself 000's of people do it without
coming to any harm ...

Age? Or conditioning?

Much as we'd like to think the conditioning comes with age, I think
there's an element of knowing the reaper is out there somewhere and
wanting to keep plenty of distance from him!

On Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:53:42 +0000 (UTC)
Jethro_uk wrote:

On Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:21:19 +0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...

Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on
ladders, I am interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a
ladder on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...ces-Sheerness/
Sheerness-0607-3961-lucy-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced
reticence at big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford)
does not bother me. Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact
the Sheppey Crossing looks like God's Own Scalextric kit.


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being
solid, but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure
could be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?

When I was 17 I had a holiday job helping a handyman at a
haberdashers shop in the Fulham / Chelsea borders. One day we had
to re-glaze a 4th story window pane, and I was quite happy to sit
on the wide window ledge with the window shut, putting in the putty
- no ladders, no scaffolding, no safety harness. Time went by - got
my first house, happy up ladders and doing gutters etc. THEN -
first child is born and all of a sudden I find my self not at all
happy taking the 'risks' any more. Not a conscious thing, just
found myself going wobbly when I tried. So has nature and Darwinism
put something in the DNA to stop you taking risks as your
responsibilities increase? An intriguing thought


Andrew

When I worked in London, in the 80s, I'd walk along Baker Street. The
window cleaners would happily stand on 5th floor ledges with one arm
inside the window frame, and the other cleaning away. Again, no
harness, no scaffolding.

I really couldn't look ....

There was an instance at a jobsite in Mexico City where I was working,
where a scissor lift was installed next to a building, and extended
fully; an extending ladder was then wired to the platform rails of the
lift so that the higher parts of the building wall could be reached. The
building itself was on stilts, above a plant roadway, so was higher than
normal.
There was nothing to which a harness could be attached for anyone up
the ladder.

--
Davey.

On Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:12:55 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I
am interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...ces-Sheerness/
Sheerness-0607-3961-lucy-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence
at big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother
me. Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing
looks like God's Own Scalextric kit.


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".

Perhaps your subconscious was remembering this, and the fact that people
were stuck on it for hours:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23970933

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 3/24/2014 7:21 AM, Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Tim Watts" wrote in message
I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure
could be bad(TM).
Age? Or conditioning?

When I was 17 I had a holiday job helping a handyman at a haberdashers
shop in the Fulham / Chelsea borders. One day we had to re-glaze a 4th
story window pane, and I was quite happy to sit on the wide window ledge
with the window shut, putting in the putty - no ladders, no scaffolding,
no safety harness. Time went by - got my first house, happy up ladders
and doing gutters etc. THEN - first child is born and all of a sudden I
find my self not at all happy taking the 'risks' any more. Not a
conscious thing, just found myself going wobbly when I tried. So has
nature and Darwinism put something in the DNA to stop you taking risks
as your responsibilities increase? An intriguing thought

I never had a problem with flying - until I had children.

On 24/03/2014 11:12, Tim Watts wrote:

Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I
am interested in some observations:

In a sense its not that far OT - DIY is inherently risky some of the time...

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg


[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

I think its partly a visual "trick". The fact that there is no
superstructure above the roadway makes it look very "open" - creating
the impression that there are no edges and it would be easy to fall off.

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence
at big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother
me. Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing
looks like God's Own Scalextric kit.

The QEII by comparison has lots of visual stuff above the roadway.

I remember watching them build that as I went past it each week. Some of
the piers when standing in isolation before the road was added, looked
ridiculously tall in isolation, and I remember thinking that working on
the top of one of those would not have been for those of a nervous
disposition!

(can't find many images of it under construction interestingly...

http://www.photographersdirect.com/b...mageid=2526214

makes you wonder what it would be like walking up to the "open" end ;-)

http://www.dureycastings.co.uk/uploa...nstruction.jpg


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure
could be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?

Bit of both probably - also Andrew's comment above about having
dependants also probably plays a part...



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Tim Watts wrote:

Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I
am interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

IIRC the Tay Bridge bans double-decker buses, because anyone on the top deck
is terrified by the view.

One of the advantages with the Forth bridge's design is that the pedestrian
walkways are quite a lot further out than the roadway, so although you can
glimpse sea through the gap between roadway and walkway, anyone in a car
mainly finds themselves looking out at a pretty flat angle.

I recall being frightened on the Brenner Pass bridge(s) and also in fact
(viewing the surroundings from a tour coach) all the approach roads which
were cantilevered out from the sides of the hills. If you were driving on
the 'inside' edge it was ok as you could see hill close-to, but on the other
side you felt completely unsupported.

On such roads you can feel that the driver only has to twitch the wheel a
tiny amount and the vehicle will hurtle over the edge. But that risk exists
on many roads without being quite so frightening.

--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.

Email sent to my from-address will be deleted. Instead, please reply
to replacing "aaa" by "284".

On 24/03/14 11:48, Andy Burns wrote:
Tim Watts wrote:

with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I am interested
in some observations: I have never had a significant fear of heights

I not so keen on "edges" though, doesn't matter if it's stepping round
the corner from the garage onto the porch (both single story flat
roofs) to clean out the guttering, or hundreds of feet of cliff.

A few years back I installed TV/FM/DAB aerials on the chimney using one
of those roof ladder conversion hooks, which took me half a dozen
excursions up/down to do the job, the transition from the upright ladder
onto the roof ladder (and more especially the reverse) was a *very* slow
and deliberate process.

[Sheppey Crossing]

It'd make me a little nervous, but it would have a decade ago too.

I have never experienced reticence at big high bridges before. The
QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother me.

That makes me a little nervous too, then again I have driven over this,
which is the same height as the QEII bridge, but considerably "humpier"

http://esf-protrainer.com/myPictures/Tampa/Skyline%20Bridge.jpg

Ow! That's just nasty...

I can forms the conclusion thinking about it this morning that the
problem with that and the Sheppey crossing is not the height.

It's the flatness. Well, being on top of the entire structure with no
higher points of reference. The QEII bridge is suspension so you are
mostly "under" something even if it is a bunch of wires.

I would not go up on my dormer flat roof with the roofer. However, I'm
quite happy on top of flat roofs in London, eg work - because they all
have a waist high wall around the edge.

it's just a matter of reminding yourself 000's of people do it without
coming to any harm ...

Age? Or conditioning?

Much as we'd like to think the conditioning comes with age, I think
there's an element of knowing the reaper is out there somewhere and
wanting to keep plenty of distance from him!


Maybe... teenagers are indestructible. I have straightened out my diet
and long since given up smoking as my grandpa was reaped young (60's) by
a stroke that was almost certainly related to smoking and not
outstanding fitness. My mother had a stroke in her 50s - ditto poor
fitness and lots of smoking. That scares me more than outright death as
being "useless" in my eyes would be a fate worst than death - especially
as my family depend on me getting lots of stuff done that they cannot do.

On 24/03/14 12:09, Bob Eager wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23970933


Perhaps. The approach road was closed for hours later in the day (we
were coming back) due to someone rolling their car into a field
requiring umpteen police, fire engine and a helicopter.

I notice that recent stories about the bridge collision says that dozens
of drivers are being offered education sessions at the risk of being
prosecuted if they decline.

On Mon, 24 Mar 2014 08:21:25 -0400, S Viemeister
wrote:

On 3/24/2014 7:21 AM, Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Tim Watts" wrote in message
I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure
could be bad(TM).
Age? Or conditioning?

When I was 17 I had a holiday job helping a handyman at a haberdashers
shop in the Fulham / Chelsea borders. One day we had to re-glaze a 4th
story window pane, and I was quite happy to sit on the wide window ledge
with the window shut, putting in the putty - no ladders, no scaffolding,
no safety harness. Time went by - got my first house, happy up ladders
and doing gutters etc. THEN - first child is born and all of a sudden I
find my self not at all happy taking the 'risks' any more. Not a
conscious thing, just found myself going wobbly when I tried. So has
nature and Darwinism put something in the DNA to stop you taking risks
as your responsibilities increase? An intriguing thought

I never had a problem with flying - until I had children.

Yeah, they _can_ be a pain on long haul flights.
--
Regards, J B Good

On 3/24/2014 11:21 AM, Johny B Good wrote:
wrote:

I never had a problem with flying - until I had children.

Yeah, they _can_ be a pain on long haul flights.


_Other people's_ kids can sometimes be a pain...

"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I am
interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some fossil
hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence at
big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother me.
Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing looks
like God's Own Scalextric kit.


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure could
be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?


You wouldn't like this much then?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGE3FmXUNdw

"John Rumm" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 24/03/2014 11:12, Tim Watts wrote:

Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I
am interested in some observations:

In a sense its not that far OT - DIY is inherently risky some of the
time...

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg


[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

I think its partly a visual "trick". The fact that there is no
superstructure above the roadway makes it look very "open" - creating the
impression that there are no edges and it would be easy to fall off.

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence
at big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother
me. Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing
looks like God's Own Scalextric kit.

The QEII by comparison has lots of visual stuff above the roadway.

I remember watching them build that as I went past it each week. Some of
the piers when standing in isolation before the road was added, looked
ridiculously tall in isolation, and I remember thinking that working on
the top of one of those would not have been for those of a nervous
disposition!

(can't find many images of it under construction interestingly...

http://www.photographersdirect.com/b...mageid=2526214

makes you wonder what it would be like walking up to the "open" end ;-)

http://www.dureycastings.co.uk/uploa...nstruction.jpg


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure
could be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?

Bit of both probably - also Andrew's comment above about having dependants
also probably plays a part...


Fellow here doesn't seem to worry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYzRYcMnGgU

"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I am
interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some fossil
hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence at
big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother me.
Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing looks
like God's Own Scalextric kit.


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure could
be bad(TM).


Another good bridge here.

"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I am
interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some fossil
hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence at
big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother me.
Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing looks
like God's Own Scalextric kit.


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure could
be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?

Another good bridge here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp9JZrCrrQY

Well cannot comment on the picture, but many people won't for example cross
on the road over that French tidal power station thingy, mainly due to the
height.
From my point of view, I'm a bit the opposite these days. It seems now I
cannot see, heights bother me less.

The only snag of corse is that as we all know, its not the falling which is
the issue, its the sudden stop at the bottom. Many of us are a lot more
brittle than when we were younger so it does pay to be careful.

Also memory can be far more faulty as one ages, so the fact that you
actually removed that nice place to place ones foot while movingfrom shed
to garrage roof might not be obvious until its far too late.

Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I am
interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some fossil
hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence at
big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother me.
Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing looks
like God's Own Scalextric kit.


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure could
be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?

"Andrew Mawson" wrote:
"Tim Watts" wrote in message ...

Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I
am interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence
at big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother
me. Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey
Crossing looks like God's Own Scalextric kit.


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure could be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?

When I was 17 I had a holiday job helping a handyman at a haberdashers
shop in the Fulham / Chelsea borders. One day we had to re-glaze a 4th
story window pane, and I was quite happy to sit on the wide window ledge
with the window shut, putting in the putty - no ladders, no scaffolding,
no safety harness. Time went by - got my first house, happy up ladders
and doing gutters etc. THEN - first child is born and all of a sudden I
find my self not at all happy taking the 'risks' any more. Not a
conscious thing, just found myself going wobbly when I tried. So has
nature and Darwinism put something in the DNA to stop you taking risks as
your responsibilities increase? An intriguing thought


Andrew

I'm sure that's the case for most people. The converse also applies. As
children get older and become self-sufficient, it's common for risk taking
behaviour to increase. Hence balding men going out and getting their
motorcycle licence. ;-)

Tim

On 24/03/14 17:44, Tim+ wrote:

I'm sure that's the case for most people. The converse also applies. As
children get older and become self-sufficient, it's common for risk taking
behaviour to increase. Hence balding men going out and getting their
motorcycle licence. ;-)

Given that a moped scares me, I look forward to giving a report in about
10 years!

On Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:10:56 -0000
"Brian Gaff" wrote:

The only snag of corse is that as we all know, its not the falling
which is the issue, its the sudden stop at the bottom.

Read Spike Milligan's 'Puckoon' for an explanation of how to make that
work for you.

--
Davey.

In article ,
Brian Gaff wrote:
Well cannot comment on the picture, but many people won't for example cross
on the road over that French tidal power station thingy, mainly due to the
height.
From my point of view, I'm a bit the opposite these days. It seems now I
cannot see, heights bother me less.

The only snag of corse is that as we all know, its not the falling which is
the issue, its the sudden stop at the bottom. Many of us are a lot more
brittle than when we were younger so it does pay to be careful.

I never had an issue with ladders until a few years ago when climbing
an old wooden one, it decided it would rather be firewood. The rung
I was standing on gave way and I fell through it and through the next
few onto my big old chopping log, then backwards bruising my tail and
banging my head.

Didn't break anything, but:

http://unicorn.drogon.net/left-foot1.jpg

was pretty painfull and took a couple of weeks for the pain & swelling to
go down after the doc. had popped them back to where they were supposed
to be.

Gordon

On 24/03/2014 11:12, Tim Watts wrote:
Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I
am interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg


[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

It's the fact that it takes you to the Isle of Sheppey that scares me :-)




--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On 24/03/14 18:47, The Medway Handyman wrote:

It's the fact that it takes you to the Isle of Sheppey that scares me :-)

I was curious why there are so many holiday caravans there...

It's not like the people of the EastEnd don't have a choice of going to
Spain on a cheap airline ticket...

On 24/03/2014 18:47, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 24/03/2014 11:12, Tim Watts wrote:
Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I
am interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg



[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

It's the fact that it takes you to the Isle of Sheppey that scares me :-)





I hear it's been gentrified, but that view from the beach isn't going to
change.

On 24/03/2014 17:10, Brian Gaff wrote:

The only snag of corse is that as we all know, its not the falling which is
the issue, its the sudden stop at the bottom. Many of us are a lot more
brittle than when we were younger so it does pay to be careful.


There's a film called The Bridge that recorded suicide jumpers from the
Golden Gate Bridge. One guy describes how he changed his mind on the way
down, and decided to go feet first. He survived, but his organs all got
shifted upwards and punctured with fragments of bone

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:12:55 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...ces-Sheerness/
Sheerness-0607-3961-lucy-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Age? Or conditioning?

Or a memory of... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-23970047 ?


Yes but you could not see it for the fog:-)

--
Adam

"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I am
interested in some observations:

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some fossil
hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg

[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence at
big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother me.
Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing looks
like God's Own Scalextric kit.


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure could
be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?



I am far better with heights now than I was when I was a teenager.

--
Adam

On 24/03/14 19:34, stuart noble wrote:

I hear it's been gentrified,

Well, I wasn't robbed so that might be true...

On Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:14:22 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

On 24/03/14 18:47, The Medway Handyman wrote:

It's the fact that it takes you to the Isle of Sheppey that scares me
:-)

I was curious why there are so many holiday caravans there...

It's not like the people of the EastEnd don't have a choice of going to
Spain on a cheap airline ticket...

Staying near the rellies in Leysdown prison?



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 24/03/2014 16:43, harryagain wrote:
"John Rumm" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 24/03/2014 11:12, Tim Watts wrote:

Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I
am interested in some observations:

In a sense its not that far OT - DIY is inherently risky some of the
time...

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg


[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

I think its partly a visual "trick". The fact that there is no
superstructure above the roadway makes it look very "open" - creating the
impression that there are no edges and it would be easy to fall off.

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence
at big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother
me. Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing
looks like God's Own Scalextric kit.

The QEII by comparison has lots of visual stuff above the roadway.

I remember watching them build that as I went past it each week. Some of
the piers when standing in isolation before the road was added, looked
ridiculously tall in isolation, and I remember thinking that working on
the top of one of those would not have been for those of a nervous
disposition!

(can't find many images of it under construction interestingly...

http://www.photographersdirect.com/b...mageid=2526214

makes you wonder what it would be like walking up to the "open" end ;-)

http://www.dureycastings.co.uk/uploa...nstruction.jpg


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure
could be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?

Bit of both probably - also Andrew's comment above about having dependants
also probably plays a part...


Fellow here doesn't seem to worry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYzRYcMnGgU

I always find this one looks like more fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW5LCqg_Tnc



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 24 Mar 2014, Andy Burns grunted:

Tim Watts wrote:

I have never experienced reticence at big high bridges before. The
QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother me.

That makes me a little nervous too, then again I have driven over this,
which is the same height as the QEII bridge, but considerably "humpier"

http://esf-protrainer.com/myPictures/Tampa/Skyline%20Bridge.jpg

That one (the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa) is certainly an amazing one,
though I feel the humpiness(?) is somewhat exaggerated by the perspective
in the link above; eg see the same bridge he http://tinyurl.com/mmbfbqh
(or http://images.fineartamerica.com/ima...nshine-skyway-
bridge-ii-tampa-bay-florida-usa-sally-rockefeller.jpg.

I once had the misfortune to go on a cruise holiday, on a big ****-off ship
which sailed out of Tampa. It passed under that bridge, and the captain
warned us that it would be a very tight fit indeed, but not to worry, we'd
definitely fit. We were out on the top deck at the time (deliberately),
and can report that the highest point only cleared the bottom of the bridge
by a matter of inches (certainly less than a foot), travelling at a fair
lick. Certainly the high point of the trip for me,

--
David

On Monday, March 24, 2014 11:12:55 AM UTC, Tim Watts wrote:
Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I

am interested in some observations:



I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder

on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.



Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some

fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:



http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg



[Sheppey Crossing]



and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"



Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence

at big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother

me. Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing

looks like God's Own Scalextric kit.





I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,

but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".





I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -

checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure

could be bad(TM).





Age? Or conditioning?

Need a service like available on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23887805

Probably not going to be booking a hiking holiday taking in El Camino Del Ray anytime soon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Nd1qtk1Go

On Tue, 25 Mar 2014 00:16:25 GMT
Lobster wrote:

I once had the misfortune to go on a cruise holiday, on a big
****-off ship which sailed out of Tampa. It passed under that bridge,
and the captain warned us that it would be a very tight fit indeed,
but not to worry, we'd definitely fit. We were out on the top deck
at the time (deliberately), and can report that the highest point
only cleared the bottom of the bridge by a matter of inches
(certainly less than a foot), travelling at a fair lick.

At least the Captain knew his ship!

--
Davey.

On Mon, 24 Mar 2014 22:11:46 +0000, John Rumm
wrote:

On 24/03/2014 16:43, harryagain wrote:
"John Rumm" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 24/03/2014 11:12, Tim Watts wrote:

Totally OT, but with lots of older folk here who may play on ladders, I
am interested in some observations:

In a sense its not that far OT - DIY is inherently risky some of the
time...

I have never had a significant fear of heights - used to run up a ladder
on our 2 storey house when I was 14 quite happily.

Yesterday I drove our kids to the Isle of Sheppey (N Kent) for some
fossil hunting. I saw this coming up in the distance:

http://www.lucypaintbox.org.uk/Photo...y-paintbox.jpg


[Sheppey Crossing]

and thought "Oh Christ, do I have to drive up on that!"

I think its partly a visual "trick". The fact that there is no
superstructure above the roadway makes it look very "open" - creating the
impression that there are no edges and it would be easy to fall off.

Call me a woofter by all means, but I have never experienced reticence
at big high bridges before. The QEII bridge (Dartford) does not bother
me. Nor the Severn Crossing(s). Maybe it's the fact the Sheppey Crossing
looks like God's Own Scalextric kit.

The QEII by comparison has lots of visual stuff above the roadway.

I remember watching them build that as I went past it each week. Some of
the piers when standing in isolation before the road was added, looked
ridiculously tall in isolation, and I remember thinking that working on
the top of one of those would not have been for those of a nervous
disposition!

(can't find many images of it under construction interestingly...

http://www.photographersdirect.com/b...mageid=2526214

makes you wonder what it would be like walking up to the "open" end ;-)

http://www.dureycastings.co.uk/uploa...nstruction.jpg


I did it and it was not too bad thanks to the side barriers being solid,
but there was a little bit inside me that went "wibble".


I've also noticed I'm a lot less gung-ho about almost everything -
checking and double checking everything where the outcome of failure
could be bad(TM).


Age? Or conditioning?

Bit of both probably - also Andrew's comment above about having dependants
also probably plays a part...


Fellow here doesn't seem to worry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYzRYcMnGgU

I always find this one looks like more fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW5LCqg_Tnc

I've seen that one before... and it gave me the shivers just like the
first time I watched it a few years back.

Just for extra kicks, I viewed it full screen. It's a pity it's such
a low resolution video (a mere 240p) but, despite this, it still made
me cringe.

I used to climb telephone poles when I worked for GPO/BT and had no
such terrors but we were issued with the highest quality of safety
belt which removed any danger of a fall (if used properly - most but
not all linesmen followed the safety rules to the letter).

I wasn't too impressed by the safety belts used in the 'counter
video', "Stairway to Safety"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b9LahaBJIk

Although the resolution was a more deserving 1080p HD, it was a more
relaxing viewing experience on account of the use of fall arrestor
safety belts in spite of the belts not being in the same league as
those used by the GPO/BT.

The state of the iron capping, or whatever it was, was incredibly bad
to the point where there seemed to be a real risk of it severing the
safety belt in the event of a slip. Even so, it was still a less
dramatic movie than that "Stairway To Heaven" one.
--
Regards, J B Good

On 25/03/14 00:23, Adam Aglionby wrote:

Need a service like available on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23887805

eep

Probably not going to be booking a hiking holiday taking in El Camino Del Ray anytime soon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Nd1qtk1Go


Oddly enough, being up the side of somethign solid bothers me a lot less
than being "on top" of something big...

On 25/03/14 08:54, Bob Henson wrote:

That's the bit that gets me from your picture - the side bits don't look
high enough to stop a pedal cycle going over in a crash. When you think how
high vehicles can somersault - they look like pavement edge kerbs. I'm with
you - I'd have a "wibble" too.


In reality they are about as high as the door (minus glass) so you
cannot see down but you can see the horizon, just.

From a distance they look as substantial as the barriers on a
scalextric tack (hence my earlier comment!).

Bob Henson wrote:

That's the bit that gets me from your picture - the side bits don't look
high enough to stop a pedal cycle going over in a crash. When you think how
high vehicles can somersault - they look like pavement edge kerbs. I'm with
you - I'd have a "wibble" too.


A Honda 50 kept me mobile through my student years. I now find it
hard to believe that I regularly did the run from Barnsley to
Manchester, over Woodhead Pass, on this bike. I had ample
opportunity to contemplate the newly installed Armco barriers,
put in place after somebody significant (MP?) had gone over the
edge. For me, it would simply mean that it would break my leg
before I plummeted, head first. There were occasions when I had
to resort to 1st gear in order to battle against the wind whilst
actually going downhill.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Plant amazing Acers.

On Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:19:46 +0000, Bob Henson wrote:

That's the bit that gets me from your picture - the side bits don't
look high enough to stop a pedal cycle going over in a crash. When you
think how high vehicles can somersault - they look like pavement edge
kerbs. I'm with you - I'd have a "wibble" too.

In reality they are about as high as the door (minus glass) so you
cannot see down but you can see the horizon, just.

That make sme even more nervous - a sideswipe at speed could easily flip
a car over that height.

No, it really couldn't. Even a very tall car.

Clue: Centre of gravity.