10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

[The Ghost]

My daughter lives in Bath lucky girl. Always wanted to live in Bath could never afford it so far anyway.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

My daughter lives in Bath lucky girl. Always wanted to live in Bath could never afford it so far anyway.

I can just about manage it, prices are indeed getting silly now, i fitted some new lights in a house last week, couple paid for £320k for a 3 bed semi and its not exactly spacious and has no drive/garage either... garden is small. crazy world we live in

 

[The Ghost]

House prices in Bristol are pretty crazy. In 1986 we bought our house for 17K and were biting our nails about servicing a £60 per month mortgage can you believe it? Our rent was £30 pound per month. Now...well I think we all know. On the original deeds in 1899 the house was sold by the builders for £3 5s 6d!

 

[Pete999]

I bought a house on the Lower Bristol roadwhen I first got WwedMortgage £7 50 per month, worth a quarter of a Mil now, strange world indeed .

 

[Kamikaze]

1: Been a member of the forum since 2010. It's a bit like being unable to stop getting mugged by a granny with a zimmer-frame and a blunt spoon. I think it’s reading about the electrical adventures of the armatures that keeps me coming back. It’s like a joyride in a clown car powered by sh!t. Every day they stray further from God's light and I just can’t get over some of the stuff they get up to.
2: I like cake!
3: It was partly the curiosity and the sense of adventure, but mostly the babes and the money that turned me into an electrical ---- and the fact that plumbers have to have heroes. On my journey I’ve had the pleasure of some truly outstanding sparkies and worked in some amazing places. I could tell thee of tales that thine eyes would burn from awesomeness. Although nowadays the best part of my job is that my chair swivels and my Scrooge McDuck backstroke is truly impressive.
4: Give me a hammer and everything starts to look like a nail.
5: Sooner or later, whenever left unsupervised, I end up listening to Jay Z or LL Cool J.
Just kidding!!! No such astounding pile of dog-dos deserved to be listened to in full stereo. I’m a big fan of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin which are best played LOUD!
6: I have a tool fetish. Does anyone know if there is a cure for me?
7: The fickle finger of fate is a strange mistress. When I met Lady K, I knew I was punching well above my weight but went for it anyway. She is far too happy for the wretched darkness called my existence. I couldn’t have wished for a better person to share my life with though. We have three daughters and five grandchildren, which are a constant drain of my resources but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
8: $ʎ¡ʇ happens whenever I party naked!
9: When I’m not on duty on the Starship, I’m chillaxing in the noble kingdom of Shrewsbury. Better known as the graveyard of ambition. But if Brexit goes completely t!ts-up, I will be leaving you all to it. Anyone know what the Cayman Islands are like?
10: My favourite catchphrase is “Sooo why eyy eyyy can't I touch it?”

 

[Leesparkykent]

Started sparking at 13 for my brother in law during the school holidays. I never went back to school after year 9 and told the local authority I was being home educated but was actually grafting on building sites. Took my 16th edition at 16 and passed it with 100% mark, started my apprenticeship, still working for my brother in law. Final year I jumped onto a bigger company doing newbuild tower blocks in London and become a QS within a year which didn't go down to well with some of the older sparks. Jumped onto a mechanical and electrical company as a QS/supervisor/on the tools foreman. Went back to work with brother in law as he was struggling after taking a knock and personal issues, within a year he went into liquidation. I took some of his contacts and started up, Built the company up to 8 sparks. I went into partnership with another sparks/mate and we vary between 8 and 15 sparks. We are now going into the mechanical side of things so are now an M&E company. I had my first child at 16, 2nd at 18 and 3rd at 24. My Mrs is in her final few months of uni becoming a nurse. I own my house and another in Canterbury which is a HMO. I'm still a young pup compared to many on here

 

[Leesparkykent]

1: Been a member of the forum since 2010. It's a bit like being unable to stop getting mugged by a granny with a zimmer-frame and a blunt spoon. I think it’s reading about the electrical adventures of the armatures that keeps me coming back. It’s like a joyride in a clown car powered by sh!t. Every day they stray further from God's light and I just can’t get over some of the stuff they get up to.
2: I like cake!
3: It was partly the curiosity and the sense of adventure, but mostly the babes and the money that turned me into an electrical ---- and the fact that plumbers have to have heroes. On my journey I’ve had the pleasure of some truly outstanding sparkies and worked in some amazing places. I could tell thee of tales that thine eyes would burn from awesomeness. Although nowadays the best part of my job is that my chair swivels and my Scrooge McDuck backstroke is truly impressive.
4: Give me a hammer and everything starts to look like a nail.
5: Sooner or later, whenever left unsupervised, I end up listening to Jay Z or LL Cool J.
Just kidding!!! No such astounding pile of dog-dos deserved to be listened to in full stereo. I’m a big fan of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin which are best played LOUD!
6: I have a tool fetish. Does anyone know if there is a cure for me?
7: The fickle finger of fate is a strange mistress. When I met Lady K, I knew I was punching well above my weight but went for it anyway. She is far too happy for the wretched darkness called my existence. I couldn’t have wished for a better person to share my life with though. We have three daughters and five grandchildren, which are a constant drain of my resources but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
8: $ʎ¡ʇ happens whenever I party naked!
9: When I’m not on duty on the Starship, I’m chillaxing in the noble kingdom of Shrewsbury. Better known as the graveyard of ambition. But if Brexit goes completely t!ts-up, I will be leaving you all to it. Anyone know what the Cayman Islands are like?
10: My favourite catchphrase is “Sooo why eyy eyyy can't I touch it?”

I was born in Shrewsbury and moved to Kent when I was 9. I haven't been in a few years but still have family there. I lived on the Telford estate and went to belvidere juniors, moved over to gains park and started at Oxon school.

 

[littlespark]

1. Born in '74 in rural Scottish borders. Lived in Dundee for 11 years, but returned to rural life in '07
2. Married in '98 and still with the same woman. Got 3 daughters, the eldest just about to turn 18
3. Left school at 16 straight into electrical apprenticeship. Wide range of experiences from domestic, farms, factories and chicken sheds.
4. Went to uni in Dundee for a combined engineering degree. Basically automation with a hand in everything. Computers, electronics, electrical, mechanical and pneumatics/hydraulics. Graduated with a BSc Hons but couldn't get a job in the field. Fell back into the electrical trade as that was paying the mortgage.
5. '07 brought us back to the Borders as my father in law needed a new manager for his caravan park, and I had just been made redundant. Big change. Became licensee for the site's bar.
Thought that was my job for life now.
6. '16 My mother in law had a brain haemorrhage on a flight to New Zealand. After that, the caravan site was becoming a chore for the whole family. The decision was taken to sell.
7. Started self employed in January '17. I don't think I could work for someone else now.
8. We own a second home that I renovated and rented out, but its on the market. (2 bedroom, 2 reception. Ample parking. £90k if anyones interested)
9. I can ice skate. Not Torville and Dean level, but good enough to teach kids the basics. No interest in football, but will watch the international rugby games.
10. Lego collector. Still got 40 year old models on display
10.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

8. We own a second home that I renovated and rented out, but its on the market. (2 bedroom, 2 reception. Ample parking. £90k if anyones interested)
10. Lego collector. Still got 40 year old models on display

2 bed home for £90k.... 90K would not even get you a studio in Bath.. be lucky to buy a garage to park your car for that money.
40 year old lego models!! there is your pension if you have complete kits.. some of them go for silly money.

 

[Marvo]

10: My favourite catchphrase is “Sooo why eyy eyyy can't I touch it?”

Good question especially as it seems so real and you can hear it....go figure. Last time I was in the Caymen Islands it was wall to wall Americans but you can join me for a while when I buy my place in Mauritius.

 

[Marvo]

Well a few highlights of the things I've learned in this thread;

Leesparkykent, hardly old enough to buy a round of drinks and far too motivated by a long way for my liking but a hard working success story.

Kamikazi; off the wall, a family man at heart and he likes cake so already way up in my estimation.

Littlespark; recipient of the Scottish engineering genes by birth, family man, ice skater and Lego fanatic.

Vortigern; guitarist, philanthropist, master of dark Eastern arts and unbelievably fertile.

Pete; One of my favourites, what can I say apart from old, very old..... ancient in fact....so old if he still had any of his childhood toys he'd be rich enough to single handedly bail the UK out of the recession. One toe in retirement but not yet ready to take the full plunge.

Darkwood; self taught pyromaniac who no doubt caused his parents many gray hairs. The official forum goth. I've organised someone to teach you frozen lakes rescue techniques.

I'll get to some of the other members later.

 

[littlespark]

Sadly the models are built. Instruction books are held together with sellotape and the boxes are gone.
I’ve seen the vintage stuff on eBay and keep trying to grab a bargain.
Newer models include wall-e, ecto1 and the vw camper

 

[Marvo]

I'm quite enjoying this thread. Here's another quick 10 from me;

1. I hold 3 patents for things items I've invented and developed (all industrial process specific things). I had four up until recently but sold one of them.

2. I tried one of those park runs recently but couldn't manage to run 3 km without some walking breaks

3. Out of 4 motorbikes I own only one of them is actually on the road at the moment. one has bent forks, one is stripped for respray and one has a flat tyre.

4. I hope to retire in the next couple of years (but I've been saying that for the last 10 years at least)

5. I've been involved with running forums since the days of dial-up internet, Bulletin Boards and IRC.

6. I don't use Facebook, pintrest, twitter, linkedin or any social media.

7. I'm a fairly competent machinist and used to recondition firearms back in the days when I had spare time.

8. My actual name isn't Marvo, it's Andrew.

9. I don't think I'm going to feel like working tomorrow so I probably take a day off.

10. I get around 200 emails a day and around 160 of them are junk/spam.

 

[happysteve]

1. I lived on a number of narrowboats for 8 years (then 2 years part time as I transitioned to living on land).

2. Before I was 16, I could drive/control a Land Rover (with logging trailer), dumper, tractor (with back actor) and drot.

3. I've never owned a Windows PC, and haven't really used them much.

4. I wrote a teeny, tiny bit of the Linux kernel (for an obscure A/D card). I've written code to enable you to talk to high-end scopes, analysers etc from Linux using the VXI11 protocol.

5. I used to be in a band called Skiff, based in Bradford, I played bass. I once wrote the tune for one of our songs based on the chords E, A, D and G so that I could play open strings with one hand, and drink beer with the other.

6. I've got about 50 papers, 3 patents and a PhD on the subjects of laser ultrasonics, materials characterisation, and additive manufacturing.

7. My sister's settled down in Portugal, and I quite like it there.

8. As well as being an electrician, I teach level 2 and 3 C&G 2365 courses, and I'll be teaching 18th Edition when it comes out.

9. I suffer from vagues, though never (so far!) when I'm working.

10. Although I'm usually Happy Steve, I have an alter ego called Evil Chris.

 

[Marvo]

Vagues?? Whats vagues?