My Dad is a mechanic; he's from an era when people worked apprenticeships when they finished school and Dad worked at Garringtons in Bromsgrove (it closed a long time ago and the land it stood on was turned into a housing estate) He went onto run his own successful engineering company for 31 years until his retirement last year.
My latest blog is about skills; you can show my Dad anything and he can make it, he could probably make the machine to make it!
I've been away with my parents this weekend to a steam rally we go to every year. I don't live near my parents so I love this weekend and look forward to it every year. As well as exhibiting in the show, we spend the weekend catching up on our lives, we camp, and spend the whole weekend outside with few electrical distractions.
One of the big things for me is that over the over the years of going to this rally Dad has passed on his skills and knowledge;
* I know the diameter of most steel poles and their many uses.
* I know that Gaffa tape can be used for anything and is flippin brilliant stuff.
* I can attach a ratchet strap and adjust the tension.
* I know how to start a generator
* I can ride a motorbike.
* I can mix with other steam engine and motorbike enthusiasts and hold a decent conversation on the cc of an engine or the various motorbike manufacturers.
* I can empty a portaloo!
* I can set up (& pack away) a full camp in under half an hour. I'm pretty good with a steel mallet and I can level the motorhome.
* I can drive a tractor.
* I know the difference between various volts of electric charge.
These are the many skills (I'm sure there're more) that I learnt from my Dad during our weekends away. Over the years he's also taught me how to use just about every electrical power tool ever made! I can saw wood, mix cement, lay slabs and build a wall.
He's passed his knowledge of the mountains onto me too and his stories of walking in the Lake District and Scotland have kept me enthralled for hours. He'll not only list the mountains he's walked over but will also detail the route he took.
We arrived for our weekend away this year on Thursday. In the past he's kind of done all the work setting everything up, sorting out our motorbikes for the show etc and I've just passed the tools to him and helped where I could. As the years have gone by though I've noticed the roles have been reversed a little bit more each year. This year I found that Dad needed more breaks, he struggled to walk the 3 fields to the show ground, he went to bed earlier and had naps during the day. But the thing is, over the years he's passed on the skills needed for the weekend to me; for years I've unknowingly been his apprentice. I've been like a sponge, I've asked hundreds of questions and he's patiently answered them or shown me how to do the task for myself. I figure my Dad has earned his weekend away to rest and I love putting the skills he's taught me over the years to the test. The nod of approval from his chair when I've sorted something is all I need.
I know so many people at the rally that I've met through my Dad over the years; if we meet a new person though Dad always introduces me "this is my daughter, the apple of my eye" ... What Dad doesn't know is that he was my first love, he's the man I've measured all men that have come into my life up against and I couldn't have had a better boss to serve my apprenticeship under.
Is this the Circle of Life at its most basic? Where else could I have learned such valuable life skills? I think it's our responsibility as parents and grandparents to pass on all the skills and knowledge we have gathered over the years to the future generations and it's an honour to have my very own apprentices in my mini mes and my granddaughter.
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