Anecdotes from John Wells - East Grinstead u3a

OR TALES FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH?

As a primary school pupil I had already earned the monicker "Prof Wells" by the age of nine. I was always fascinated by finding out how things work. My father - a secondary school deputy head - was a somewhat remote person that I rather feared, as he had strict Edwardian values, and whatever he said was law in our house.

Dad's hobby was Amateur Radio, and I yearned to join him in it. We never played football or cricket and the only things we really did together was to build balsa wood model gliders. However Dad kindled my lifetime interest in Physics and Engineering by bringing home school textbooks, which I read avidly.

This cast the die for my future life. However the way was never totally smooth, as you may read with amusement if you cast a glance at a few little anecdotes:

Learning to drive - and my very first cars	Learning to drive and my first cars
'Twas a Dark and Stormy Night	The night before Christmas. And I had been suffering from the real 'Flu
Constructional education with my father	An introduction to my life in DIY, or the sad but short lives of model planes
Supplementing my pocket money	- and staying alive
A missed career opportunity	Or why you really shouldn't mess with explosives
Electricity is a Shocker	Or how I nearly managed to kill myself on two occasions
Adventures in wallpapering	Learning the hard way, or how to avoid a divorce
DIY central heating, building - and mice	Loads of competence in DIY - Part 1
Hidden pipes and cables	Cables always run straight down walls don't they?
The Vacuum Cleaner Salesman	An uplifting tale about Engineers and Technicians
Measure Twice - Cut Once	A concrete example of making sure your calculations are correct
Covid woe in Guernsey	Pride comes before a fall
Money for Nothing (Euro)	An expensive loss in Germany
The 5G Conspiracy	Lies, Damned lies - and conspiracy theories
How to save £3000	Importing a new car in 1999-2000

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