Things you've turned down that might have changed your life.

Turned down the following

Lotus Elan for £400

1938 model x matchless 250£

Mk 1 escort ( Mexico) £800

And numerous others

Hind sight is a wonderful thing

Oh than there were the lotus cortina’s

( f**k )
 
I turned down an opportunity to live in Buckingham Palace many years ago working as one of the Queen's loyal companions...

My cousin went instead. Here is a pic of him with the Queen:

1000032615.jpg
 
I joined the army at 15 in 1966. The only things open to me where I lived in Wales was the coal mines or the steelworks. I did 4 years in Harrogate as an apprentice and then got posted to Cyprus and Germany. Thoroughly enjoyed my time in the army. I would have gone on but I came out after 12 years because I was starting to question things which you shouldn't do in the armed forces, at least back then you should not be asking why, it's a bit different these days. I also was married by that time with a couple of children which again wasn't an ideal situation in the armed forces. I was demobbed in 1977 and went to work for my father who had a telly repair business, that didn't go well but I happened to see an ad in a paper I would never have bought but my brother did. The civil service were looking for ex servicemen who had technical experience (I had been a radio technician in the army) to service police and fire service communications equipment with the Directorate of Telecommunications. So I applied for that job and after a couple of trips to London for interviews I got the job. Did nearly 20 years till thatcher shut us down along with nearly all of UK's industry. Thoroughly enjoyed that job as well and took early retirement and have been happily unemployed since. Now at 75 I often wonder what would have been if I had done my full term in the army.
 
Mottie said:
Not me but my dad. When we had a careers master at school, we had to see them with our parents to discuss what we wanted to do when we left school. I was really into cars so when he asked me what I wanted to do, I told him I wanted to be a motor mechanic and he said he would get in touch with a few tyre shops. At this point my dad butted in "You're not listening mate, He wants to be a mechanic. He ain’t changing tyres in a f'cking tyre shop, it’s an apprenticeship or nothing". This was in the days when an apprenticeship meant something. Because of that, the careers master set me up with a couple of interviews for apprenticeships and I was accepted by a Vauxhall main dealer - I got one of 2 places out of 57 applicants. From that apprenticeship I was never out of work, went to different main dealers, got a job abroad, bought a house with a workshop and worked for myself, got into alarms and car phones, got a job teaching, ran a charity training centre for mechanics, built that up to a fully functioning garage and MOT station, left there and started my own training company, eventually retired and sold the workshop. I often wonder what would have happened had my dad not spoken up and I’d become a tyre fitter. Who knows.
Click to expand...
You'd have been saying "Do you want a free alignment check"
 
In
Fred Blogs said:
I joined the army at 15 in 1966. The only things open to me where I lived in Wales was the coal mines or the steelworks. I did 4 years in Harrogate as an apprentice and then got posted to Cyprus and Germany. Thoroughly enjoyed my time in the army. I would have gone on but I came out after 12 years because I was starting to question things which you shouldn't do in the armed forces, at least back then you should not be asking why, it's a bit different these days. I also was married by that time with a couple of children which again wasn't an ideal situation in the armed forces. I was demobbed in 1977 and went to work for my father who had a telly repair business, that didn't go well but I happened to see an ad in a paper I would never have bought but my brother did. The civil service were looking for ex servicemen who had technical experience (I had been a radio technician in the army) to service police and fire service communications equipment with the Directorate of Telecommunications. So I applied for that job and after a couple of trips to London for interviews I got the job. Did nearly 20 years till thatcher shut us down along with nearly all of UK's industry. Thoroughly enjoyed that job as well and took early retirement and have been happily unemployed since. Now at 75 I often wonder what would have been if I had done my full term in the army.
Click to expand...
What regiment were you in?
 
Last edited:
I worked my way up in control systems, mostly contracting to the water industry, installing lots of prestige jobs. The company I was employed by, went bust, so I ended taking a lesser job as a fill in, but they were asked if they had anyone experienced in controls, to take on a contract in Italy, and thought of me. I ended up spending 12 months out there, living like a lord, earning brilliant money. Whilst I was tied up out there, I learned I had missed doing the work on the Thames Barrage.

Once back in the UK, I mopped around for a while, before getting a job with one of the big pump manufacturing companies, and left to set up my own department.

I have always valued work, the results of which would be around for a very long time, rather than making a quick-buck. I can now go around the UK, and smuggly point out jobs I did in the past.
 
Last edited:
Mottie said:
Not me but my dad. When we had a careers master at school, we had to see them with our parents to discuss what we wanted to do when we left school. I was really into cars so when he asked me what I wanted to do, I told him I wanted to be a motor mechanic and he said he would get in touch with a few tyre shops. At this point my dad butted in "You're not listening mate, He wants to be a mechanic. He ain’t changing tyres in a f'cking tyre shop, it’s an apprenticeship or nothing". This was in the days when an apprenticeship meant something. Because of that, the careers master set me up with a couple of interviews for apprenticeships and I was accepted by a Vauxhall main dealer - I got one of 2 places out of 57 applicants. From that apprenticeship I was never out of work, went to different main dealers, got a job abroad, bought a house with a workshop and worked for myself, got into alarms and car phones, got a job teaching, ran a charity training centre for mechanics, built that up to a fully functioning garage and MOT station, left there and started my own training company, eventually retired and sold the workshop. I often wonder what would have happened had my dad not spoken up and I’d become a tyre fitter. Who knows.
Click to expand...
I can only imagine it would have left you feeling a bit flat.
 
Harry Bloomfield said:
I worked my way up in control systems, mostly contracting to the water industry, installing lots of prestige jobs. The company I was employed by, went bust, so I ended taking a lesser job as a fill in, but they were asked if they had anyone experienced in controls, to take on a contract in Italy, and thought of me. I ended up spending 12 months out there, living like a lord, earning brilliant money. Whilst I was tied up out there, I learned I had missed doing the work on the Thames Barrage.

Once back in the UK, I mopped around for a while, before getting a job with one of the big pump manufacturing companies, and left to set up my own department.

I have always valued work, the results of which would be around for a very long time, rather than making a quick-buck. I can now go around the UK, and smuggly point out jobs I did in the past.
Click to expand...
Mafia?
 
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