Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Reviving an old thread.

DR (of beloved memory) would attempt to make a long Saturday (half term) bearable to those of us not going out, particularly in the summer term.

the year I was 13/14 or so she took about 6 of us out for a picnic. We even took our swimsuits for a spot of sunbathing.

The older ones sunbathed and we younger ones went in search of trees to climb. She didn't even tell us we were unladylike.

However I do not recommend treeclimbing in a swimsuit, you get a lot of grazes.

My daughter was an inveterate tree climber as a small child in America. She used to take ALL her clothes off, and then get stuck, necessitating poor old Mum to climb after her (fully dressed) and help her down. However a branch that will support a 4 year old will not necessarily support a grown woman.

If you ever meet her, do NOT tell her I told you.

I used to climb quite a few trees, with varying success in Shelley Wood with Scouts...

I am however, pretty useless at tree climbing...

First tree I remember falkling out of was not at CH - I couldn't have been more than 5 at the time. Since then I've come out of a few, even some high ones ** - no injuries, just as I've come off more than a few rock faces (some when I was at housie but masters never found out about what we were doing!). Apart from rope burns and a few bruises I've been lucky that way.

** forestry is part of my present job.

englishangel wrote:My daughter was an inveterate tree climber as a small child in America. She used to take ALL her clothes off, and then get stuck, necessitating poor old Mum to climb after her (fully dressed) and help her down. However a branch that will support a 4 year old will not necessarily support a grown woman.

If you ever meet her, do NOT tell her I told you.

I very much look forward to meeting her this summer, mary. Do you happen to have a photograph of the incident?

I wouldn't put her through that