Well it is all in the hobby and I got going at an early age.
I didnt stand a chance as my Grandfather Dickie Booth had been an engineer at De Havillands before and during the war on a reserved occupation, such were the demand for his skills.
He gained a War office citation for coming up with a method to over come Mosquito exhaust production problems.
In the sixties there was barely a time when I wasn't being driven out to Ivinghoe by him or my Uncle John to hurl the latest airframe atop the hill and then spend the rest of the afternoon trying to locate it, in a field, which seemed about two miles away.
They were heady freeflight days and such were the rate of airframes it wasnt long before the two of them developed some early family kits, the Meadow Mangler and the Groundsman.
Named respectively because of the clear characteristics that they exhibited.
Remember these were the days before the 'save the planet brigade' had a voice.
Anyway, Uncle Johns widowed aunt Dolly (Great aunt to me) would often travel out with us in the summer months and sit on the hill knitting.
She was a bit of a 'goer' in her day by all accounts, especially after three G and Ts and could churn out knitting like no tomorrow.
Frank her husband had tragically strangled himself whilst stopped at traffic lights during a blitz black out.
The home made scarf from Dolly got caught around a sign post as he pulled away on green.
He had a habit of driving with it flapping out of the window cockpit style and was warned many times about the dangers, but to no avail.
Needless to say Knitting has been in the background family history for decades as Dolly had a very successful business that just grew and grew.
I always remember back in the late 80s pushing the old girl of 85 in her wheelchair into the brand new hanger size factory where new early CNC machines had been installed to streamline and keep up with production.
I will never forget the tears welling up in her eyes as she said 'is that it, you just have to click on that thing in your hand and off it goes'. 'Your Uncle Frank was a bit like that' she'd sigh.
It was almost too much for old Dolly to take in bless her.
My father and me in the early 1970s, in a desperate attempt to stay away from knitting as a hobby, designed our own hang glider.
Spurred on from the success of the 1/4 scale model made from bamboo cane and bin liners, we set about building the fullsize from materials bought at the local builders merchants.
If I told you that the leading edge was made from staircase handrail you will realise it was as well it was never completed.
My young teenage legs would never have taken the impact.
Down the years Ive been songwriting and painting, fortunately without so much as a thread let alone a ball of wool in sight.
One thing though that has always stayed with me, is production standards. Old Dolly would say ' focus on what you're best at son and it'll see you through'.
Merry Christmas all.
