Inspired by the very cheesy Britains Got Talent, I started to think about what talents each of us have, what act we could perform at the next family jolly. Singing (strangled cats are more tuneful) or dancing (dripping taps have more rythmn), impressions (RIP Janet Brown) or juggling (obligatory parent skill but possibly not a talent), plonking away at the piano (accurate but ear splitting) or artistic creativity (can you tell what it is yet?).
Evidently we are not gifted in any of the more common talent categories so I started to consider those talents that might only be appreciated by the initiated few, you know, like your immediate family.
So a run down of our talents is as follows:
The Wee Man (age 15 months): He can scale anything. So far, the ladder up to The Big Man's cabin bed, the dining room table, the back of the sofa, my neighbours fence and friends garden decking (head height for him). Admirable and terrifying for the parents, i.e. Me
Princess O (age 3 years): Screaming. Loudly. And the ability to include the word 'actually' into every other sentence.
The Big Man (age 6 years): Faster than a speeding bullet, the boy can run. One to be encouraged in the direction of an athletics track we think, and not in the opposite direction to the bath.
Him indoors: Do you remember the TV show from the late 70's possibly the early 80's when there was a kid who could identify any car from its headlights, and a bloke who could identify cars from the sound of the doors closing? It was all about who could remember the most things? I have spent bloomin' ages trying to think what the show was called and yes I do see the irony of that <gnashes teeth>! Well anyway, Him Indoors has a similar talent. From the merest glimpse of a London location (and I don't mean a shot of Big Ben or Nelson up his column) he can tell you where it is. He is particularly good on TV location shots. We (I) will be watching the latest crime drama (much to his despair and my delight) and he will glance up from his paper and say, "Ladbroke Grove". And if my knowledge was even a quarter of his, I would be cursing that I hadn't spotted it. As it is, I have to trust that he hasn't just been winding me up for the last 23 years. (We were young, ok).
Me: I can touch type. Relatively common I grant you but I have clocked up speeds approaching 180 numerals a minute. Sorry, I am of course refering to my skill as a touch typist on a calculator. My saturday job as a supermarket checkout girl (pre EPOS and scanning) and then as an allocator in retail where it was necessary to balance the delivery schedule before you could leave on friday, honed this skill admirably and despite the passing of years and lack of use I can still get a sweat up with a list of numbers.
So you see, talent we have. Would we win? It would clearly depend on the relative talents of our competition but I would like to think so.
So what undiscovered talents are residing in your family?
PS. Please please please, I beg of you, if you know the name of the show I'm talking about let me know. Thanks.
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