Anecdotes from John Wells
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:
| Constructional education with my father | Start reading here. 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 |