Old skills and new skills

Today it rained. Did I cause that? Washing windows often seems to call forth rain. Anyway, it rained so much that it was hard to get outside all day. About 3 o’clock it suddenly stopped raining and I rushed out to feed the birds and empty the grit from the back of the car. I’d just done that when the water started to fall from the sky once more.
The new-roof project in the summer had left the barn in a right mess so I set to clearing up in there while the rain fell once again. Getting the tools in order; sorting the nails and screws; collecting all the left-over ends of wood; finding the brazier for Saturday; untangling the ropes, coiling them and storing them; there was plenty to do.
Ropes - one of them had an unravelling end that I just couldn’t leave. I fixed it with a backsplice.
This is another technique I learned as a teenager in the scouts. I learned it because we were supposed to learn it, just like I rather unthinkingly learned many things in school.  However, as I started caving and climbing I also started handling ropes and those splicing techniques came in useful. Later I sailed, and once again ropes were important and splices were needed. Now, more than 50 years after I learned to backsplice I quickly turned an unravelling rope end into a neat and secure rope end.  Once again I am fascinated by the way I have learned things in my life and how I have used that knowledge.
 I love learning! This is a good thing because the only constant in my last 25 years of work was constant change, which meant constant learning, which meant I rarely got bored!  I hope the kids of today are being taught to love learning because a need for constant learning isn’t going to go away!