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Wednesday 11 January 2023

Wednesday Waffle

I found this post - 11 years old now - but only a couple of you actually saw and commented on it - so it's perhaps worth a repeat as one of the funniest incidents in my boarding school life.

Talking after 'lights out' at boarding school was punishable by various means, warnings, groundings, having to wear school uniform at weekends so that everyone knew you were in 'deep doggy doo-doo' and very often having to get up and totally strip your bed and fold everything neatly before trooping out of the room to stand at intervals down the corridor. Often this would be until you were almost asleep on your feet, and only then could you return to the 'dorm', remake your bed and inevitably fall straight asleep through tiredness. But, it never stopped us from messing around I'm afraid 😉

It certainly wasn't St. Trinian's, but there could be similarities!

In my first year there I shared a room/dorm. with four others - and naturally there were the inevitable ring leaders. 

This particular night one of the ringleaders had the bright idea of playing hide and seek in the dark. So, we dutifully counted to the agreed number and then it was time to search for the 'hider'. The rooms weren't massive so it was always easy to find whoever was hiding. But, before the search could begin, our chattering was heard by a member of staff and the room door was flung open - at which point we heard a muffled squeak of pain from behind the door. But, the teacher in question just roared at us to 'go to sleep immediately' and slammed the door shut again. The door slamming was immediately followed by a whoosh, a thump and stifled groans. When we eventually turned on the light there was a crumpled figure on her knees on the floor, in her PJ's, part way across the room.

In an attempt to beat us at hide and seek the 'hider' had been ultra-clever. She'd taken her bed side chair (bit like an old fashioned dining room chair) and hung it from the pegs on the inside of the door, on which we hung our dressing gowns. Then she'd quietly hopped up onto the chair and was sitting suspended up there waiting for the search to begin when the door was flung open. At that point her knees had crashed against the wall but she stifled her squeaks of pain - damaging furniture was another, much more serious, punishment altogether! And of course, when the door was slammed shut - the momentum had shot the 'hider' out of the chair and across the room - where she landed on her knees once again! Some of the most spectacular bruises I've ever seen as well :))

Sometimes I wonder how we survived. I bet the 'hider' has already had at least one knee replacement!



14 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness - I laughed until I nearly cried at this one Di - that was a classic - I bet you never played hide and seek in the dark again for a long while!!
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  2. Hilarious! Life is good when you have fun memories like this to reflect on! TFS!

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  3. OMG - I just laughed out loud at this tale and tears rolled down my cheeks with the mental picture of it all happening!!!! Snigger! Poor girl - but still, SO funny!

    Thanks for making me laugh already this morning! Good start xxx

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  4. YIKES! So funny if not so painful

    Happy Wednesday to you

    Kathyk

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  5. I could do with a laugh this morning and reading this post certainly delivered. Such a hilarious tale although it must have been painful for the resourceful 'hider', clever trick 🤣

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  6. Ooh painful but very funny you little rebel!!

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  7. That sounds very painful, but I'm sorry to say I had to laugh as well. I hope the offender isen't suffering to badly as a result. I alway thought that I would have loved to go to boarding school having read the Chalet Girls and also Mallory Towers as a teenager. But sometimes we tend to think the grass is always greener on the other side.

    Sue xx

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    1. I thought the same Sue and then when the bombshell was dropped that it was actually going to happen, due to Dad being posted to where there wasn't really any other option, I truly thought my world had ended. I was terribly homesick for possibly a couple of terms and thereafter absolutely thrived and loved my time there. Broke my heart when I left to return to the UK. So, weeping and wailing at both ends of my time there! x

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  8. You obviously thrived in that environment Di and there was obviously plenty of fun and high jinks, and this story did make me laugh but possibly rather painful for the girl that was catapulted off the chair hung up behind the door, but a very clever idea as a hiding place..lol. x

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  9. This was worth a repost, Di! What a memory, hilarious now! I'm with you on thinking that poor girl has had to have knee replacements, but I also hope she put that big brain to good use and was wildly successful in business, science, art, invention - something - because she really was a clever bean to think up that hiding place! Hugs, Darnell

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  10. Ingenious to hide yourself while suspended from the door! The story cracks me up, and is a good reminder to how much fun a little imagination can cause.

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  11. This was such a funny read, thanks Di!

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