As a matter of interest.............

Cartini

What made you choose the avatar / picture for your profile?

My picture is a Tompot Blenny.  I`m a qualified scuba diver (or I was, that`s probably lapsed now) getting to Dive Master level.  I wanted to be a Diving Instructor so had to complete a Health and Safety medical, which I failed with "significant gas trapping".  Gas trapping means that if I had to do a rapid ascent from depth, my lungs would probably rupture (pop).

My picture is a copy from t`internet because I can`t find the photo of the one I took during a dive around Plymouth.  Tompot Blennies are inquisitive, so much so that you can get quite close to them before they decide you are bigger than they are.

I also liked to "interact" with male cuckoo wrasse and cuttlefish.  Both are inquisitive and allow you to get quite close.

leeCal

I saw ‘as a matter of interest...’ and I thought “ ok, I’ll bite”.
very interesting about your scuba diving etc, thanks for sharing.

i chose my avatar because it’s a lovely russet coloured Gazania, in real life it’s about fifty mm wide or slightly over. I like freesias too but I haven’t grown any for decades, beautiful scents. Now I literally have more money than scents. 😁

Cartini

leeCal said:

I saw ‘as a matter of interest...’ and I thought “ ok, I’ll bite”.
very interesting about your scuba diving etc, thanks for sharing.

i chose my avatar because it’s a lovely russet coloured Gazania, in real life it’s about fifty mm wide or slightly over. I like freesias too but I haven’t grown any for decades, beautiful scents. Now I literally have more money than scents. 😁

That created an early morning chuckle

Cartini

Teddybear12 said:

I chose my avatar because it is my little dog when he was younger. He is very special to me. 

How old is he now Teddybear12?

Biblioklept

I couldn't think of what to have and someone on here suggested getting inspiration from my hobbies like games I play, so I picked one of the (very few) strong female characters from a game I play.

Scuba diving sounds great and I wouldn't have guessed. I figured you were maybe just a fishing enthusiast 

Cartini

Biblioklept said:

I couldn't think of what to have and someone on here suggested getting inspiration from my hobbies like games I play, so I picked one of the (very few) strong female characters from a game I play.

Scuba diving sounds great and I wouldn't have guessed. I figured you were maybe just a fishing enthusiast 

Is your avatar as helpful as you are?

It is great.  I would recommend, at the very least, a try dive.  Even most people with challenges could do a try dive.

66Mustang

I thought the same as @leeCal with the title he he

Did you do your diving when you were in the military? Or was it something you did separately?

I chose my avatar because I like Ford Mustangs. The one in my avatar is one I drove.

Cartini

66Mustang said:

I thought the same as @leeCal with the title he he

Did you do your diving when you were in the military? Or was it something you did separately?

I chose my avatar because I like Ford Mustangs. The one in my avatar is one I drove.

Nice looking car.  I`ve only ever seen on Mustang and that was at our local Vosper`s (Ford showroom).  Impressive looking car.

I wanted to be a Ship`s Diver in the Navy, but couldn`t pop my ears on the aptitude, so I failed the tank element (I passed the physical side, which almost wiped me out).

Shortly after that, Cupid struck, followed by marriage and then children.  I had no time, or money to be honest, to do diving during that period.

Fast forward the years: Children grown up and marriage collapsed.  Then I had time and money to dive, so took up diving as my 50th Burpday present to myself.

66Mustang

@Cartini that’s an interesting story a well earned birthday present.

It sounds like the military have very strict physical (and mental) requirements.

I have always wanted to be a pilot and did explore the RAF very very briefly but when it came to the health requirements I failed on about 6 things!!

Cartini

66Mustang said:

@Cartini that’s an interesting story a well earned birthday present.

It sounds like the military have very strict physical (and mental) requirements.

I have always wanted to be a pilot and did explore the RAF very very briefly but when it came to the health requirements I failed on about 6 things!!

@66Mustang Thank you

They certainly did then; I`ve heard from different people that the forces aren`t so strict / disciplined now because of the "Human Rights" brigade.

I don`t know what`s worse; having a dream but unable to achieve (such as the RAF with yourself) or not having a dream at all.

leeCal

‘Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’
Popeye?

(actually comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem In Memoriam:27, 1850)

Siwheels73

My Avatar is actually a picture of myself, taken at 37000ft in Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic, taken in 2015. I don't mind showing my mug online, and this was the best I could find at the time. We were flying back from Orlando at the time.

bg844

My Avatar is actually a picture of myself, taken at 37000ft in Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic, taken in 2015. I don't mind showing my mug online, and this was the best I could find at the time. We were flying back from Orlando at the time.

I’ve been in upper class with Virgin from Manchester to New York JFK, I can honestly say it was the best travelling experience of my life. I had some points to use that was expiring so got a few hundred pounds knocked off. Best £500 extra return I’ve ever spent.

Cartini

leeCal said:

‘Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’
Popeye?

(actually comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem In Memoriam:27, 1850)

Popeye? Referring to my time in the Royal Navy?

emancherry33

My Avatar was a little pony when I first visited him only weeks old but always running around bumping into things , biting the other ponies and horse's , humans or just standing in the middle of a bridge refusing to move and there is no other way of getting past it, he's big now just as stubborn, still biting ,bashes you out of the way and gives that look of I'm not afraid of you, I'm the boss now. Gives the other ponies / horse's grief but fun to watch .

Cartini

I love the way there is a story behind every avatar; they don`t just represent a person, they represent an event in the life of the person displaying the avatar.

leeCal

Actually it was meant as a joke but it kinda fits well now you come to mention it . I have to be a bit careful with my jokes as some people just don’t get them. 🙂

for example i told my eldest eldest I was giving him something towards his first house...a brick 

he wasnt impressed. 🤣

Siwheels73

@Cartini I worked for 17 years with the Royal Navy as a Civil Servant.

Cartini

leeCal said:

Actually it was meant as a joke but it kinda fits well now you come to mention it . I have to be a bit careful with my jokes as some people just don’t get them. 🙂

for example i told my eldest eldest I was giving him something towards his first house...a brick 

he wasnt impressed. 🤣

Some people are so ungrateful 🤣😂

Cartini

Siwheels73 said:

@Cartini I worked for 17 years with the Royal Navy as a Civil Servant.

The only contact I had with Civil Servants when in the RN was when I went to collect stationery while shore based.

OverlyAnxious

I chose mine because I'm trying to spread a bit more positivity online nowadays.

I'm often the first to eye-roll at that sort of idea...but genuinely do believe seeing a cheerful picture can help with mood.  Especially on a site like this, that contains a lot of negative material by design.  (Health issues and benefits aren't chosen hobbies as with the subject matter on other forums)