Parsnip Rash - Phytophotodermatitis

[Erichalfbee]

As children my friends and I used to make pea shooters from hog weed stems. I can’t remember any injury?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As children my friends and I used to make pea shooters from hog weed stems. I can’t remember any injury?

We were lucky - we had acres of Knotweed in the valley in fact, locally (especially amongst the older generation). Japanese Knotweed is still known as 'peashooters'

 

[Bryang]

The native hogweed is far less toxic than the Giant Hogweed which is an imported species... As a youngster I also made "pea shooters" from the stems and did not have any reaction to it.

 

[Michael Palmer]

"Peashooters"

 

[Erichalfbee]

"Peashooters"

You never played?

 

[Michael Palmer]

You never played?

Of course I did. Just never used parsnip stems.

 

[Erichalfbee]

No not parsnip. Common hog weed. Ahh just looked it up and it’s other name is common parsnip. Well I never! At least we know that pea shooting is an international sport.

 

[pargyle]

Well - for what it's worth - 2 weeks on and I'm still covered in lesions and scarring from my brush with the parsnips ...it no longer hurts or itches but the places where the blisters were are now dry skin and scabs and where the blisters did not form I have purple skin blemishes ... looks pretty unsightly. I can't begin to imagine what Giant Hogweed does if this is a minor case of Phytophotodermatitis ....

 

[Michael Palmer]

No not parsnip. Common hog weed. Ahh just looked it up and it’s other name is common parsnip. Well I never! At least we know that pea shooting is an international sport.

What did you use for ammunition? We used spitballs mostly. Once I shot those little fake Holly berries from a Christmas wreath. I think I was in first form...yes I went to an Episcopalian school run on the British form system...complete with blazer and patch. In study hall I shot a berry at an upper classman...got him in the cheek. We wasn't too happy.

 

[Erichalfbee]

What did you use for ammunition? We used spitballs mostly. Once I shot those little fake Holly berries from a Christmas wreath. I think I was in first form...yes I went to an Episcopalian school run on the British form system...complete with blazer and patch. In study hall I shot a berry at an upper classman...got him in the cheek. We wasn't too happy.

Hawthorn berries. They are pretty hard unripe just now and a perfect size.
spitballs….. yes. Those too. Didn’t know what they were called. Perfect description

 

[pargyle]

What did you use for ammunition? We used spitballs mostly. Once I shot those little fake Holly berries from a Christmas wreath. I think I was in first form...yes I went to an Episcopalian school run on the British form system...complete with blazer and patch. In study hall I shot a berry at an upper classman...got him in the cheek. We wasn't too happy.

Hawthorn berries. They are pretty hard unripe just now and a perfect size.
spitballs….. yes. Those too. Didn’t know what they were called. Perfect description

We were always getting our peashooters confiscated at school, but they were easy to remake ... it was always a surprise at the variety of ammunition you could find and propel out of a home made pea shooter, we used to chew up bits of paper and then squash them into semi round pellets and let them dry ... berries of all sorts, dried peas were as cheap as chips for a huge bag and we would all chip in to buy a bag. We had a cardboard box with holes cut out as a target ... Just another world in those days when entertainment (and mischief !) was largely what you made it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

We were always getting our peashooters confiscated at school, but they were easy to remake ... it was always a surprise at the variety of ammunition you could find and propel out of a home made pea shooter, we used to chew up bits of paper and then squash them into semi round pellets and let them dry ... berries of all sorts, dried peas were as cheap as chips for a huge bag and we would all chip in to buy a bag. We had a cardboard box with holes cut out as a target ... Just another world in those days when entertainment (and mischief !) was largely what you made it.

Yes spitballs

 

[pargyle]

Yes spitballs

Ahhh ... we never called them that ... thought you were talking about something else. We graduated to spud guns eventually - you just stuffed the muzzle into a potato, cocked it and pulled the trigger ... endless fun ... uou'd never get away with it today ... I saw someone go across my desk last week for assault with a deadly weapon ... he apparently hit someone with a folded newspaper ... can you imagine what the police would make of a spud gun - or even a peashooter these days ?

 

[Bumble Bee Slim]

What did you use for ammunition? We used spitballs mostly. Once I shot those little fake Holly berries from a Christmas wreath. I think I was in first form...yes I went to an Episcopalian school run on the British form system...complete with blazer and patch. In study hall I shot a berry at an upper classman...got him in the cheek. We wasn't too happy.

Did anyone else use rice (uncooked ! ) which produced a pleasing scattergun effect ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

We learned to launch our missiles silently then look at round as If to say “ who me?”

 

[Wilco]

Ahhh ... we never called them that ... thought you were talking about something else. We graduated to spud guns eventually - you just stuffed the muzzle into a potato, cocked it and pulled the trigger ... endless fun ... uou'd never get away with it today ... I saw someone go across my desk last week for assault with a deadly weapon ... he apparently hit someone with a folded newspaper ... can you imagine what the police would make of a spud gun - or even a peashooter these days ?

I don't think I'm quite in the same generation as most of you but we had a fantastic tech teacher who would let us use the tech lab at lunchtime. We used to make blowpipes out of PVC tubing with dowel segments as darts tipped with a bit of sharpened brazing rod (not used on each other). Sadly that teacher retired before we were able to progress to crossbows...

That reminds me, must find my spud guns for my girls to have a play... Caps for cap guns are not as good as they used to be either. Found an old pack and they are significantly louder than the modern ones.

 

[Sutty]

I remember pieces of copper water pipe hammered flat at the end, buried in the ground at an angle, a lit "banger" firework dropped down it followed by a marble - fired it a LONG way! Only surprise is we didn't kill anyone!!

 

[Wilco]

I remember pieces of copper water pipe hammered flat at the end, buried in the ground at an angle, a lit "banger" firework dropped down it followed by a marble - fired it a LONG way! Only surprise is we didn't kill anyone!!

Must try that...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Must try that...

I don't think I'm quite in the same generation as most of you

 

[Sutty]

Caps for cap guns are not as good as they used to be either. Found an old pack and they are significantly louder than the modern ones.

I also remember at primary school finding that a whole reel of "caps" wrapped in several layers of aluminium foil and hit hard with a rock made a VERY loud bang like a rifle shot - I remember a bunch of teachers rushing out the door to see what was going on! (Good job it Wasn't a psycho with a rifle!)