It started with a small space hopper thing (Which I, at my young age, thought was a helicopter) and a police car. After building the respective items by instructions, I broke the two of them up and made a police helicopter. I was about 5 or 6 at the time.
From that age till I was 11-ish the obsession just grew. Every Christmas, more Lego. A Police station, a Fire station, Space Shuttle (Thank God, my first aircraft bits!) and in later years a pirate ship and a castle, among many many kits I got. I didn't have a playroom, I had a "Lego room". Things got even better when Tomy made train sets that were Lego-compatible!
As always with any lego set you got for Xmas/birthday/whatever, you built the original design from instructions, and then when you got bored, smash it went. Then the good bit starts. You get an idea of what to make, and then put it together with hotch-potch bits from all over the shop. You might make ,say, a trike, by using the 4x2 flat you got from the fire engine set, A one wheel 2x2 axle from a microlight set, a 2 wheel axle from a construction jeep, and two "levers" that came with the police car set and were aerials on the car. There were whole biuildings made in this style, and the possibilities were endless. I remember a Ghostbusters car, a ferry port, a transport company, an airplane with an opening rear ramp, and endless mad scientist inventions with all doohickeys and thingimibobs everywhere.
Oh those were great times, even if I did miss football, and freinds.
So here I am now gagging to get back into college to the metalwork shop, with a massive love for my chosen subject, Mech Eng. Before aircraft, there was Lego. The aircraft obsession came with a computer game, but that's another story. Lego did so much to put me on the path I'm on, and I'm very grateful and fond of the stuff. It's in a box, in the attic, waiting for the day when I give it to a wee little'un who'll matter more to me than all the other little'uns. So Lego, cheers mate.
But I still can't hold a footy conversation and have few freinds (if any). Damn.