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锘縏hrill-seeking is the topic of conversation as we settle down to our first round of drinks. Or rather thrill-avoiding.

We鈥檙e talking theme parks and Ben starts us off: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see the point in peeing your pants,鈥� he says, before elaborating: 鈥淓ven with that so-called easy ride, the pirate ship, you get the feeling that if you lean forward, you鈥檒l fall out.鈥�

Helen is with Ben on this one. She describes to us the Hex ride at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, where you are sat on benches in a 鈥渉aunted鈥� hall and rocked backwards and forwards, independently of the rest of the room, which is also rocking. 鈥淚t鈥檚 scary,鈥� she says, pulling a face.

Maybe Hilson Moran - a firm of engineers no less - could design theme park rides? Ben has already thought about this and come up with an ingenious way to cause maximum panic on rollercoasters. 鈥淚鈥檇 have someone standing by ready to throw nuts and bolts on the ride when the cars approach,鈥� he says with a grin.

The group try to recover their thrill-seeking stripes and talk turns to skydiving and bungee-jumping. Helen (who was scared of a gentle undulating theme park ride remember 鈥� ) tells us how much she loved going skydiving. 鈥淚t was amazing, I was pretending to swim and dance in the air.鈥�

Katherine and Sophie have both been bungee-jumping and loved it, after some initial trepidation. The worst bit, Katherine says, was 鈥渨alking the plank鈥� out over the drop, followed by the sight of the tiny stream you were about to plunge head-long towards.

Next we consider a more grounded thrill - gambling. Katherine recounts how, on a recent trip to Las Vegas, she lost track of time and found, to her surprise, that she was still on the casino tables in the early hours of the morning. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no oxygen, or windows in there!鈥� she explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to tell what time it is.鈥� She says she very rarely gambles, but when in Vegas 鈥�

If you thought all that was scary, you haven鈥檛 faced up to the prospect of going to Ikea on a Saturday, Martin suggests. He says he鈥檒l be wrestling with the superstore this coming weekend to find improvements for the family home. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a horrible experience - you can鈥檛 arrive or get away,鈥� he says, with a note of resignation.

As the last drinks are drained, thoughts turn to food - but it won鈥檛 be a kebab for Nick. 鈥淵ou shouldn鈥檛 have to trim meat,鈥� he proclaims. Never a truer word!