IT doesn’t matter how old I get, I’m pretty sure I’m destined to never ever understand some things that people do.

For instance, I watched somebody throw himself out of a plane the other day. A completely sane, lovely guy who on any other Sunday morning would probably be found fast asleep in bed.

But instead, last weekend he was hurtling towards the ground at 120mph from a height of over 10,000ft above RAF Weston-on-the-Green.

Now, as a woman I know we usually reserve the right to change our minds on most things, but I can tell you 100 per cent guaranteed, there is definitely NO way in the world you would ever find me doing a skydive.

Feel free to call me a chicken (or make those “bwark bwark” chicken noises you used to do at school), but I do wonder what on earth possesses people to undertake extreme activities like bungee jumping, hang-gliding or any activity that involves throwing yourself towards the ground at a great speed.

Surely life is dangerous enough as it is?

I mean, have you ever tried to negotiate the Wolvercote roundabout during rush-hour? Nine times out of 10 you are almost guaranteed to experience a moment of sheer terror as someone realises far too late they are in the wrong lane.

Or (and this is one for the ladies), if you want to experience a few moments of almost weightless falling to earth, I recommend trying to negotiate any of the cobbled streets in the centre of town in high heels.

If you’re really lucky you can also combine your fall with a moment of unbridled fear as you wonder if you’ve also managed to crack your ankle.

Some of my other personal ‘fear-inducing favourites’ include taking a left into Marston Ferry Road just as a cyclist undertakes you from your blind spot. Or, turning right at the Randolph just as a group of giggling tourists ignore the lights at the crossing.

My point is, we all encounter so many scary things in our lives, I just don’t understand why we feel the need to pay to experience even more of them.

Mind you, I am being a little hypocritical, because I did once go scuba diving in a tank full of grey nurse sharks, although, in my own defence, I was told they weren’t dangerous.

That’s a fact I believed until about five seconds ago – when I read on the Internet how many unprovoked attacks they’ve been responsible for.

Thank God for my ignorance. Because as I think about it, there really is nothing in the world like that feeling you get when you realise you’ve conquered your biggest fear.

Just for the record? The fear I conquered that day wasn’t actually swimming with sharks, it was having to wear an all-in-one wetsuit in front of my male work colleagues!