Despite how it may appear, I do actually do have a “proper” job as well. I have a wee, sort of specialist engineering business.
This is very handy for a great many things, not least the ability to take most of the last two months off to move house, decorate (oh, but it was so much more than that) and get Holly settled in. Then of course I had time to burden the internet with this blog and embark on all the other stuff that’s been coming my way. The kit testing being the most interesting part of that. I’m not getting sent a whole bunch of rubbish to test, every tent at a specific price point, or jackets suitable for winter and the like. It’s niche market kit that’s lightweight, minimally featured and misunderstood from the ranges of the familiar names as well as specialist doodahs from smaller companies. Basically all the good stuff that gets overlooked as it doesn’t appeal to the lowest common denominator. “The Dog Walker”.
Some stuff is here, some is on it’s way, some stuff is still under discussion. With all that’s been going on my level of fitness will have dropped a little, my feet will be softer and I’m really needing to get out there at my usual levels. So, it’s all tying in quite well, I want to get out, and now I have to get out.
I also need to assure my customers that I’m still in business. And send some invoices. Jeez, we need a metric week, 10 days will do nicely, I could probably fit stuff into that. And a day off as well.
Perish the thought PTC.
Anyway Parkinson’s law states that work will always expand to fill the time available for its completion.
10 day weeks with only 1 day off? no, no, NO!
Anymore suggestions like that and you will be made to use Gelert products exclusively for all your wild camping.
Here, we were passing through Ullapool and we went in to the wee camping shop there. They had all the wee niknaks that only long established shops can have, and in amongst this was a Gelert “toast maker”. It was a wire mesh affair that fitted over your mini camping stove, you put two slices of bread in it and it made you toast.
Excited I was, so we bought that and a wee loaf of bread and headed north to Sutherland.
We were camping by the roadside that night near Ben Hope and so could look forward to a bit of toast. Set it all up, got the kettle on the other stove and waited expectantly.
The kettle boiled but the bread although now very dry was not toast. So I “adjusted” the wire to make the bread flatter, and more easily toasted by the flame.
So, made the cuppas but turned away from the toast at the same time. In this instant the bread went on fire and the wire contraption unwound itself like a jack-in-the-box. Burning bread, red hot wire and diving campers everywhere.
I’m sure it was in no way Gelert’s fault that we had cold bread and jam for supper that night.
Wellll, it has it’s place; they make a respectable thin duffel bag that is good for wrapping up rucksacks on flights (if you’re not carrying everything for the next fortnight of course).
Our wine bottle opener is made by them and it’s the first one my girlfriend’s not managed to snap (she may be small but – damn she’s strong).
And oddly, very oddly, it would only take about 35grams off my cookset weight but around £70 out my pocket if I replaced my Gelert aluminium pans with titanium. Which of course I probably will – one day.
Wow – I never, ever thought I’d be defending Gelert… I must be coming down with summat…
It’s true about the titanium cookwear. A mighty expense for a little gain.
I didn’t go to titanium until I was sure I was eating the internal coating of my old set they were so worn.
I still carry a stainless steel insulated mug most of the time because it keeps my cuppa warm, you can take this lightweight thing too far :o)