The clicking of the camera and the clunking of titanium cookwear on white background paper was good in two ways, unusual test kit has arrived, and I was home a little early. Steam test tomorrow though, and it if doesn’t all go on its tits I’m having the weekend off.
Not going near a mountain ’til next week however, my knees are toast. Besides, I’m looking forward to some family time. I foresee a galavant for the three of us at some point if the weather’s nice.
Aye, I’m watching the forecast again, it ‘s all getting back to normal. I’ll just have another cuppa and a bit of a kip first.
Unrelated but reading through Stott’s (wonderfully comprehensive but out of print) Scottish waterfalls book just now and discovered that a John MacFarlane was responsible for permitting access to Campsie glen back in 1825(!).
Even turned down some subsequent petition about shutting it on Sundays. Not a bad ancestor to have :)
“…unusual test kit..” – do we like this? Oh yes!
Meanwhile sounds like a pretty well-ordered set of priorities you’ve got there PTC*.
Another unrelated comment. I’ve become a born again Pot Cozy believer (scientifically that is). This happened while looking at real (but light) food versus the expensive dehydrated mush/crunch option.
Less fuel usgage is handy certainly but what I appreciate is the early morning time savings. I boil up 700ml of water, 400ml for my first morning brew and into the remainder chuck in some porridge oats/meal, milk powder, sultanas etc. stir. Titan goes for 40 winks in the pot cozy while I carry on with camp pack-up. 20-25 mins later – breakfast with a view. Adding 4mm to the outer dimensions of my Titan Kettle and <40g, so very packable. Fantastic. Simple technology.
Martin, you know when I was younger I thought my name was maybe a bit long and old fashioned, but I love it now, I like the history and connection a name can bring.
It’s probably a getting-old thing mind you :o)
Gable, I’ll have the kit up over the next couple of days. Looking forward to trying it, the whole thing is pretty much weightless!
I like updating myself, new is good, even if I still don’t get on with it, I’ll take positives from it.
I do like the idea of eating better as you describe, I really am getting fed up of all the regular choices.
Pot cosies are cool… or rather hot! I use them and agree that they make a big difference not only to time and fuel savings but also on quality of foods eaten. I’m dead keen to get a decent dehydrator and start making my own hill foods now – there’s only so much wayfarer etc that a boy can eat in a lifetime, though porridge with some berries is a great breakfast any time!
Aye, real food. I’ve got a bunch of trips over the next couple of months and I’ll be experimenting there.
I keep thing of how to carry eggs, scrambled eggs hot from the pan at 1000m :o)
Bubblewrap? It was suggested to me in a beaker of water will protect them, apparently.
The water thing is right, they just gently bob around, but on rougher terrain it might not be so reliable.
Bubblewrap? Now that’s a weighless option. Two bubblewrapped eggs, a wee sealed packet of butter, a couple of Dairy Stix for milk, some pepper, the breakfast of kings.
Oh aye, this is happening on the next trip.
Hmmm..messy clean-up job cooking scrambled. McPhail’s steam generation hints at poaching – eggs cracked into a little boiling water?
The transportation issue jolted a memory of a bright-eyed, wee lady I met at on a remote Highland walk-in who after a pleasant natter, told to wait a moment and came back with 3 fresh laid eggs. Best eggs ever, I guarded them like jewels the last few miles of the walk-in..
“…told to wait a moment and came back with 3 fresh laid eggs. ….”
So the Moral of the story is to carry a chicken?
The mess I am prepared for! Rovlies http://www.screwfix.com/search.do?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=54438&x=15&y=5
Now, if I just take the round meaty bit from a slice of bacon, I could fry it in the lid of my new pot…
Would you need to keep it on a lead if you were taking a chicken?
Hmmm scrambled eggs! I’d normally do these in one of those cooking plastic bags within a pot of boiling water – you have to agitate the bag and whilst they end up a bit like a cross between poached and scrambled eggs you don’t end up with the ‘scrambled egg pan washing up nightmare’… and you’ve water for a brew
That sounds good as well, abit like the scrambled eggs you get in workie-type cafes.
Breakfast now…
I can’t scrub-out the mental image of a bloke pulling a Wheelie with a chicken on a lead…
Hmm, how many chickens would I need to harness together to pull Wheelie leaving my carrying nothing at all?
Goes and gets sliderule and pencil…
“Now, if I just take the round meaty bit from a slice of bacon…”
bacon medallions they’re called – our Spar do them
Aye, Joyce told me the name this morning as I was frying a whole packet of bacon for breakfast.
Every day is a school day!
I can get an egg in the pot lid and it’ll fry like the burger vans eggs, where the use the litle pie-cutter frame things.
I’m looking forward to this.
OH GOD! I really need to learn not to make daft comments!
No, no, chickens have a part to play in the future.
So, if I’ve got this right, the chickens pull the Wheelie to your camping spot, pitch your tent for you(?), and lay your eggs. Then you can take a leaf from the polar explorers’ book and dispatch one of them to accompany the eggs, leaving you the rest of the evening to fashion the pluckings into a sleeping bag… it’s definitely the new face of lightweight! :O)
Eggs – never done it, but if it’s for scrambled, why not crack them at home and carry them shell-less in a small poly-bottle?
I’m trying to source freeze-dried grain to take with me to feed my chicken porters.
Matt that egg idea has legs (oh what a mental picture that brings…), premix scrambled eggs indeed. Just add milk and we’re away. I wonder what the storage time would be?