Lincolnshire

I wanted to publish this post about my Autumn walk yesterday, but ran out of time as I went to the Lincoln Film Society and watched the 1924 film about the Everest expedition, on which George Mallory and Andrew Irvine were lost. The documentary had been restored from archive nitrate stock and a modern music score had been added, with very occasional sound effects absorbed into this score.

I am so pleased I went, this film it was excellent. With the original silent movie captions adding a voice contemporary with the pictures, there was no modern commentary to distract from looking at the images of a past world. The film was made by Captain John Noel (war hero, explorer, spy and then documentary film maker) and he captured haunting images of Everest and some very personal shots of the Tibetan people. Some of the comments and images were jarring to a modern audience but that also told us a lot about the people who made the film. This is likely to be the highlight of the Film Society’s season for me, just three films into it!

(I found this book, Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921, which documents the expedition that was mentioned in the lecture before the film.)

When I got home, the NFL American Football Red Zone had started on my iPad so that was that!

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Autumn Walk

I was up and out early this morning for an autumn walk, to take advantage of the low sun and the misty weather. I was not disappointed as I got some excellent autumn photographs.

The photo of the day – here – was taken shooting straight into the rising sun, but moving to obscure the sun as much as possible behind a tree. I tried using the Camera+ app and the exposure compensation to get this image but in the end Pro HDR was the app for the job. It took care of the wide range of light in the image. The image I finally used was the one produced in Pro HDR but I then brightened it to bring out the details in the foreground.

click on the above image for a larger version

The spider web image above was made using Camera+ macro mode. The disadvantage with this mode is the very shallow depth of field, leaving much of the image out of focus. This shot is one of a series I took, each with a different point of focus so when editing I could choose the one that gave the best results.

Branston Hall Hotel – just the kind of Autumn Walk shot I was looking for

click on the above image for a larger version

Above – there was a convenient bench, for a brew up, along my Autumn walk.

New Backpacking Gear

I had two new bits of gear with me today on my Autumn walk: I was field testing a new JK Sonics first aid kit and I have a new Sierra cup.

The Sierra cup was a gift from Guitar George, who has just spent a month driving from Los Angles to New York. I have a traditional large, heavy duty steel Sierra cup that I bought in the late ’80s when I was travelling in Australia but for a while now, I’d wanted a lighter weight version, ideally with a folding handle and I had not seen one in the UK. As George was going to the USA I asked him to get me one. (I did look into buying one on the internet but the P&P and VAT was too much.)

The cup is stainless steel, but it is not heavy duty so the weight is kept down. The fold out handle locks securely when in use and when folded away makes the cup compact and easy to pack. It has no lid but I think I will see if I can get one made for it. It does not have the crook handle of the traditional design, but I do not hook it to my belt. As camp cups go it has many disadvantages, large surface area so drinks cool down quicker and it is inefficient as a cooking pot, but occasionally my gear does not have to be 100% efficient.

This morning, even though I had my titanium mug and lid with me, I boiled the water for my coffee in the Sierra cup.

Now with burn marks!

breakfast today was instant 2 in 1 coffee, left over Naan bread from last night’s dinner and Cranberry biscuits

In the above photo you can see the JK Sonics personal first aid kit. It is a small, pocket sized kit, that Nick and I have designed for personal use. It is a kit to take on day walks and short walks when the Adventure First Aid Kit is too large. It has a place in my work bag, as a useful kit to have with me for those times I cut myself on unfinished metal inside computer cases. It will also make an ideal Christmas present – Nick wanted me to say that!

It is designed to fit in a pocket but the case will expand so you can add extra kit if you want. I have a some more photos and I will write a more extensive review later this week.

here is the kit in my bag

One more thing…

I have had this WWII gas mask case since I was at school, when I bought it from an Army surplus store, Millers in Grays, Essex, to use when on outdoor adventures. I remember carrying my school books in it and one of the pockets still shows an outline where I carried a “Lofty Wiseman”, tobacco tin survival kit. Over the years I have had to replace the lid press studs and the shoulder strap and it is showing some wear, but it still makes a good bag to grab for a short walk.

the stamp in the top of my bag

When it was made in 1942, I am sure no one would have expected it to still be in use more than seventy years later and they could not have imagined the kind of kit I carry in it today.