Last week the BBC weather forecast was predicting strong winds for this weekend – yesterday there was a breeze when we put the tents up. By the time we went to bed it was absolutely still. The same this morning my tent is not moving at all – no wind. It made it very easy to make my early morning tea. Unlike last year.
Set up – no rain – staff excellent here, they sorted out our favourite pitch. Now it is time for that tea my son promised me!
Tents up – Veryan Camping and Caravan Site Read More »
Not the most spectacular sunrise, but I was out early enough today, walking along the Water Rail Way (7.44am) for the sunrise. The clouds were the most interesting element of this shot.
Washingborough
I used my Sierra Cup with a lid this week to boil the water for my tea.
The lid was a success, it took two minutes to boil the water and the lid sat on the cup OK. No flies in the water. Keeping the lid on the tea also helped to keep it warm longer.
This is a good addition to my outdoor kit, next week I am going to cook in it.
Do you know that the iPhone dictionary does not recognise the word “lid”, substituting “kid” instead. This can lead to some interesting sentences if you do not notice Apple’s substitution!
I recently got an REI Sierra cup with a folding handle from the USA. It is a great, compact cup to take camping, but I was interested in getting a lid for it to add to the functionality and to keep the flies out of my tea.
I have had two lids made for me, one for my MSR titanium mug and the other for my Crusader mug.
I may get a custom lid made later, but for now I was looking for a purchased option.
The Sierra cup lid, because of the folding handle, needed to be an internal lid with no lip, or have a notch cut out of the lip for the handle. So what I needed was really just a metal disk with a hole for a handle drilled in it. On searching online I realised that the base from a cake tin with a removable base would be ideal, although I could not find one small enough in a UK shop. With that as a plan, I decided to visit some of the local kitchenware shops and in the second one, I went to, I found exactly what I needed.
This is the removable base from a 12cm cake tin, from The Range, with a hole for a wing nut and bolt.
The lid sits neatly inside the cup rim as though it was made for it. Having a lid will make it more fuel efficient if I use the Sierra cup to boil water in. I am forward to testing it this weekend on a day walk on Sunday – I will boil the water for my tea break in it.
One small point: I had to use a file to smooth out a few sharp edges on the handle ends where the metal had been flattened to stop it pulling out.
This is not ultra lightweight backpacking kit but it is something I will be taking camping.
REI Sierra cup and lid Read More »
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!
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.
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
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.
An Autumn walk, new kit, old kit and The Epic of Everest from 1924 Read More »
click on the above image for a larger version
For the third Sunday morning in a row I had to drop Diana off early in the city centre. This week I had some time so I packed a few items, including my breakfast and backpacking cooking gear and planned to walk a section of the Water Rail Way. Although it was gloomy outside when I got up at 6am, by the time I was parking the car in Washingborough it was a beautiful morning.
A short walk along the path and I found a convenient bench, in the sun shine with a good view for breakfast.
I am using a new pad/sit mat in the back of my Sea to Summit rucksack – I bought it recently at Go Outdoors for a couple of pounds – it is thicker and stiffer than the previous pad, giving more comfort and some structure to the pack. I had to cut the “handle” off the mat to make it fit.
Sea to Summit Travel Pack – finished
Breakfast was homemade steamed coconut buns, left over from last night’s dinner and homemade raspberry jam. I made some fresh coffee to go with it using my tea strainer “coffee maker”. It was an excellent breakfast sitting by the river – beats last week’s breakfast in McDonalds.
The coconut buns are a recipe from Jamie Oliver and are really easy to make. The recipe says use a food processor but I just sieve the flour into the coconut milk and stir it in with a fork. To make things easier I spoon the mixture into the paper cases. For extra lift I add a teaspoon of baking soda with the sieved flour. I split the mixture into 14 smaller buns, which fit nicely onto the steamer tray in my wok. For buns with extra spice I sprinkle some chilli flakes onto the buns before cooking.
Cold, the next day, with jam and butter they make a tasty breakfast.
Water Rail Way – Sunday morning breakfast Read More »
I was out early again, on Sunday, to drop Diana off in the city, but I went for breakfast this week rather than going for an early walk. Let someone else make the tea.
