Did you pack this bag yourself

I'm the kind of person who likes to plan things well in advance. I like to know where I'm going, what time I'm going there, how much going there will cost, and where I have to go to get there. Yes, I probably am a bit of an anal bastard, but I hate the idea of not having the basics sorted before I do something; there'll always be random events and room for spontanaeity, but you don't want to be spontaneous when it comes to packing your bags or deciding where you're headed to.
A couple of days ago I read a backpacking article about travelling light, and it made the point that you're likely to travel lighter each time you head away. You never hear of someone packing heavier, but time and again you'll hear people say they're going to pack lighter this time around, and this year I'm no exception. It serves a double purpose - it makes wearing a rucksack a lot more comfortable, and it also means there's more room to bring things back with me! So with this in mind, I thought I'd do a 'what's in my bag' for my blog, here goes...

Click to expand. Sorry if the numbers are a little hard to read...

1. A bundle of about 7 T-shirts. 2 of them are long-sleeved
2. Union Jack. Something to put up on the walls
3. Towel. Can't leave without a towel
4. Rugby shirt. Home team
5. Laundry bag. Just a simple big cloth bag with a drawstring on top. This in particular is absolutely essential for a long-term trip
6. Scarf and leather gloves. It's August now but I'll be there over winter, so I want my favourite scarf and gloves
7. Amenities! A jar of English mustard and a jar of Bovril, the kinds of things you can't get outside the UK
8. Washbag, with soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, and deoderant. I could take more but you can always pick stuff up on arrival
9. Fleece. Yup. Just a fleece, nothing more to say about that
10. Shemagh - a kind of arabian headscarf. They're incredibly versatile, and this one is a kind of a travel companion to me, I've taken it on every trip I've done

This isn't everything, though. I was just seeing how much the general weight of the bag would be (11kg, which is really light). I'd add to this a smart shirt and trousers, a spare pair of jeans, smart shoes, and flip flops to use as shower shoes - they're essentials but wouldn't weigh enough to make any serious difference in weight.
So that's my pack for my trip. It's pretty light, but I want to hit the ground running and just buy what I need as I go, rather than over-pack and lug the extra weight around the airport and hotel. It might seem a little trivial, but what can I say, I like to be prepared.

Ten Thousand Miles

This is an arrangement of a ballad by one of my very favourite musicians, English folk guitarist and singer Nic Jones. Nic is still with us (he's getting on a bit now) but sadly had to give up performing in the early 80's after being badly injured in a car crash. In Nic's own words: 'driving home from a booking near Manchester, I had an argument with a lorry full of bricks and I was hurt. The result: Bricks 1- Humans 0'
This kind of song/performance isn't trendy in any circles now really, though the folk revival of the 70's definitely left it's mark on popular music. I think it's a really beautiful song about leaving, and definitely worth three and a half minutes of your time.




If you're a guitarist, or indeed a musician of any discipline, you can do a lot worse than check out some of Nic's works, the man was a truly gifted arranger and composer. There are plenty of songs on youtube in you rummage around, and Nic also maintains a myspace page along with a personal website.