Keeping the Home Fires Burning.....................

...........there's a song in there somewhere!

Last week we had to arrange a visit from the chimneysweep. He's a lovely chatty man who spends 20 minutes cleaning the chimney, 30 minutes drinking coffee (sitting down, as he says that's the right way to drink it!) and 60 minutes telling us local gossip and stories. Great entertainment.

He has to do this once a year for the insurance cover on the house here.

{Photo of the chimney cleaning machine}

I'm glad if Him Indoors is here for it as our 'ramoneur' is a bit of a ladies' man! A natural charmer! He also speaks French very quickly and I find it hard to follow the conversation if I've got to supply an answer as well.

So now the stove is working much better with all that gunk removed.

{Photo of our wood burning stove}

Nothing quite as cosy as sitting, drinking tea and eating cake beside this fire.

Mmmmmm!

Number 20 - Time for another Gear Review...........

Here's a brief look at a few more of my favourite things............

Vaude Kiowa Basic 200 Sleeping Bag
Now this is not the lightest bag - nor is it a very trendy down filled thing BUT it is COSY..........

It doesn't compress as well as a down bag but it does fit (eventually) into the bottom of my rucksack quite neatly. I believe it weighs about 1.3 kg which is quite respectable.

I bought it for last year's Challenge. The Lafuma down bag it replaced was rather thin and a bit prickly. So although it packed small it was also not very warm or comfortable.

The Vaude bag came with an internal pocket with a zip which I have carefully removed. It also has a good hood and baffle. The material on the inside is very smooth, warm and lovely to snuggle into. The shorter length means my feet stay much cosier.

And I find the synthetic filling much more to my liking than the down I had before.

{Photo of a sleeping bag exactly like mine}

Ridgerest Sleeping Mat

This year for Christmas I was lucky enough to get a new Neoair mattress. Despite this I think I will probably still carry my Ridgerest mat with me. I find it to be a brilliant insulation against cold ground. It fits perfectly into the sleeping space inside my tent. Along with the mattress it should help me get a good night's sleep when camping.

I like to use it for lunch stops too. Being able to sit with my legs on the heather or ground without getting chilled or wet is a great advantage. The weight on the outside of the rucksack is negligible. The only downside in carrying it is that it makes my pack a bit wide for narrow spaces!

{Photo of a Ridgerest mat like mine}

JetBoil Stove with stabiliser

I didn't actually buy this stove nor even ask for it. It came as a surprise Christmas present from my eldest son, Sam. At first I thought it would be difficult to carry as it's not tiny nor very light. However I was wrong and it fits well into the rucksack. So thank you Sam.............

{Photo of JetBoil Stove }

And it works a treat.

Lights first time (up till now!) and boils water super-quick. I found it uses a very modest amount of fuel. One 125g cannister of gas lasted me about 10 days on last year's Challenge walk.

I did buy a folding stabiliser thing to steady the stove in use - it does seem top-heavy when boiling a full cup of water.

{Photo of JetBoil accessories}

The gas cannister stabiliser folds up and tucks away inside the stove. It comes with a pot support which apparently converts the stove so it can take a larger pan - but I've never used this.............

Well next time it'll be number 21 - will that mean I'm a grown-up at last................?