Another changeup for the evening smoke. Went to small pipes and my usual morning/afternoon smokes rather than what I'd planned with the meer. So my day was exactly the opposite as usual. Quite enjoyed the change.
Yeah, I know I scorch my pipes - always have. I have only one eye (lost my right eye in a series of 3 strokes about 14 years ago. No depth perception and miss the bowl with regulartity.) I should really stick to rusticated finishes like my J07 but . . . . I love briar. That's why all my expensive pipes are rough finished. So let's move on.
I can live with it.
The J16 on the left is dedicated totally to Mad Fiddler. Smoked it first. Got right through Beethoven 8 as expected, with 5 minutes to spare. Fantastic smoke. Then smoked my J05 and ended the evening with a great smoke for this pipe, as expected, which only gets fed Black Frigate. Tried to get through Vivaldi's 4 Seasons, which lasts 42 minutes in the terrific Simon Standage recording. Not quite. The pipe was finished at 35 minutes. Both were double packed loosely, which is now my norm for taste. But the small bowled J05 would have easily got me through Beethoven 8 which I just didn't want to hear again this day. The pipe loves BF and I had a wonderful smoke. This is frankly, to me at least, stellar performance for both pipes. Less is more.
I'm still working on my technique for tall bowls, which the J05 is, in spite of its miniscule nature. Getting better, but still have a ways to go. But I'll get there. I'll start the day (don't count on it lol) with another try. But frankly, I'm enjoying the changeup and not feeling quite so anal about my scheduling as I did before. As the Spirit leads, eh?
These little Ropps, and the McQueen miniatures, are gamesavers for my favorite tobaccos, which unfortunately are not available in Canada for less than eighty bucks plus tax, if they are available at all. And I've whined enough about that so even I'm sick of it. I can hang on without replenishing these treasures with the amount I've got now until April. Might not even make that date myself. So I'll shut up now already. On to tomorrow and whatever it brings!