My most treasured possessionWhat's your most treasured possession? What would you rescue from a fire (be it for sentimental or purely financial reasons)?
My Great-Uncle left me his visitors book which along with boring people like the Queen and Harold Wilson has Spike Milligan's signature in it. It's all loopy.
Either that or my Grandfather's swords.
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chthonic, Thu 8 May 2008, 12:38)
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My ClipperI bought a garishly hand painted Clipper lighter for a pound, from a hippy market stall nearly twenty years ago. Then I lost it whilst visiting a friend in Texas. At that stage, it was merely a garishly painted disposable lighter so I moved on and went through a string of other lighters, mostly Clippers, but I experimented with other brands too. I was unable to form meaningful relationships with lighters, as people kept stealing them, or occasionally they would run out of gas and I simply couldn't muster the effort to get a can of butane. I was a mess.
A couple of years later however, my friend arrived in London from Texas, saying he had a surprise for me. With a flourish, he produced my old Clipper. He says it must have fallen down the side of his sofa, but I think he stole it, only to be overcome by remorse later on.
In the years since, my friend and I have shared the responsibility of looking after the lighter - every time one of us travels to visit the other, we've performed a ceremonious hand-over, and the other person has then been in charge of it for the year or two until our next meetup. It's been to Glastonbury, Burning Man, all round Europe, Mongolia, New Zealand, and dozens of times across the Atlantic. I estimate that it has clocked up well over 100,000 airmiles, and I am currently in discussion with Norris McWhirter as to whether it gets in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most travelled disposable lighter.
It still works, although it is only now used on very special occasions to light very special types of things. I believe it is on its third or fourth sparky wheelie flinty bit, but the original garishly painted body is still in serviceable order.
I have only been in possession of my most treasured item for roughly ten of the last twenty years, but it will be buried with me when I go.
(, Sat 10 May 2008, 0:01, 2 replies)
Norris McWhirter is dead.He died in 2004 according to Wikipedia.
(, Sat 10 May 2008, 9:23, closed)
Well,as he's dead, it's no contest. It is the world's most travelled lighter.
(, Sat 10 May 2008, 13:51, closed)
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