Birthday Present

My 60th birthday is exactly a month away, and my thoughts have turned to how I can possibly treat myself for once, and celebrate reaching this monumental age. Honestly thought I’d be gone by the year 2000.

My first instinct was to try and book a holiday for the whole family somewhere nice - perhaps tropical, but upon trying to book something it became apparent that winter holidays (in school holiday time anyway) are the preserve of the filthy rich. A room-only, 7-day trip to a basic resort in Thailand was quoted in excess of £12K! That’s without the cost of getting to a London airport, food, and any other expense associated with foreign travel. After the school holidays, it reverts to about 30% of that amount. Even a budget trip to one of the Canary Islands was equivalent to 6 months’ wages. There are so many people with so much cash out there it’s sickening. That’s out of the question until the nippers nick off and find jobs and lives of their own.

                                                My old Gaggia Classic.

                                         A sparkling Rancillio Silva Pro.

Next, my mind wandered to the consumption of coffee - espresso specifically. I used to have a great Gaggia Classic espresso machine, but it conked out in my old studio back in the day due to constant, excessive use. I never had a pro grinder which meant I was reliant on tinned/packeted coffee, and therefore never had the experience of delicious, rich espresso dialed in by myself after a bit of experimentation with freshly roasted beans supplied by one of the local roasteries. A decent grinder and machine is in the region of £1500 all-in, so it’s a candidate.

                          The inexpensive OEX Hyena II tent I employ currently serves its purpose well.

                              The Hilleberg Soulo Black Label - a snip at £940!

My recent foray into the wild-camping scene has put me up against an industry full of overpriced stuff such as £1000 tents, £500 sleeping bags, and a whole other bunch of ridiculously expensive items designed to keep you warm/dry/skint. I’d really like a Hilleberg Soulo tent, a Thermarest sleeping mat, and 4-season sleeping bag to allow me the opportunity to experience extreme-weather winter camps with myself as company. Again, the package is a £1500 candidate so we’ll see.

                                                     She's a beauty.

Obviously, photography has played a massive role in my life so far, and this old post describes the best camera I never actually used. I always wanted a Blad for myself, not for work, but the H1 was a film camera, and my skillset since leaving college has always been entirely associated with digital capture. Luckily, the early digital Hasselblad machines are now consigned to the second-hand market at absolute bargain prices. I can pick up an HD4-40 and two HC lenses for about £1500 - as opposed to around £15K back in the day. The cameras are huge, cumbersome, difficult to operate, and only output 16-bit RAW files - exactly what I want to use for personal work.

With an uncertain winter/spring ahead in terms of work, I’ll hang back on anything substantial for now. It’s probable that I’ll simply sail through my birthday without any fuss or unnecessary purchases. In the meantime though, readers are always welcome to treat me to any of the above. Thanks in advance you comfortably rich bastards.