Farewell to D&G

It was with great reluctance that we bid a final farewell to our favourite piece of equipment: the D&G Bag. Black and sleek when it first came into service, it has stood by us through thick and thin (mostly through thick, i.e., mud, slime, gunk). It is the only equipment that has probably been on every single trip, no matter how remote or dangerous. Unlike its slacker cousins, the girly Gucci Bags, who generally just sit around and look pretty; the industrious and manly D&G Bag is always at work: keeping things together, and handling the most Disgusting and Grungy stuff (hence the D&G). Nothing was too filthy or awful to embrace and hold close to itself, thus keeping the rather more uppety and sniffy equipment clean and mud-free.

After years of quiet, steadfast duty, it's zipper decided to give way. At first, it was only the clip part that you use to pull the zipper open and close (what would be an appropriate technical term for this?). We still refused to give up on D&G and replaced this with a string. But alas, the metal loop that held the string finally also gave up the ghost. Thus the zipper couldn't be operated easily, although every other part of D&G is still perfectly operational.

But while D&G will no longer be joining us on our many adventures, you will be pleased to know it remains useful. Retired from active duty, it still enjoys a long and fruitful career at Base Camp as Cat Rug.

In its second career, it will happily remain just as slimy and disgusting. It is now the favourite spot for Luci, probably the only Onch-like non-marine creature. He drools constantly...Onchidium felis...Tom has dubbed him. Furry and slimy.

Sadly, all our Hunter-Seeker Specialist Tools (we shall not bore with details of these handpicked and painstakingly modified gear), now get ignominiously lugged around in a red shopping bag.

We still can't bring ourselves to get a new D&G Bag. It's much too soon after the loss.

Besides which, the new bag will be CLEAN...gasp...how can we relate to such a bag?!