What's in my rucksack

It has been threatening rain today, but none has actually fallen. The garden could do with some water, I suppose I will have to run up and down with a watering can tonight. Another job I have to do is to go next door and trim my hedge on their side, maybe I'll do it tomorrow. I've been dog sitting today, Lady came for the afternoon as Graham was out rambling with his pals. For dinner tonight was a home made microwaved ready meal, a veg curry stew. That's the last of them now, I'll have to make some more, they are handy when I don't feel like cooking.

So, someone asked what do I carry in my rucksack on a long walk, so here goes. A pair of lightweight trainers, stuffed with small items. These go at the bottom of the bag. Battery chargers for mobile phone and camera battery. Half a sponge. Three or four sheets of kitchen towel, for wiping things. Middle row from left, small pot of moisturiser, decanted from large bottle. Lip lotion. Shampoo decanted from large bottle, can also be used to wash body as well as hair. Small toothbrush and miniture toothpaste. Spare pair of specs. Spare batteries for head torch, not needed this trip. Strands of dental tape. Toothpicks and cotton buds. Paracetamol. Panty liners. Bottom row from left. Single wet wipes. Nail scissors. Small comb. Plasters, needle, and Germoline.

Bum bag, and cat collar to secure bum bag because the clasp is not very good. The bluey thing is a thick headband, keeps hair out of the way when washing face, and can be used as an ear warmer if windy. Money belt worn under clothes. Large plastic carrier bag to sit on if there is no clean bench. Small hand towel cut in half and used as padding under shoulder straps. Coloured marker pens and pen. Spare hearing aid batteries. Knife fork and spoon, for eating snacks out of pots bought at shops. Head torch, not really needed in summer but you never know when you might get caught out. Also handy for popping to the loo in the night if you don't want to put the light on. Rain cover for rucksack.

Maps printed from internet, kept tidy in a plastic bag.

Netbook and assorted leads, in two home made bags with plastic linings. I carried the battery for the netbook in my bum bag to lighten the load in the rucksack.

Waterproof and windproof jacket. Waterproof over trousers. Fleece. The fleece is a bit bulky so I mainly carried that tied around my waist with the sleeves. Clothes folded and packed tightly into two plastic bags. First bag, pair lightweight trousers, I only wore them for one day, wore shorts the rest of the time. Long sleeved top which I only wore once to the party on Saturday night. Second bag. Short sleeved teeshirt, I didn't wear it at all. Two spare pairs of socks, I swapped them about during the week. Leggins, didn't need them. Two pairs of pants, I used panty liners every day, cuts down the amount of pants you need to carry.

In the side pockets I carried an umbrella, and two plastic bottles of drinks. I bought one small bottle of fruit juice a day and diluted it between the two bottles each night ready for the next day. I spent about £3.50 a day on snacky things to eat, and food to eat in the B & B at night. I don't feel like eating a lot while out walking as I know I will get a decent breakfast in the morning. There's no way I could eat an evening meal as well. A small quiche, or a pot of potato or pasta salad, some cheese and crackers, a banana, and egg custards are my favourite.

I wore the same clothes every day, a short sleeved teeshirt, a bigger teeshirt, and a long sleeved teeshirt, and shorts. Sometimes I wore the fleece if it was a bit chilly in the mornings. I'm not bothered what I look like, it's not a fashion show. There's no point in carrying lots of clothes, people I meet only see me once for a short period of time, they don't know I wore the same clothes the day before, and the day before that. I shower every morning and I am out in the open all day, so if my clothes got a bit wiffy then that's just hard luck. It doesn't bother me as I have more important things to think about than smelly armpits.

Think that's about it. Oh, someone asked about a map reading tutorial. I did something about this a few weeks ago. Try this
http://meanqueen-lifeaftermoney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/youve-got-to-have-map.html
and this
http://meanqueen-lifeaftermoney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/map-reading-and-navigation.html
Check out yootoob, there are lots of videos on there. Best of all, buy a map of your local area, familiarise yourself with all the symbols, read the legend, then go out and find the landmarks which you can see on the map, on the ground. It's like reading a book really, you just need to crack the code. Best of luck.
Toodle pip.