I have just found something I didn't know I still had. I was rooting around in the garage just now, looking for a tube of glue that wasn't there, when, after delving into the utmost depths of the "drawers and shelves and boxes of useful things I might need one day", I found, underneath a Haynes manual for a Mk1 Fiat Panda...
...my old brass Zippo lighter.
Now, I haven't smoked for decades, and even in the later years of my nicotine habit, I'd been using plastic disposable lighters. I do remember why I stopped using the Zippo, it was because at that time, I was getting on a lot of aeroplanes and anyone who has ever had a petrol lighter in their jeans pocket while on a plane will know that the cabin pressure change causes the petrol to expand and soak your crotch in lighter fluid. Lighter fluid is an irritant, and you just have to hope that there's a yoghurt with the meal so that you can retire to the bogs to salve the affected area. Much easier to use a throwaway gas lighter. Fountain pens are similarly challenging of course, but I digress.
Anyway, the Zippo. Also found a tub of Brasso wadding and it has cleaned up a treat. I've now ordered some lighter fluid and some wicks and flints from Amazon, they're coming tomorrow apparently, and I'm really rather unnecessarily exited about getting it working again. I was trying to work out how old it is, and it must be about 45 years old.
Thing is, I won't really have anything, in the short term anyway, to set fire to with it, but that's not really the point is it? I'm sure there will be candles or something at Christmas that will need to be lit.
Fair chuffed, inexplicably enough.
What pleasing things have you found that you'd forgotten about?
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