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The perils of a pipe — 13 Comments

  1. I know the feeling only too well Grandad ..
     
    Its like a close friend has died …
     
    Glad you managed to get it sorted though .. 😉 

  2. Haddock – Not died, just very sick.  Fortunately it’s curable.

    Many many years ago I had a great pipe – a Ronson.  I was running across a road once as traffic bore down on me. The pipe fell out of my pocket and a fucker in a sports car deliberately ran it over.  Now that was a dead pipe.

  3. I hope you found the bastard of a driver later Grandad ..
     
    And gave him a good “reaming” with yer Pipe tool .. 😉

  4. i was in a house the other day and a man in his 60’s took out a pipe and started smoking….i havent seen anyone smoke a pipe in years…and it was great, cause my grandad {i was raised by my grandparents} always smoked a pipe and it reminded me of it….wonderful smell.
    my grandad used to grind up blocks of ‘golden virginia’ tobacco, which this man tells me cannot be gotten any more….that correct ?
     

  5. Haddock – Unfortunately, I was on foot so he got away.

    Doug – For some strange reason, pipe smokers seem to be an Endangered Species.  I can’t understand why.  I have lost count of the number of people who have approached me to say they love the smell of a pipe.  Quite often they say it reminds them of a father or grandfather too, which is nice.  I think I have only once in my life ever received a complaint about the ‘foul stink’.  I told them to fuck off.  That probably reminded them of their father too?

    Dunno about blocks of Golden Virginia?  I know I can buy my Condor in block form, but I’m too lazy for all the cutting.

  6. Hi Doug ..
     
    I always thought that “Golden Virginia” was a cigarette tobacco, intended for hand-rolling .. But I stand to be corrected ..
     
    Might your Grandad possibly have been referring to “Mellow Virginia” sold as “Benson & Hedges” but in fact made by Gallaghers ?
     
    I smoke this particular brand myself & thoroughly enjoy it ..
     
    I’ve had many people, especially young people express great interest in my smoking a pipe & more than a few young ladies have asked if they could “have a go” .. I always say “Yes, but not with my pipe” …   🙂 🙂 🙂
     
    Isn’t history a curious thing ? … Not that long ago, if advertisers wanted to portray a decent, thinking, trustworthy, family-type man .. he was always depicted either smoking or holding a pipe .. Now we’re more likely to be treated as pariahs …

  7. @ captain haddock…..god, i could be wrong…it was a small block of tabacco about the size of small mars bar…and he would have to cut it with a sharp pinknife he had…i could have sworn it was called golden virginia, but am probably wrong…..even if i did get it from the shop evey thursday for him when i went to get his pension for him 🙂
    do you remember any tabacco like that, that you had to hand cut ?

  8. Doug – I have to agree with Haddock.  Golden Virginia is a cigarette tobacco [green packaging].  Mellow Virginia [brown pack] is a pipe tobacco.  The block of tobacco is known as plug tobacco.  I used to buy it and it was damned fiddley!  An alternative is flake, which comes in strips like chewing gum.  Both types are still available but are not that common.

    Haddock – I too have been approached by women asking if they could suck on my pipe.  I’m afraid I am not as restrained.  😈

  9. just texted my aunty…his daughter…she said it was ‘plug’…that sound right ?
    could have sworn it was golden virginia for some reason

  10. just had another text of me aunty who said my uncle said mick mcquaids….that sounds more familiar….you know that one ?

  11. Indeed I do.  I think it’s still doing the rounds.  Ieven have a few old Mick McQuaid tins holding tacks and screws and things.

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