An old bag sits in the boot (American: trunk) of my silver South Korean car (Clint) . I do not use it for shopping. It just sits there with an assortment of stuff in it. Sometimes I bring it in the house when I need the boot space but mostly it just remains there from week to week, season to season.
To tell you the truth, I had never given that bag a moment's thought until the day before yesterday. Then I chuckled to myself, "What the hell is in that bag anyway?"
I remember a black and white TV moment from my childhood when a boy was asked to empty the contents of his pockets. It seemed as though the items in his pockets would speak of him - reflecting his character and interests. As I recall, the items included three or four low denomination coins, a barley sugar sweet still wrapped, a rubber band, a short length of string, a found military button and a white mouse (living).
Today I brought my bag out of the car to examine the contents and I took four photographs to share with you...
EXHIBIT ONEA dirty old rag, a map of the Barrow-in-Furness area, a Co-op shopping receipt, some sunglasses, a car sponge wrapped in chamois leather, a pink highlighter, a "Sharpie" pen and an old "Somerfield" shopping bag (N.B. "Somerfield Stores" shut down in 2011).
EXHIBIT TWO
My old faded sunhat that I bought in Malta in 2012, my fairly new Hull City beanie hat, a pair of thin socks, a pair of grey fingerless gloves, a pair of thick woollen walking socks (never worn).
A map of the centre of Barnsley, a flattened toilet roll, a Hull City programme v Nottingham Forest 2023, half empty pack of baby cleansing tissues all dried up, a Tom Paxton CD cover but no CD inside, an unopened pack of heel inserts for my walking boots.
EXHIBIT FOUR
A one litre water flask, an empty "Smart" water bottle, an empty windscreen de-icer spray, two bottles of "Nivea" sun cream - both factor 30.
⦿
You could think of my bag as a kind of survival kit. If Clint broke down on some inhospitable moorland track miles from anywhere, I know that I would be okay because that old shopping bag contains everything I need in an emergency.
Good idea to have a good emergency kit.
ReplyDeleteYeah - we need to plan ahead. Just in case.
DeleteWaterm, sunscreen and mittens! What more do you need? Oh, yeah, the socks would be good, too.
ReplyDeleteA lot of thought went into my emergency kit.
DeleteSo, did you put it all back in the bag in the boot?
ReplyDeleteNot all of it. I was ruthless and removed the empty plastic bottles.
DeleteI haven't thought of Tom Paxton in ages. I think I have his greatest hits CD. I should dig it out and give it a listen.
ReplyDeleteThere is a simple, honest quality about Tom Paxton's songwriting.
DeleteEverything you need in an emergency, except food. And maybe water unless that one litre bottle is full? The dried up baby wipes can still be used, I have some and squirt one with "windex" to wipe dust off surfaces, or spray with "Ajax spray'n'wipe' to wipe off bathroom surfaces.
ReplyDeleteI used to have a brick in the bag. You never know when you might need a brick.
DeleteHard to imagine what emergency need the CD case could meet.
ReplyDeleteIn our car the only emergency supply in the boot is a 2 litre plastic bottle of water. Some other necessities may be met from objects stashed in the glove box or side pockets or rattling around in the back seat and foot well.
Cold (and in particular sudden and serious cold) is rarely an issue in Sydney where I live so no de-icer or emergency gloves and socks etc. In summer there is often a swimming kit (bathers, goggles, towel) just in case the opportunity presents itself.
One item not mentioned by you which lives in my car is a small pump-bottle of personal insect repellent. We often go for a walk in various suburban substitutes for nature towards the end of the day and mosquitoes like to get out and about at that time as well.
Another topic you might like to address when the time is ripe is the contents of your "man drawer." Surely you have at least one? I am a hoarder and have too many. Even the stationery drawer in my desk contains mystery items.
In England we are rarely bothered by insects but in the highlands of Scotland there are often vast clouds of midges in the summertime. They are never mentioned in tourism commercials. Good idea about the drawers. I will consider that one for the future.
DeleteAn emergency kit is something everyone needs to have. Happy Easter to you and warm greetings from Montreal, Canada 🇨🇦 😀
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome to copy my kit Linda.
DeleteBut instead of an old shopping receipt and dried out baby cleansing tissues, a box of matches or a lighter could come in more useful for survival.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't smoke!
DeleteNot sure how useful empty bottles are in an emergency 🤔
ReplyDeleteI have ditched them now JayCee.
DeleteSounds like my " bag of tricks" or rucksack that I take with me working YP. I even take a toilet roll in case of emergency. No mobile phone?😊
ReplyDeleteI suppose I could use one in place of toilet paper. Not very soft though.
DeleteThat's an interesting haul YP! In the event of a real emergency I'm not sure how much use most of those things would be. You really just need a mobile phone to add to your cache , and yes, we all know you don't like the them, but they can come in handy. A friend of mine recently fell and broke her arm - there was no-one around but she was able to summon help with her phone. You don't need to spend all your day looking at the screen - I don't with mine and often go days without even turning it on! (No I don't expect a medal!)
ReplyDeleteSorry Carol but I get sick of people telling me I should have a mobile phone. Are you all sponsored by mobile phone companies?
DeleteAre the water bottles full? And there is nothing to eat, maintaining even blood sugar you should eat regularly.
ReplyDeleteOnly the black flask is filled with water. Eating is overrated.
DeleteHope you never need your emergency kit, Neil!
ReplyDeleteWell - it wouldn't be much use would it?
DeleteYou could throw away all but about eight of those items and you'd never know the difference. If it were me I'd keep: Hull City beanie, gloves, thick socks, both bottles of sunscreen, the sunglasses, the insoles and water flask. Maybe the pens if they still work. And the car sponge could stay in the boot.
ReplyDeleteIt's like I am driving around in a small bin lorry (American: garbage truck).
DeleteInteresting (hm) choice of necessities ;-) As I don't have a car, the contents of the handbag and/or small backpack that I tend to drag around with me are slightly different. They may still surprise me sometimes, though...
ReplyDeleteWhat's the (hm) for Monica?
DeleteNo food?
ReplyDeleteWhile surviving I can call in at a shop.
DeleteI've heard of "go bags" but that one takes the cake!
ReplyDeleteI hope it has given you some good ideas Bruce! (i.e. what NOT to put in your survival bag)
DeleteLol! I have a survival bag too; it's in the event I get caught in either a snowstorm or an IBS episode on the highway. In summer I also take water and a straw sunhat because I am prone to heat exhaustion. You might want to check those markers; chances are they no longer work :)
ReplyDeletei think i still have three or four such bags in the house that have been retrieved from vehicles prior to a car being sold or scrpped..... and i still have them in their original state.... unopened and uncatalogued
ReplyDelete