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Thursday 10 April 2008

I hold my hand up.

I am a smoker. If that smoke be a Condor Original filled pipe all the better. I tend to smoke mainly a pipe full of the afore mentioned tobacco, but on occasion I smoke an Old Holborn fuelled roll-up.

I started smoking aged 13 and have never looked back. I simple enjoy smoking. I progressed from tipped to none tipped cigarettes to a pipe aged around 18. Since I was 18 my preference is for a pipe. I have smoked many aromatic and none aromatic tobaccos in my pipe puffing life but I always come back to Condor Original. It's fuller taste never ceases to be be enjoyed. I do still try an aromatic now and again. The latest one being Black Mallory but even with that being an enjoyable smoking experience I still fall back on my favoured Condor. I maintain 7 pipes. One of each day of the week for my Condor Original smoking and 4 more for those aromatic tobaccos I like to try now and again. There is 1 more pipe in my collection which I keep for, and only bring out on, those special occasions that only crop up now and again. So, I maintain a total of 12 pipes.

I never smoke in our house due to having children. I have never smoked in a restaurant. I have never smoked on a public or private transport bus. I don't smoke in my wifes car even though she does. I have never lit up in a confined space when a none smoker has been present. I will only light up my pipe in wide open spaces where the air flows free.

Sometimes when time be short I roll up a handrolled cigarette. Namely Old Holborn. It is only when smoking the rollup's that I inhale the smoke. This handrolled smoking is in the region of 5-6 a week. A count of my pipe smoking however remains largely uncountable, due to the fact the number smoked in any given week differs so wildly. If I had to put a number on it then I would have to day 5-6 a day times 7 equals 35-42 a week. I rarely inhale pipe tobacco. I cannot honestly say I never have because I have and do. It is so rarely done however my inner health checks show no traces of smoke related damage to my lungs.

I enjoy my pipe smoking. I will continue to enjoy my pipe smoking until such a time as the goverment commits financial suicide by simply banning all forms of tobacco from being sold in the U.K. Exactly, it will not be happening any time soon and even if such legislation is passed, and I am still live, there will be a black market where tobacco will be sold and people such as myself will find places to enjoy our beloved weed. But, I digress...

I have always cared and been aware about the impact of my pipe smoking habit on, not only my family, but the general public who may be around me at any given time in any given situation. But once out in the fields walking with my children or walking our dogs or simply walking down the street, but never in town where crowds can grow quite large and private space becomes a premium, I light up my pipe. Hence why I have never, even long before the recent bans came in, smoked in an indoor place such as a pub, unless in an old fashioned smoking room, or at a football or rugby league match etc etc etc.

The recent ban on smoking never hit me at all even though I retain what few rights a private citizen has these days to be against such a ban.


I like to think I am a responsible smoker, if such a thing can exist in a modern society hell bent on demonising all smokers.

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