Greeting from Australia

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oupa

oupa

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Sep 4, 2014
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Greetings from Victoria, Australia.
My name is Dirk and I am a 63 year old ex South African who has been living in Australia since 1986.

I have smoked a pipe since I was 18 years old.
I must admit that I am not a pipe puffer - I inhale the smoke....... :shock:....I only mention this as, while reading pipe related articles on the internet, I came to the realization that there actually were folks that regarded inhaling pipe smoke as a no-no...I must admit that in all the years not inhaling never even crossed my mind! :scratch:

I was working in the geological survey section of a mining company situated in the north of what is now Namibia and as part of our monthly rations, we were entitled to a length of rope tobacco.
Money was scarce and so the rope coiled tobacco was cut and smoked....strong as hell it was too.
Through the years my preferences as regards tobacco changed, not so with the choice of a pipe.
After having played the field (GBD, Byford, Peterson and even a meerschaum), my arsenal of pipes settled down to two.
My beloved FrankenKeyser - a bowl hand crafted by my grandfather with a Keyser condensation chamber and a curved Keyser stem.
My other pipe is a Falcon.

Sadly, my FrankenKeyser was stolen out of my car recently.
I am lost without it.
I have another used pipe bowl that belonged to my grandfather and would really like to build another Frankenkeyser, but I cannot find any old or broken Keyser pipes online.
So, until I do, my Falcon is working overtime.

Dirk
 
Welcome, Dirk. Sorry to hear about your pipe being stolen. Especially one that has the sentimental value. Glad you have come to join us though. You will find a great group of guys here.
 
Hiya Dirk, good to meet you Buddy, I'm a fellow inhaler myself and I must admit to being a trifle baffled by those who do not inhale, each to their own I guess, real sorry about the pipe being stolen, had one stolen myself which was pretty special to me but not as special as yours, hope you enjoy your times here and welcome to BoB.
 
Welcome Dirk. So sad to hear about your pipe being stolen.

Fwiw on the subject of inhaling. I did for years but a severe and lengthy cold a few winters ago made me change my ways and I haven't purposely inhaled since then. Even if I try it's like I have a mental block or something preventing me from doing so. Besides not hacking every morning, one thing I did notice was that tobaccos taste better to me for some reason and I'm enjoying my pipes more than ever. YMMV of course.

RJ
 
Welcome to BoB Dirk.

How is the pipe 'baccy scene down under? I'm given to understand that Australia has gone bonkers on repressing all forms of the weed. From taxation to requiring all forms of 'baccy be presented in olive drab containers with hideous pictures and LARGE warning labels.

How are you coping with this?


Cheers,

RR
 
Welcome to the forums! I hope you enjoy your time here!

"T"
 
Thank you for the warm welcome.
Here in Australia the government has stated that they will eradicate all forms of smoking.
Smoking in most public places (including on the beach) has been banned.
Tobacco products are all sold in drab packaging with huge health warnings on the front and back.
Coupled with these restrictions are twice yearly taxation increases - currently the price of all tobacco (pipe tobacco included) is $1 per gram.
A 50 gram tin thus costs $50.
If one rents an apartment or house you have to sign a written undertaking not to allow anyone to smoke within the confines of the building.
There is even a push in one state to make it illegal for parents to smoke in their own home....as passive smoking is harming their children..... :shock:

Car and truck exhaust fumes ore conveniently forgotten, although they are much more of a health hazard I.M.O.

Dirk
 
Welcome Dirk :cheers:
I too have had a pipe stolen from my car and know how you feel.  Stealing a mans pipe is like stealing his wife.  Come to think of it, its worse!  Let's just hope karma catches up with the filthy scoundrel.
Your story about the rope tobacco is very interesting.  I've read that miners received a ration of rope and they would use it as a chew when working underground.  Ever try that?
Sorry to hear about the restrictive laws.  I suppose that it is sadly just a matter of time before we all have similar laws.
Be well,
Mike.
 
Welcome Oupa! I'm sorry to hear of the Nazism in your country about tobacco use, it's a shame you can't just up and relocate easily enough to the states and have but, for a little while freedom to at least smoke on your own property and pay much less for your tobacco.  
As for your loss of the pipe I will certainly keep my eyes out for one for you and good luck in your search. ;)
 
Welcome oupa! :cheers:

Inhale, don't inhale, whatever! Just as long as you're enjoying it. I think some turn the hobby into a "what it should be" proposition instead of something simply enjoyable.
 
oupa":n117s95h said:
Thank you for the warm welcome.
Here in Australia the government has stated that they will eradicate all forms of smoking.
Click to expand...
Wow. Just wow. You have my sincere sympathies. Restrictions on smoking is one thing, I even agree with some of them, but to try and dictate what people do in the privacy of their own homes seems pretty out of line to me. I understand your pain over prices, here in Sweden a 50gr tin lands around 35USD.

In any case, welcome and I expect you'll find a somewhat different attitude towards smoking on these boards ;)
 
Welcome to BoB. Very nice forum with lots of good people. I just got started on here myself and feel right at home. Sorry about the pipe and those crazy prices! Prob not a good sign...
 
Welcome. That stolen pipe is a sad situation, especially if you're only working with two. Hopefully that will be your last pipe related disaster.
 
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