freeline-104 - Flipbook - Page 193
ASH
KRISGEDEN
FORD
w rap around or throwover. A tr i p to H o r to n K irby i n Ke n t in t h e
e a rly 70s threw up a funny b ut p o te n ti a l ly d eva s t a ti n g eve n t .
I c an’t remember the exact to p o gra p hy n ow, b u t b a s i c a l ly my
m ate and I were fishing on a ri gh t ha n d b an k , wh i c h ra n u p to
a c orner to our right and t he n a t ri gh t a n gl es a c ro s s , 6 o’ c l o ck
to 12 then across to 9 if th a t ma ke s s en s e . A ny way, my m a te
a n d I had sat there all day i n ve r y wi n dy c o n d i t i o n s . Ac ro s s
o n the bank at right angl es to u s wa s a g uy f i s h i n g u n d e r a
t u rquoise umbrella with a s he e t o f p la s ti c w ra p p e d a ro u n d
i t – n ot builder’s plastic b u t t h e k i n d yo u ge t a s w i n d ows i n
to day ’s bivvies or convert i b le ca r s . It wa s re a l ly a n n oy i n g , a s
h e hadn’t pegged the botto m d ow n , a n d a ll d ay i t wa s f l a p p i n g
a n d sometimes cracking l i ke g u ns h o t s a s t h e w i n d b a t te re d
i t . Anyway, at some time d uri n g t he a f te r n o o n , t h e c a rp g o d s
s miled on us as we witne s se d t he s et u p g o i n g u p i n f l a m e s
w i th a whoosh. The occup an t l uc k i ly e s c ap e d u n h u rt , I th i n k ,
a s he rolled across the ba n k towa rd s t he wa te r e s c a p i n g t h e
i n ferno. We guessed that t he ke tt l e h ad b e en b o i l e d j u s t o n ce
to o often. Canvas is always th e b es t o p t i o n I t h i n k , eve n i f s t i l l
r i s ky. Of course now every t h i n g i s p o ly s o m et h i n g or o t h e r –
a n other word for plastic.
Bivvies have always be en a c h al l en g e , b u t i n t h e e arly
s eventies, I found what was to b e c o m e fo r m e th e u l t i m a te b iv vy.
T here was a wonderful p ub l i c at i o n ca l le d E xc h a n ge & M a r t
( E &M), which was for many de c a de s t h e p ub l i s h e d eq u iva l e n t
o f today ’s eBay. An army s urp l us sh o p i n L ey to n s to n e ea s t
L o ndon was advertising “ex- ar my i gl o o te n ts ” fo r j u s t £ 2 5 , s o I
t ravelled t he 30-odd miles f ro m So ut h en d to L ey to n s to n e. £ 2 5
was not quite as cheap as i t s o u n d s to d ay, b u t wh e n I s aw th e
i gl oo, I knew it was just the t i c ke t . M a d e f ro m h e av ywe i gh t o l ive
FR E ELINE 6 3
