What are You Smoking? November 2024

Last one of the night. Haunted Bookshop in the Friday cob.

Morning Fog in the Whitehall Canadian, coffee on the side.

Someone kindly sent me a sample of the 2024 special edition Kopp Flame 1919 to check out among some other great picks. I wanted to try this first while it’s still available in case I wanted to grab a tin or two. I’m smoking it in a BC calabash.

2015 Captain Earle's Ten Russians in an IMP Meer.

Done building the new garden box. Having another bowl of Friar's Bayou in the Saturday cob on the back porch.

1990s Black Mallory for the first smoke of my new 2023 Dunhill County 4127 wide oval shank Pear.

Having another bowl of Friar's Bayou in the barrel-shaped meerschaum in the correct thread.

I’m on my third bowl of Kopp Flame 1919 and probably my last for this evening of this, I’m kind of feeling a bit of Billy Budd later.

It’s definitely not a bad smoke and I’m glad I got to try it.

Last one of the night. Haunted Bookshop in the Saturday cob.

Does Mrs. Budd know you're feeling Billy's bits?

The first Hellenic Air Force "Kamikaze" pilots

Sergeant Grigorios Valkanas, 18 November 1940



During an air combat with italian bombers and pursuit aircrafts and after run out of his ammunition, he noticed that an enemy aircraft had escaped and was heading towards city of Korytsa to bomb the Greek positions. With sacrifice and trying with suicidal way to prevent this like the Spartans in Thermopylae, he fell onto the enemy aircraft and together with it he fell to the ground and was killed.

​​Lieutenant Colonel Marinos Mitralexis , 2 November 1940



During the air battles found that his ammunition was saved he saw that an italian bomber was heading to bomb civilians in Thessaloniki, he swarm to it and with his engine propeller hit it's the tail and shot it down. Despite the serious damage suffered by the propeller of his plane, he managed to land it in a field, at the point where the crew of the downed Italian bomber had landed with their parachutes a little earlier. Immediately asked the villagers where they were then drew his revolver and he arrested 3 of them (the pilot had been killed in the crash). During the German occupation, he escaped to the Middle East, where he continued his military activity but unfortunately was killed in action due to engine failure in 1948 in the Aegean sea.

I am smoking Torben Dansk Black Cavendish (ohne flavour) in a Fallion, double Greek coffee beside me.

Reloaded the Sunday cob with more Haunted Bookshop. It's 51 and partly sunny here. Heading out into the backyard.