One thing that struck me most forcibly immediately after Laing died is how forgetful I have become. It has to be that we lived a life of mutual self reliance, one of us remembering for the other.
I have made a few trips since Laing died and I thought "I know I will arrive at my destination without some essential item, such as toiletries." Now toiletries are private and personal. We all have our list of essential items. I therefore created a list of my toiletries and found they didn't fit into a toiletries bag. Laing was good at saying "I'll take that in my bag." when I found I was short of space. Oh no! Another nightmare! Will I have enough room in the suitcase? I'll leave that for another day.
John Lewis, or Lakeland, stock the wonderful product Lock&Lock which are supposed to be for food storage, but they come in a good range of sizes and I thought in a soft bag they would stand up to the abuse of baggage handlers. So I bought two, the 2.6 litre and 1.6 litre sizes and they what I consider essential.
When my home stock is emptied, I replace it with what I put in my travel box and then buy new for that, making sure I put it on the shopping list for, as Laing said quite rightly, "If it isn't on my shopping list it doesn't get bought." As the saying goes, "SImples." So here is a handy guide to what a fussy old dear like me considers my basics I must have with me all the time.
2.6 litre box
toothbrush, toothpaste, "Tepe" 0.4mm interdental brushes
shaving foam, razor and spare blades
underarm
E45 hand cream and body moisturising cream
nail brush, nail clippers and tweezers
1.6 litre box
Q Tips
Drakkar Noir eau de toilette
Aspirin, Nytol, Imodium, Zoviraz, Piz Buin sun stick for lips, chap stick
These sit in the bathroom cabinet under the basin.
I guess this organisation is all stored in my memory from the days as a child when we had to pack up and move yet again, following my R.A.F. father round the world as he protected the Empire against the dangerous "Johnny Foreigner".
I never packed my teddy bear, however. He always went everywhere with me until my brother was born and I donated Teddy to him. In a touching gesture, he returned said bear, in a poor state of repair, a few years back. Well the poor old thing was over 50, and I can't say I'm in that good a state of repair either!
