Thanks for all the greetings and advice so far. Here's a little info about me, my background and a plan I have to move forward.
I'm 43 years old and, from the ages of 15-30, was a hand-rolled cigarette smoker, giving it up a few months after turning 30. However, I've always been drawn to the gentle art of pipe smoking.
I'm a nostalgist, and always have been. Although I have my literary pipe influences as, I suspect, do many of you, the main draw for me is the fact that piping speaks of an older time, a time when life was slower, more contemplative and we generally had more time to appreciate the finer things in life. It speaks, too, of craftsmanship - the beautiful turned wood of a well-made pipe is a thing of true beauty to behold.
As a writer, and a fisherman, pipe-smoking is a perfect fit for me, and an excellent counterbalance to a busy, fast-paced working life as a senior teacher in a comprehensive school (or high school in the States), so I'm very much looking forward to it.
My daughter is currently preparing for exams and will be moving away to university in October, so all my attention will be on that for the next few months. When she's settled in, I'll likely start my pipe journey. I imagine this will be in the spring as I won't be able to smoke in the house. Neither my wife nor I ever did so even when we were cigarette smokers.
I've bought the necessary lighters and tools etc. along with a new corn cob, with which I'll smoke aromatics, and a secondhand block meerschaum, with which I'll smoke the English blends. I'll work my way through tobaccos that catch my eye. Any that I particularly enjoy will be bought in duplicate and cellared in some drawers in my study. I won't need a huge cellar as I'll likely only smoke one bowl in the evening with a couple more per day when term is ended.
As I progress, I will save up and buy good quality pipes from the notable manufacturers, alternating purchases between pipes for aromatics and pipes for English blends.
How does this sound as a plan?
