'Glamping' is camping for wimps! Chandeliers, hairdryers, even room service

Camping used to be about freezing to death while kicking yourself for not earning enough to stay in a nice hotel.

Crouching over a one-ring gas heater while pelting rain filled our pan of beans, the battle to complete even the most simple task reminded us of the value of the luxuries in our pampered lives, and told us that if push came to shove, we could survive with little more than a can of pineapple chunks and a tatty tent.

But now, hijacked by the middle classes, camping has become ‘glamping.’ A smug competitive exercise in one-upmanship and fending off  nature, incorporating a degree of pointless  expense that would put a highly-strung Arabian princess to shame.

What surely started out as a recession-prompted fad has mutated into a ridiculous craze, whereby deluded groups of wealthy families claim to rough it.

‘We’re going camping!’ they squeal, and you are reluctantly impressed that Louisa and Jeremy are prepared to quit their vast, white house for a week of cold, damp nights in a sleeping bag, not to mention those hideous midnight trips to the wash-house with a loo roll under one arm.

In fact, Louisa, who hates discomfort, has bought a Lawrence of Arabia level marquee.

It boasts a chandelier — a large three-ring tea light arrangement that hangs from the central pole — a huge, inflatable double bed, a canvas wardrobe, a coir carpet adorned with a Turkish rug, and hand-painted Indian tables that display figs, dates... and hastily opened packs of Immodium.

A friend, forced by her social circle to attend the Latitude festival — a la-di-da version of Glastonbury — explains a typical set-up: ‘Families do a food rota, and all the women turn up with competitively baked Nigella cakes and packs of haloumi.

'The idea is that the kids run around together and have fun, and we get three days of wafting around like a bunch of Bedouin WAGs.

‘The first day is great, but then the children disappear in the crowds, and no one wants to be the un-cool mother shouting “Cosmo! Barnaby! Coriander! Come back!”

‘The only way to deal with the anxiety is to drink. After you put the kids to bed at quarter to midnight, you’re so relieved to sit down that you inhale a bottle of wine. The next day is hell: the Nigella cake is all gone, and everyone is hung over, dehydrated and being mean to their kids.

Pitch circle divider: what level of accuracy? - Practical ...

The Pitch Circle Divider is a hand tool that represents a new concept in circle hole spacing. It offers accuracy of spacing only equalled by traditional methods of indexing and can complete the process in a fraction of the time that traditional methods employ. A task that was, before its introduction, considered highly skilful, time consuming and very difficult with pitch spacing that ran into double figures. The design features built into the divider permit its setting, carried out with conventional measuring instruments, (e.g. Vernier Calliper, Micrometer or Slip Gauges) to be achieved with speed and accuracy. This allows the high degree of precision obtained in the generation of the finished pitch circle, which is represented on the work piece by a circle of equally spaced conical indents, ideally suited for drilling out. Note-No reference is made to the angle between the holes in the setting procedure, it relies purely on linier measurement on two axes in a co-ordinate format, as per the NC machine. In addition, the device may be removed from the work piece and replaced without any loss of accuracy. Firstly this thing dates back before multi function DRO units, Newall Digipac 5 (?) period, especially low cost ones and even before CNC as we know it was around. Hence ref to NC machines. A very different world when mark out and make to the mark was still a near universal practice. Secondly Eureka was, an probably still is, very much a "let us reprint your press release" magazine which should have been sent out with a little blue packet of salt in the bag. Like wot came with proper crisps! Rare for the percentage of completely reliable information to get much over 50%. The beast itself wasn't terribly novel being merely a set of twin arm trammels. I imagine Rivett608 or one of the other guys on the antiques side will know when they were first devised. Ancient Egyptians (or maybe Greeks?) but I think there is a slight winkle to the mode d'emploie somewhat related to the angled ruler trick used countless times to divide a line on paper drawings. Accuracy. Impossible to quantify. How closely can you set the points to the calculated position with your vernier. And how repeatable. Probably do best clicking into the 1/50 th grads on a top quality, deep engraved ruler. Which won't do the ruler any good. Then how accurately can you convert the scribe line to a prick punch mark and thence to a proper punch mark for the drill.

Mechanical engineering reference manual for the PE exam

The MG Midget & Austin Healey Sprite High Performance Manual

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