NEW TOY

It looks like a police truncheon and I suppose it could come in handy if I'm attacked, but no, it's a combined monopod and walking stick and among its amazing features is that it packs down to 41 cm so easily slides into my back pack and my camera bag. I had to leave my walking pole in Canada when it refused to fit back into my very large case (I had taken a very large case specifically to accommodate the stick). My arthritic old hip needs some steadying on uneven ground these days.

I have a cheap tripod but hardly ever use it as it's a pest to carry and set up. A quick sortie in the garden today revealed the monopod is so much steadier with the 55-300 zoom lens on, even when not resting on the ground cos of the lower centre of gravity.