Archive for July 1st, 2010

A belt of a price

July 1st, 2010

Bantry is a lovely town.

It is big enough to have everything a town should have, yet it is small enough that you can explore the whole town on foot without getting too knackered.  It is also a very attractive colourful town, with the sea on one side and the hills and mountains right at its back.  I like Bantry.

Friday is market day there.

The market in Bantry is a colourful affair.  You can buy just about anything there, and when you have finished, you can have a go on one of several bouncy castles.

I was wandering along with Sandy, idly eyeing the various stalls, when Sandy got pally with an old Labrador.  Needless to say, I got chatting to the stall owner.  He was a tanner.  That is to say, the love of his live [apart from his dog, and I didn’t ask about his marital status] was working with leather.

I am ashamed to admit that I was getting a little embarrassed at the state of the string that holds my trousers up, so I had an inspiration – why not go all posh and have a proper belt?  I put the idea to my new friend and he was delighted.  He said he would run one up especially for me.

First of all, he got a length of finest harness leather.  He burnished off one end to a nice smooth point and then asked if he could borrow my string, to see what size my waist was.  I gave it to him, and he measured off the perfect length.  I confess I felt a little foolish in the middle of a crowded market with my trousers around my ankles, but fuck it, it was a lovely sunny day and it meant I could cool down a bit.

He stapled on a fine solid brass buckle, and whacked in a few holes, and then just because it was a lovely day he engraved a nice little Celtic motif on it.  He did a beautiful job.  It is a grand solid stiff piece of leather.  He even said there was a twenty year guarantee on it, which was great news, as it means I have at least another twenty years to live.

I tried it out that night.

It is lovely.  It smells beautiful and has a lovely feel to it.

I tried it out on myself first.  It fits perfectly and holds my trousers up.

Then I tried it out on Herself.

It left some lovely red Celtic motifs on her arse.

The best €17 I have spent in years.