I Am Become Smoke-free

Since January 1st Deepest Bavaria has had a smoking ban in its pubs. I played my first gig under these new conditions last night... and it was fabulous!

Just stale air to breath in - not smoky stale air.

Normally by midnight I would be starting to get a blocked nose and a sore throat but not last night.

I realised, though, how used I am to the old way when I got home. I was firmly convinced that I was totally drenched in smoke as usual and must stink of it. I had the feeling I could even smell it on my clothes and skin and I had to keep sniffing my shirt for proof that I didn't - just good old washing powder.

And each time I sniffed I would say, "Wow! Amazing!! I just don't smell of smoke. Incredible!!"

Now too, the morning after, I expect to smell that stale smoke smell on my hair... nothing! Brilliant.

Smoke-freedom!

(little later...)

I was just letting my mind wander around subject of smoking in public places when I recalled that people used to smoke in cinemas! It's hard to believe these days but I recall as a teenager watching many a film through a haze of blue smoke. Then in the 70s they introduced the semi-ludicrous idea of only allowing smoking in the seats on the right of the cinema auditorium. So you would sit to the left and watch a cloud of cigarette smoke rise from the right-hand side of the cinema and slowly spread upward and then across to the non-smokers.

But you couldn't beat the cinemas in Greece in the mid 70s. There each film had to have an intermission because after half an hour you couldn't see the screen any more. And while everyone went out into the foyer, two or three young lads would walk down the aisles and spray water into the air to try and clear the smoke away!