1. Asimo Robot.

Built by Honda, its the most advanced Biped robot in the world. It has hand/eye co-ordination, so it can direct people to places by pointing. It can address people in up to 16 languages and is able to recognise facial characteristics, and address people it has previously met by name. It has recently been modified to run. Astounding.

2. Bushcraft Fishing Rig.

A personal gift from Ben Mcnutt at Woodsmoke, after I admired the one he had. A fishing rig, made up of a length of paracord, with a weight at the end, normally with drops of different lengths with hooks and different bait.

This one features a stone, with a naturally occurring hole in the middle. The ultimate irony of possessions. It cost nothing, but its priceless.

3. KSC Space Pen.

I have owned various "space pens" they are quite common now and you can buy them all over the place. I have lost several of them, over the years. I won't be losing this one as my brother bought it for me at the Kennedy Space Centre.

In the 3rd century many people foraged for food and lived in the wilderness. In only 1700 years (before I was even born) a man walked on the moon. I believe the exploration of space represents the pinnacle of human achievement and using this pen gives me a personal representation of that endeavour.

4. Apple IPhone.

I'd always been critical of these, until I bought one myself (I got more than a new Phone, I learned an important lesson as well).

It would probably be quicker to list the things it doesn't do, but here goes, with the things it does. Calendar, todo list and email, but I have custom app's for this, that are really smart. It's also a personal stereo and you can watch films on it. It takes pictures, has a sat nav and is capable of video conferencing.

Far more important, is its intuitive user interface, it couldn't be easier to operate. It also has games and a silly video effect, that looks like a glass of Carling !.

5. Firefox Spell Checker.

I've used the Firefox web browser, since version 1. I absolutely rave about it, and think its far superior to any other browser that I've ever used.

I my favourite feature, is the spell checker. It does a "word" style real-time check, on any data entry box. Its the icing on the cake, of a superb product.

6. Ainsley Herriots 30 Minute Sunday Lunch.

Okay, it's not a proper roast. The real trick is to heat most of the ingredients in the microwave and then crisp them under the grill. The actual beef for the roast, is thickly cut roast beef of the kind normally used for sandwiches.

Is it as good as a "proper" Sunday roast ? Not really, but it's 70-80% as good, and it only takes half an hour to make.

7. Suunto Observer.

I got one for my birthday (I had to buy it myself !).

It has a thermometer, an altimeter, a barometer and a compass. The compass has built in declination, and the barometer can be set to set off an alarm when the weather is about to change.

It looks like an ordinary watch rather than some kind of diving accessory. I bought the titanium one. I can definitely recommend it.

8. Acer aspire 1.

My new travel laptop. One of the latest breed of ultra portables. Because I do a lot of pc stuff, mine has windows XP and a gig of ram, rather than the Unix option.

Used with my 3G Dongle, it provided internet connectivity, music, films, video conferencing and just about everything else, practically anywhere.

9. Home filing box.

In Alvin Hall's book (see bellow), he says you should be able to put your hands on all important documents in your possession within 3 minutes.

For someone who isn't naturally organized, a home filing box, costing about £8 allows me to store everything important in one place and do just that. Okay, its not the most glamorous item in the world, but for practical life management, this item is the domestic equivalent of my Ben Orford knife.

10. Rohan Cloudbase Jacket.

My love of Rohan clothing, is well know. One of the great things about their stuff is its versatility. In can be worn in forests, jungles and mountains, and in high street on Saturday afternoon.

Their Cloudbase Jacket, is a "proper" winter coat, but as the pictures shows, packs down really small inside its own pocket.

It has a host of features, such as breathable waterproof, secure pocket system, factor 50 sun block etc. It also has built in ear muffs (I'm not joking !).

11. The Brewery Tap.

Recently voted (2010) the best Pub in Chester.

Has massive historical significance, as this is the room, where the parliamentarians dragged Charles I out of this very room.

Restaurant quality food, fantastic array of beers (they even have their own Micro Brewery on the premises).

No trip to Chester is complete without a visit to this pub.

12. X-Files poster.

Bought on the Internet for £50 and shipped from America.

In the series, Moulder and Scully work in a basement and Moulder has this poster above his desk.

I used to have an office in a basement, so I put it up on the wall there (Scully and Moulders first conversation in the series is featured on the scrolling quotes list).

13. My Oil Painting.

Bought in the Northy one lunchtime from some art students. I come from humble roots and I couldn't resist the idea of owning my own, one of a kind oil painting.

I chose this as it shows people doing their job but having fun as well.

14. Piccadilly Railway Station in Manchester.

I pass through here when I visit my friends in Manchester (of special interest is the bar, which has a balcony overlooking the entire station).

It has more in common with an airport than a railway station.

For me it symbolizes everything to be proud of in Manchester.

15. James Bond Cars.

I have the full set of Corgi Cars from all of the James Bond films.

A few of them were quite hard to find and I had to get them from Ebay.

There is also stuff like the space shuttle from Moonraker.

16. Doug Scott picture

I had the honour of meeting Doug Scott when he gave a talk in Chester. I purchased a picture taken on the Ogre (a mountain and story of special significance to me) and he was good enough to sign it.

I contacted Sir Chris Bonnington (the other person on the fateful trip to the Ogre) and he agreed to sign it as well, only asking for postage.

It hangs on my living room wall. The poster actually cost £10, but I can't describe what it means to me.

17. Treasury in the Ancient City of Petra.

Decades ago now, I met my friend Yvonne as I was passing through Glasgow. She showed me some pictures from her trip around the world.

One of them in particular, always stuck in my mind. The treasury in the ancient city of Petra.

I have a thing about lost cities anyway, seeing it that morning was an epiphany to me. Took me nearly 20 years, but I got there to see it.

18. Ben Orford Woodlander Knife.

My Parang used to be my favourite of my edged tools.

This is a handmade knife and features a leather combination neck/belt sheaf and fire steel.

Cost a lot of money, but was made for me personally, and probably the only thing I own that was made just for me (in a world where nearly everything is mass produced).

If you want to get one like it (no 2 are the same), Ben has a website here.

19. Money Books.

Without going into details, during a difficult time in my life, I picked up a book by Alvin Hall.

All I can say is that from that day, my life was changed forever. I also read the Money Saving Expert which has loads of useful money saving/optimising features/tricks.

You can buy both books for a tenner on Amazon. Buy them today, you won't ever regret it !.