'Postings.' This is what a dear friend was kind enough to call these virtual ramblings. 'Blog' is an ugly word. And, dangerously neutral - it encompasses all manner of pulp and profundity. Be that as it may, I thought it may be worth mentioning that this 'blog's' namesake and, allegedly, my own, were borne of similar stuff.
How fitting, then, this year, to be able to mark one hundred years since Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his 'little band of sailor-adventurers and companions' attempted something remarkable. History is always a swine in her appraisal of the facts; they were pipped to the South Pole by a few greasy Norwegians. A century of commentary and opinion, however, has unassailably judged these men to have been some of the sternest. With rudimentary equipment and often for months at a time, they endured well-nigh unlivable conditions. There is some engrossing literature on the topic, for those of you interested in Polar sagas. South With Scott is a particularly interesting read. So interesting that I decided to lift the title completely and pass it off as my own idea. Anyway the game's up. I think I'll keep it, though.
Something I like to call McAlpine, when we are in a bind, is 'General Oates.' You will have to read about Captain Scott's expedition to appreciate the stand-out qualities of Titus Oates. Suffice to say, in the purest distillation of gallantry, he really stuck his neck above the parapet. Have a look at this link, on our brand new YouTube Channel, to get a feel for this man's fearlessness: http://youtu.be/XMrb5F_tceY
We'll slowly upload all the other strange footage, so browse around when you're there.
Of course, at the altar of such heroics mere human qualities must be sacrificed. In McAlpine's case this was his talent for direction. I don't want to bring up the whole Senegal River debacle again, but I thought I would show you this handy map I made for Dave to spearhead our watery foray to the east.
P.S. We were very excited to be nudged past our first fundraising milestone this morning. R10 000. Thanks a million everyone. You guys are great. If you're in the giving mood, just click the BackaBuddy icon at the top right of the page. If there are any problems with the payment page, please alert us. Apparently a few people have encountered technicalities. And, if you want to see more extreme things going down before you part with your sheckles, we are open to ideas. General Oates awaits.
How fitting, then, this year, to be able to mark one hundred years since Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his 'little band of sailor-adventurers and companions' attempted something remarkable. History is always a swine in her appraisal of the facts; they were pipped to the South Pole by a few greasy Norwegians. A century of commentary and opinion, however, has unassailably judged these men to have been some of the sternest. With rudimentary equipment and often for months at a time, they endured well-nigh unlivable conditions. There is some engrossing literature on the topic, for those of you interested in Polar sagas. South With Scott is a particularly interesting read. So interesting that I decided to lift the title completely and pass it off as my own idea. Anyway the game's up. I think I'll keep it, though.
Something I like to call McAlpine, when we are in a bind, is 'General Oates.' You will have to read about Captain Scott's expedition to appreciate the stand-out qualities of Titus Oates. Suffice to say, in the purest distillation of gallantry, he really stuck his neck above the parapet. Have a look at this link, on our brand new YouTube Channel, to get a feel for this man's fearlessness: http://youtu.be/XMrb5F_tceY
We'll slowly upload all the other strange footage, so browse around when you're there.
Of course, at the altar of such heroics mere human qualities must be sacrificed. In McAlpine's case this was his talent for direction. I don't want to bring up the whole Senegal River debacle again, but I thought I would show you this handy map I made for Dave to spearhead our watery foray to the east.
P.S. We were very excited to be nudged past our first fundraising milestone this morning. R10 000. Thanks a million everyone. You guys are great. If you're in the giving mood, just click the BackaBuddy icon at the top right of the page. If there are any problems with the payment page, please alert us. Apparently a few people have encountered technicalities. And, if you want to see more extreme things going down before you part with your sheckles, we are open to ideas. General Oates awaits.
No comments:
Post a Comment