The essence was timing. You had to hover outside the reef until a roller approached, throw on the engine, and ride through the passage on the crest of the wave. Dea Birkett, Serpent In Paradise (1997) (Landing on Henderson Island) From our starting point on Easter Island, which I described in my previous post, … Continue reading South Pacific: Part 2 – The Pitcairns
South Pacific: Part 1 – Rapa Nui
You won’t find “islomania” in a dictionary, but the phenomenon exists, just the same. Thurston Clarke, Islomania (2002) islomania A passion or craze for islands. Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition (1989) It seems Thurston Clarke just needed a better dictionary, but at least he drew the word islomania to the attention of a wider … Continue reading South Pacific: Part 1 – Rapa Nui
Which Place Gets The Most Daylight?
So this puzzle isn’t about sunshine (the amount of time the sun shines from a clear sky), or even about the intensity of sunlight (which decreases with increasing latitude), but about cumulative daylight—the length of time between sunrise and sunset in a given place, added up over the course of a year.* It’s a surprisingly … Continue reading Which Place Gets The Most Daylight?
Braes Of The Carse: Kinnoull to Murrayshall
Kinnoull Hill (NO 136228, 222m) Deuchny Hill (NO 152236, 232m) Murrayshall Hill (NO 164253, 279m) Westhill (NO 169237, 213m) Taymount (NO 167228, 154m) Binn Hill (NO 157226, c165m) 17.2 kilometres 643m of ascent Another exploration of the Braes of the Carse, this time their extreme western end above Perth. As with my previous walk in … Continue reading Braes Of The Carse: Kinnoull to Murrayshall
Wassail
ˈwɒs(ə)l / ˈwæs(ə)l / ˈwɒseɪl / ˈwæseɪl wassail: a salutation spoken when presenting a cup of wine or drinking to another’s health; the wine drunk on such an occasion; the custom of drinking wine in this way on special occasions; a carousal or celebration; a song sung during such a carousal or celebration; to celebrate … Continue reading Wassail
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Airfix 1/24 Wallis WA-116 Agile Autogyro: “Little Nellie”
This kit was first released fifty years ago. It’s a model of a real aircraft, the Wallis WA-116 Agile autogyro, designed by Ken Wallis and built in extremely limited numbers (five!) in 1962. It achieved fame because one aircraft, G-ARZB, was kitted out with some splendid yellow-and-silver livery and simulated weapons for the 1967 James … Continue reading Airfix 1/24 Wallis WA-116 Agile Autogyro: “Little Nellie”
Walk The Line: Three Travel Books About Lines Of Latitude
Before a journey a map is an impersonal menu; afterwards, it is intimate as a diary. Thurston Clarke, Equator: An Epic Journey (1988) It’s a rare sub-genre of travel writing, the business of following a line of latitude and seeing where it takes you. Over the years I’ve put together a trio of such books, … Continue reading Walk The Line: Three Travel Books About Lines Of Latitude
Signalling Mirrors
I found this object a couple of months ago, prominently poised on a rock in the broken ground above the big bulldozed path on Beinn Bhuidhe. (Yes, I do occasionally climb a hill without telling you about it.) It was marked with rainwater and bird droppings, but cleaned up remarkably well once I got it … Continue reading Signalling Mirrors
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Braes Of The Carse: Fingask Circuit
Swirlhead Hill (NO 210283, 257m) Hill of Franklyden (NO 214300, 303m) Hoole Hill Southwest Top (NO 221305, 277m) Hoole Hill (NO 226310, 297m) Pittmiddle Hill (NO 236298, 279m) Kinnaird Hill (NO 231292, 250m) Craighead (NO 234281, 167m) 19.8 kilometres 665m of ascent So, it’s been a while since I had one of my free-style walks, … Continue reading Braes Of The Carse: Fingask Circuit
Two Years On …
At this start of this week, the Boon Companion and I finished two years of retirement, both of us still completely untroubled by this allegedly Major Life Event. To celebrate, we cracked the final bottle of wine in the mixed case I had received as a retirement gift from my colleagues. (Cheers for that, folks.) … Continue reading Two Years On …