Monday, October 12, 2009

Dan's Favourite Aunt!


Paraphrasing (majorly) Dan Baker (and I appreciate I am taking a major liberty in doing so!) "if the only way you can discredit an assertion is by misrepresenting it then you are conceding that it CAN be taken on its own merits"!

Saturday, October 03, 2009

The Voice of "Raven".

One of the most enjoyable things about my excursions to the Lake District is ending a walk with a journey on one of the 'Ullswater Steamers' back to my campsite at Pooley Bridge.

In fact the main reason I base myself at the wrong end of Ullswater rather than in Patterdale is so that I can enjoy the lake. Taking the first bus of the day along side the lake and returning on a 'steamer' (now actually diesel!)

At the end of a hard walk it is wonderful to sit back on the upper deck with a pint and watch the mountains go by - it is magical.

Back in the early 1990s when I first discovered this form of transport even the public safety announcement was wonderful. As soon as "Raven" set off an automated recording would be activated. "Welcome aboard the motor yacht 'Raven'." Sadly this has been replaced by the gruff sound of the captain, but back then it was a female voice with a mid-atlantic accent who spoke in such a mellifluous way - never has "float free buoyancy apparatus" and "self inflating life rafts" sounded so appealing!

For me, her voice will always be associated with "Raven"!