Ink Drawing of a Church Interior (the Most Delightful Discovery)

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

I shouldn’t be sharing this yet, because I’m sure I haven’t got to the end of this thread. However, it’s too exciting a piece of trivia not to share.

I saw a pen-and-ink drawing of a local church interior, on eBay. Dated 1937, it’s a bit later than the era of that church that interests me. Nonetheless, I thought it would be a nice thing to have.

Last night, I looked up the name of the artist. And it turns out that what I actually have, is a framed drawing done by the rector of the church, made the same year that he took up his charge. Even if I don’t manage to establish any connection with the musical story that I’m working on, I’m delighted to have this piece of artwork just to look at.

So, watch this space. After my forthcoming trip to the archives, maybe I’ll manage to make a connection with the drawing. If I do, my excitement will be off the register. And if not – well, it was still a pleasing acquisition.

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Endurance, by Alfred Lansing – the Bitingly Harsh Reality of the Antarctic

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

After my last Audible adventure – well, its dreamlike quality felt more like sleepwalking than an adventure – I needed something a bit more gritty for my next audio book. There can be nothing more ‘real’, or in the moment, than the story of the remarkable Ernest Shackleton’s abortive trip to the South Pole aboard The Endurance in 1915.

Alfred Lansing, Endurance. Abridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, Inc., 2000)

I don’t often read books in the ‘Adventures, Explorers & Survival’ or ‘Expeditions & Discoveries’ categories.  However, I found this book gripping, and even terrifying, as challenge after seemingly impossible challenge had to be surmounted.  To rescue the entire crew from two icy and inaccessible islands was more than remarkable.

For myself, I’d like to know what happened to them all after they got home! Do I need to look for another book …?