Posted by PeterH on May 22, 2006 at 13:33:46 from 86.130.134.235 user Peter_H.
In Reply to: The Cairn on Kanchenjunga: some musings on an ancient debate posted by andyb on May 21, 2006 at 18:57:25:
And even if they do want, if they are driven by a desire to know ‘what really happened’, are we not are trying to capture the thoughts of an author at the point of creation? This is like trying to catch sunbeams.
It occurs to me that after Andy's post some of us (mea culpa) went off on a Whither Tarboard? tangent and that he deserves at least a little detailed consideration. For a start, I could not agree more with the above statement. It is what I was trying to say during the recent Beckfoot debate, except that Andy puts it so much better. The stock reply is always 'but we enjoy chasing those sunbeams'. Ah yes, but nine times out of ten they cease being sunbeams, and turn into things we will not budge on. Kerfuffle territory. Andy's gentle philosophy opens out the imagination . . . and into Ransome-land, where we are each allowed to build our own Swallow and find our own Swallowdale. Well said, B of B !