Posted by Ed Kiser on February 09, 2008 at 16:11:11 from 205.188.116.198 user Kisered.
In Reply to: Re: Classic wooden dinghy looking for a good home posted by David Bamford on February 08, 2008 at 21:08:34:
David - You spoke of 'messing about with boats', this being rather addictive. This expression would seem quite acceptable in any Ransome story, yet it may surprise some to realize that this is not a quote from Ransome, but from "Wind in the Willows" - as follows, from chapter 1 of that classic for all time, as "Mole" is introduced to the joy of a boat, for his first time...
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`This has been a wonderful day!' said he, as the Rat shoved off
and took to the sculls again. `Do you know, I`ve never been in a
boat before in all my life.'
`What?' cried the Rat, open-mouthed: `Never been in a -- you
never -- well I -- what have you been doing, then?'
`Is it so nice as all that?' asked the Mole shyly, though he was
quite prepared to believe it as he leant back in his seat and
surveyed the cushions, the oars, the rowlocks, and all the fascinating
fittings, and felt the boat sway lightly under him.
`Nice? It's the only thing,' said the Water Rat solemnly, as he
leant forward for his stroke. `Believe me, my young friend,
there is nothing -- absolute nothing -- half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing,' he went on
dreamily: `messing -- about -- in -- boats; messing -- -- '
`Look ahead, Rat!' cried the Mole suddenly.
It was too late. The boat struck the bank full tilt. The
dreamer, the joyous oarsman, lay on his back at the bottom of the
boat, his heels in the air.
` -- about in boats -- or with boats,' the Rat went on
composedly, picking himself up with a pleasant laugh. `In or out
of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter,
that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you
don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you
reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all,
you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and
when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you
can do it if you like, but you'd much better not...'
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I think that captures the feeling rather nicely.
Ed Kiser, Kentucky