Posted by Adam Quinan on September 10, 2008 at 17:38:13 user Adam.
Thoughts of the Ontario black fly lead me on to another of Ransome's missing aspects of reality.
We all know about the unmentioned necessary facilities. But where are the midges and gnats?
Anyone who has spent time outdoors in the late afternoon/evening in the Lakes and elsewhere will not have failed to notice the ubiquitous midges or gnats. Whether you are one who is affected by their bites or not, they are everywhere and extremely annoying. Yet Ransome somehow overlooks them, no one scratches like mad or waves their arms about uncontrollably or comments on the number of dead insects in the food they are about to eat.
Completely ruins the so-called realism of Ransome's books I would say ;-)