Life of Pi?

Geddit?? Richard Parker is at the other end!!
One of Edgar Allen Poe's novels, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket tells the story of four sailors who become adrift at sea. Starving, one of them suggests that they draw lots to decide who will be sacrificed as food for the other three. The loser is the very sailor who came up with the idea, Richard Parker.
Forty-six years later, an English vessel, the Mignonette, set off for Australia in 1884. The ship was damaged in a gale and four of the crew found themselves in the 13-foot lifeboat. Seven hundred miles from land and without any food, the men were slowly starving. They decided that the the 16 year old cabin boy, Richard Parker, would be cannibalized to save the others. They killed him by slicing his jugular with a penknife.The three remaining crew members fed on Parker's body and were later rescued.
Much speculation as to whether Poe could see into the future! Richard Parker is actually the name of several seamen, both real and fictional. Yann Martel in his novel The Life of Pi subtly refers to this by naming his shipwrecked tiger, Richard Parker. Well this little dingy made me think of the book cover - actually it's not much like it but odd how one's mind works!

I've got ships on the mind at the moment as am reading John Boyne's Mutiny on the Bounty for the third time - a fantastic book, and a very different look at Captain Bligh and his incredible journey.

All this boatiness comes from going to Schull this morning. What a very civilised bit of Christmas shopping. No feeding frenzy just a gentle browse around some interesting and individual shops. Nice for me, but a bit worrying for the shopkeepers as it was very quiet. We met friends for coffee, then visited an exceptional exhibition of Indian art - Tribal India and then did a spot of blipping around the pier.
Back home and the last Christmas cards have been written and Himself has baked two nutroasts. The smell is wonderful at the moment.

And wishing BlipCentral lots of luck with tonight's activities. See you on the other side!