By: Blonde Two
Sadly I can’t see Dartmoor more clearly now that the rain has gone because, well, we all know that it hasn’t actually gone. No, dear Blondees and Blondettes, the thing that I can see much more clearly now is my beloved Dartmoor map. This isn’t because I have finally admitted my age and allowed the optician to prepare me some varifocal glasses (in whispered tones). I am not sure I could bring myself to tell you if this ever actually happens – Blonde vanity, you understand.
No, I can see my map much more clearly now because one of our lovely blog commenters (I will leave you to guess which one), bought me a fantastic “light-up-your-map” magnifier for Christmas.
This hand-sized bit of magic is just about the most fun thing in the world to play with. (I have thought of a couple of other “funner” things but one is very, very silly and the other, well …) You just slide it across your map and, hey presto, all sorts of previously undiscovered excitements appear. You can see here that I have highlighted one of the Two Blondes’ favourite Dartmoor navigation spots, lovingly known as “kink in leat”. We found another kink in another leat last week – it was all a bit more than a Blonde brain could cope with.
I am convinced that somewhere on OL28, some funny Ordnance Survey chap (more likely chapess) has hidden a silly mini-picture or maybe a tiny rude word. My magnifier will not rest until I find it!
There is a theory – I’m sure it won’t come as a revelation to such a cartographically involved couple – that mapmakers deliberately include faults to trap people who copy their maps photographically. Not out of pure whimsy as you suggest. Of course we can’t be sure about this; nor I suppose even it were true could we be sure that such a fault resides on your favourite piece of origami. On the other hand, why not, since a single fault would leave a lot of other sheets unprotected. But if true, ah… What a project for you and your new toy. A whole year’s scrutiny. And when, by September, you find you need guidance about the demeanour to adopt when entering Specsavers for the first time I could extend a comforting hand and say that Dorothy Parker got it wrong. If you want proof consider the case of Kate Silverton, someone who has had her cake and eaten it.
I suspect that Kate Silverton could have many cakes and eat all of them!
What a super bit of kit! Think I need one of those!