Vital Spark was the name of the coastal steamer, or
puffer, used for carrying coal and other goods rather inefficiently around
the islands of the Inner Hebrides, immortalised in the Tales of Para
Handy, by Hugh Foulis (alias Neil Munro of the Glasgow Evening News) and
originally written for that paper about 1900. First published in book form
in November 1931, the stories subsequently were turned into three TV series
between 1965 and 1974, in which this boat had the star role. She now lies
rusting away in one of the canal basins at Bellanoch on the Crinan Canal.
How about bringing the old girl out of retirement for a
remake of the series, somebody??!! The gentle humour of the books needs
airing again in these days of violent and often senseless programmes aimed
at those who cannot seem to understand subtle nuances of the English
language.