This one kills me, the thought of waiting a year between hearing of or from your loved ones: more from Edward Beauclerk Maurice's The Last Gentleman Adventurer, Coming of Age in the Arctic: :I had lost track of the days during our expedition. Somehow it had not seemed to be of any importance what day it was. I was pleased to discover on our return from the hunting trip that it was a Saturday night, and though this did not have the same significance up north as in less remote spots, it was special in one way. The Canadian broadcasting authorities used the CKY Winnipeg station...to relay messages from friends and relations in the outside world to the men and women of the Arctic....I once got a message through from my mother, who had left for New Zealand during the autumn after my departure, to say that they were safe and well after a severe earthquake. This I heard quite clearly, although I had not known about the disaster. Had it not been for Alan's patient determination with this infuriating piece of equipment, we should have heard nothing at all.