When the world seems - and often is - in an irredeemably awful state, it is natural for the thinking person to contemplate life's fundamentals, to discard all and any unnecessary complexity and try to rediscover one's spiritual roots - that half-remembered dreamlike idyll of earlier and more innocent times when life was good, the sun was shining and all was well with the world.
For many this involves a return - in either body or spirit or both - to the countryside and to nature. And it is surely no coincidence that the idea of an Escape to the Countryside is so popular that even the echt-metropolitan folk at Dorsettv have been moved to initiate 24/7 programming featuring indistinguishable variantions on the idea of deeply unattractive couples desperately shedding their urban baggage and heading for the hills quicker than a startled RDC officer pursued by a XL dog. Exchanging tarmac and a 4x4 for dirt roads and a 4x4 has never been more modish or more popular.
So it comes as no surprise to learn that Dorset Countrylife Drawing Magazine is now the 14th most popular periodical in the Threadbone Press/Allen Ian stable of lifestyle magazines as readers chase their escapist dreams and reject the so-called pleasures and blandishments of an urban lifestyle.*
* for the record the most popular magazine remains Dorset City Life, followed by Dorset Construction and Major Building Magazine, Urban Living, Small Townhouse Makeovers Magazine, Metropolitan Time-out, City Breaks Magazine, Concrete Monthly, Skyscraper Enthusiast, Urban and Suburban Modelling, Modern Building Design, Urban Health and Efficiency, Big Tits Monthly, Dorset CIty Swingers Magazine, Penthouse Chicks and Steetwalker Monthly. [Dorset Magazine Watch 2024]**
** Dorset Magzine Watch is the 147th most popular periodical in the Threadbone Press/Allen Ian stable of lifestyle magazines
So in an attempt to help guide our own readers towards a more equinimical state of mind we investigated the latest edition of Dorset Countrylife Drawing Magazine to see what it offers the byways-curious. Here's what our in-depth investigation revealed:***
*** You do realise this is just a table of contents [Ed] Yes [Sub Ed]
And [SPOLER ALERT] here's the etching of the month:
So what can we conclude from our survey?
Existentially speaking, there IS a magazine called Dorset Country Life Drawing
It has printed pages and comes in what is known as "hardcopy" - an analogue format of some vintage.
Some of the [analogie] pages have illustrations - not all are in colour [see illustration above which is, disappointingly, in black and white]
It is likely to appeal to those with an interest in [a] Dorset, [b] Country Life and [c] Drawing. It will appeal especially to those who have an interest in all three or possibly any two of the three in any combination
It costs £9.99 and may or may not be value for money depending on the level of interest the purchaser has in Dorset Country Life Drawing [see 4 above]
It is not what is sometimes refered to as a TOP SHELF Magazine in that the proportion of titilating to non-titilating material contained within it is very low.
It is not, in conclusion, surprising that Dorset Country Life Drawing ranks only 14th in the list of the Threadbone Press/Allen Ian stable of lifestyle magazines' most popular periodicals and some way adrift of Big Tits Monthly [10th].