The winner of a signed copy of Nell Dixon's "Blue Remembered Heels" is Michelle L for the "sardines" story. Well, done, Michelle. If you'll drop me a line with your snail mail addy at liz @lizfielding.com, I'll pass it on to Nell.
MILLS & BOON/WOMEN'S WEEKLY WRITING COMPETITION --
M&B have teamed up with Woman’s Weekly for the launch of a new short story competition. If you think you can woo readers with a romantic short story, then they want to hear from you.
You could see your winning entry published in Woman’s Weekly and on Mills & Boon’s website and there's a laptop as part of the prizes.
They're looking for short stories with a fresh voice - sparkling, feel-good stories bursting with lively interaction and that frisson of romantic excitement.
Check it out at Mills & Boon's website.
REMEMBER "CASABLANCA"?
More specifically do you remember the plane in which Ingrid Bergman flew away from Rick on at the end? The DC3 -- the gooney bird -- which ferried troops in WWII and supplied Berlin during the airlift, is being retired at the end of this month in the UK due to new European safety regulations. The cost of installing oxygen (they don't fly high enough for it to be necessary) and strip lighting in the floors, has meant it's uneconomic to continue.Special trips are taking place all month for people who love this aircraft.
I've had several memorable journeys in a DC3.I once flew in a storm from a place in Botswana called Selibe Pikwe to Johannesburg, with a "request stop" at Gabarones. We took off from a dirt airstrip with a dozen or so passengers, a parrot, two goats and a crate of chicks. The seats, I swear, hadn't been changed since it had done duty in WWII and we had to haul ourselves up the gangway grabbing hold of the seats because of the steep angle.
The pilot attempted to fly around the storm, but in the end gave up and just went through it. People turned out in evening dress to see us land at Gabarones, the weather was that bad, and after we finally landed in Johannesburg -- I've never been so glad to see airport lights -- I came out in a rash.
It certainly wasn't luxury flying, but it was a lot more memorable than the "bus trip" flying we do now and although it had been banished from UK skies, I've no doubt the "gooney" will still be flying those "bush" flights for a very long time to come.
