Flight of Fancy-that!

I am in seat 1A on flight GR201.

Sounds like 1A should be first class but this a 19-seat Dornier 228 doing short hops between Guernsey, Alderney and Southampton, UK.

The only privilege available to passengers in row 1 is more opportunity to bash your bonce if you don’t crouch low enough after climbing the flimsy rear steps to board.

So I strap myself into 1A and listen to the pilot craning from his seat to welcome us aboard. Fifteen minutes to Guernsey, weather clear all the way. Enjoy the flight.

A quarter-hour to read the in-flight magazine, Aurigny’s En Voyage. The cover tells me that 2025 is “a new horizon”.

We buzz down the patchwork quilt of Alderney’s runway and bounce into the air as I flick through the contents. We’re climbing above Les Étacs gannet colony when I see it.

‘It’ is that delightful moment when you realise you’re reading your own words. Under the headline ‘Weaving the Historical Narrative’, I read about the magic of historical fiction, words I distinctly remember writing.

It’s a double-page spread about ten historical writers who are using this same airline to come to Alderney in March for Alderney’s Literary Festival.

No by-line of course, but they’re all my words. I do the PR for the Festival as a volunteer and it’s the organisers, sponsors and guest authors who get all the credit. But it’s a joy to behold. Gratitude to editor Amanda.

I turn the page, a smug smile spreading across my frequent-flyer face. And Lo! My wife is mentioned in the next article spread as the artist who designed the poster and graphics for the Write Stuff young writers competition. The winners will receive cash prizes and other goodies including “an original illustration [of their story] designed by Lynda Adlington”.

I stuff the magazine into my carry-on and wish there was a trolley service for a celebratory glass but we’ve landed. The Festival organisers will be delighted and so will my wife.

For those who are interested, read about the Literary Festival visiting authors here.