Friday Feb 9th 2007

I have recieved a charming letter from a little girl in America for whom I have (I hope) organised a British penfriend. This all happened through my Blog, which is most satisfying.

Phone call from a local school, where I am due to give a talk about children's books and magazines. (Reminder: anyone interested in my children's book? Fiction, non-pious, just fun....£5.95p add £1 for postage, for American readers $20 - send comment to this Blog WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS for details....)

A couple of weeks ago an elderly friend sent us a copy of his book about his wartime experiences as a pilot with the South African Air Force. I am often sent books of this kind and don't always find them readable - but this one is really superb. Well written, well illustrated. It is Beaufighter over the Balkans, by Steve Stevens DFC (Pen and Sword books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley S.Yorks S70 2A email enquiries@pen-andc-sword.co.uk) The most moving section is the one about the tragic Warsaw Uprising of 1944 when the brave Poles of the Home Army rose to claim their city and drive out the German forces, in expectation of the Russians advancing across the Vistula. The Russians deliberately delayed, allowing the Poles to fight on, with limited supplies of food and ammunition, until they were eventually starved into submission....the British sent over some supplies by plane but this involved a flights of over 1,000 miles across enemy territory, and not many made it. Steve also flew in the Berlin Airlift...extraordinary and powerful story of how the West faced down the Soviets and retained West Berlin's freedom....Jamie and I got to know Steve through various Christian activities (Steve is a keen Evangelical and settled in Britain after many years with a missionary aviation organisation serving remote areas of Africa....) and in all the years we have worked with him, we never knew he had this extraordinary and impressive tale to tell....