Peter Donaldson

It was little wonder the Dambusters unit carried the gruesome tag ''the suicide squadron''. Of the 133 airmen who set out on the raid on the three Ruhr dams in 1943, just 73 returned.

Allan Scott knows how to lay out a motorsport smorgasbord.

When the book's titled Red Joan and main character grandmother Joan Stanley is visited by UK security forces on page 5, a reader pretty much knows how the plot will pan out.

With its non-tidal waters, gentle breezes and myriad sun-bleached islands, the Ionian Sea is just about the perfect casting off point for a couple of novice yachties on a flotilla holiday. Peter Donaldson explains.

Next Saturday, at a time most people are tucked up in bed, Peter Donaldson will be leaving Christchurch on a commuter scooter, hoping to reach Hokitika before the sun sets.

It was a life-changing invitation - to sail "anywhere that was warm, had plenty of beer, and the girls didn't wear very much". Peter Donaldson learns more about Barrie Neilson's remarkable journey.

When the apfelstrudel arrived, I swear the waitress delivered it from a metre out.

By mid-1975, a fresh-faced 23-year-old with short hair and a neat side parting knew his chances of retaining the US Grand National Championship were slipping fast.

Long gone are the days when Hyde boasted several hotels, just about as many churches, plus a butcher, a baker and probably a candlestick maker.

It's a day of dreams. A 300kmh-capable superbike, vast expanses of deserted Highway 85, a clear blue sky, little wind, and a warm spring sun.