The Salties

As a very young boy in the early 1960’s, my grandmother would read me Rupert Bear by Mary Tourtel and one particular book. It was called Rupert’s Mysterious Flight, a story about Rupert’s birthday present, which had arrived in a huge wooden crate. Excitedly, Rupert opened to the crate, to find an instruction manual and a number of aeroplane parts. Assisted by his Daddy, Rupert assembled the airplane, donned his flying suit and goggles and after a quick goodbye from his parents, he took off and few up into the clouds to find a wonderful aerial kingdom inhabited by toucans - magical. As a 4 year old, I was utterly transfixed and wanted to be Rupert from that day - my imagination was continually ‘running away with me’…… read more