Tuesday Tidbits: UMBRELLAS, PARASOLS, & BUMPERSHOOTS

 

In preparation for April showers—whether you get rain showers, snow showers, or you’re showered with sunshine—I thought I would take a look at those devices that keep the weather off of us.

 

I love umbrellas because they remind me of rain, and I LOVE rain. Rain is so refreshing and cleans the air. Rain creates friction in the air, which produces negative ions. We breathe in these invisible, odorless, tasteless, mood-lifting molecules, and when the negative ions reach the bloodstream, it’s believed they increase serotonin, which can help lessen depression, reduce stress, and boost energy. Yay! I LOVE rain.

 

However, umbrellas (a.k.a. Parasols, bumbershoots, and an assortment of other names) weren’t initially created for the rain. Their original purpose was as a sun shade in dry climates like desert areas. The root word “Umbra” means shade or shadow in Latin. Parasol is formed from two French words, “para” meaning “to protect from” and “sol” meaning “sun”.

 

There is evidence of umbrellas in ancient civilization such as Assyria, China, Egypt, Greece, and others, dating back more than 4,000 years. The earliest known reference to this shading device is from the Mesopotamian Civilization in West Asia. These umbrellas were fashioned from palm leaves or papyrus. In the early days, they were used mainly by the wealthy.

 

The Chinese were the first to wax or lacquer their paper parasols so they could stave off the rain.

 

There was a period of about a thousand years where umbrellas seemed to disappear before reemerging.

 

Parasols arrived in France from Italy by way of Catherine de Medici when she married King Henry II. Since the ladies in the court naturally wanted to copy the queen, parasols became an instant new fashion.

 

Lightweight folding umbrellas were popularized by Jean Marius, a Parisian merchant, in 1710. Before this, they were cumbersome and seemed like they might have been a rigid, static device.

 

Umbrellas and parasols were viewed as a lady’s accessory, while men toughed out the harsh weather with their hats and overcoats. Then along came Jonas Hanway, a Parisian traveler and writer. He was the first man to boldly wield his umbrella publicly for thirty years in England, making way for the rest of the men to do likewise. These umbrellas that men used were referred to as a “Hanway.”

 

James Smith and Sons opened their door at 53 New Oxford Street in London England in 1830. It was the first store to sell exclusively umbrellas and is still at that location.

 

Samuel Fox, founder of the English Steels Company, created an umbrella with steel ribs instead of the usual cane or whale bone in 1852. He claimed he was using up corset farthing stays. He patented his design and allowed James Smith & Sons to sell it in their shop.

 

Since at least 1902—probably farther back—ladies have been using their parasols (or umbrellas) for defense if attacked. The Daily Mirror article in 1902 instructed women how to do this. The weighty steel construction made it a good choice to protect oneself from more than just the weather in a pinch.

 

However, the value of using an umbrella for defense goes back farther. In Baron Charles Random de Berenger’s 1835 book How to protect Life and Property, there are a number of techniques for using an umbrella as an impromptu weapon. J. F Sullivan wrote an article for the Lugate Monthly in 1897 that described the umbrella as a “misunderstood weapon.” And between 1899 and 1902, Bartitsu (an English eclectic martial arts and self-defense method) taught the use of both umbrellas and canes to protect oneself.

 

A huge innovation came to the umbrella in 1928. Hans Haupt created a telescopic pocket umbrella, receiving a patent for it in September of 1929. This compact umbrella was produced by an Austrian company. In Germany, it was manufactured by the Knirps company, and became known as Knirps there.

 

Many innovations have been made since, and today umbrellas come in many varieties, from the typical kinds to those you can put on your head or ones that are “stormproof.”

 

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set

Historical Romance Series

By Mary Davis

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNZPRRS2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3NJNTQ5SD1WGB&keywords=the+quilting+circle+by+mary+davis&qid=1700957455&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C155&sr=1-7

 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of thirty-seven years and one cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub
 

Sources

https://www.thoughtco.com/who-invented-the-umbrella-1992592

http://www.umbrellahistory.net/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/umbrella-history-and-facts

https://historycooperative.org/when-was-the-umbrella-invented/

https://www.umbrellaworkshop.com/umbrellas/history-of-the-umbrella/

WRITING GOALS: 2025 RECAP & 2026 GOALS

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was uneventful and quiet. I was Sick over Thanksgiving, and my son’s family was sick throughout December and through New Years. So, we finally celebrated Christmas on Saturday. WooHoo!

On to goals—

Some people don’t like setting goals because they feel it to be too confining and too much pressure. For me, they help me focus, and I have something to aim for. Like the old saying goes, Shoot for the stars (or moon). You might not make it there, but you will soar higher than if you had never tried. (I couldn’t find a specific author for this variation, but it’s close to Norman Vincent Peale’s quote “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” So, I guess this version is mine, Mary Davis.)

Each goal should have the caveat attached to the end . . . “Stated goal” or something better.

So, how did I do on my 2025 goals? I’m partially pleased. Here is a quick recap.

2025 GOALS
~~Complete time travel proposal. 
            I did get this goal completed and my agent is shopping it around.
~~Edit Deep Breath (Time Travel book 2).
            Nope. I can’t edit what isn’t written.
~~Write 50,000-ish plus words.
            I didn’t reach this one either.
~~Participate in NaNoWriMo & Camp NaNoWriMo, as usual. 
            I did participate in CampNaNoWriMo, but the organization closed their doors be the November event, so I didn’t participate in the NaNoWriMo. Hence the reason I didn’t reach the previous goal.
~~Plot Flash Forward (Time Travel book 3).
            Since I didn’t get to Book 2, I haven’t plotted Book 3 yet.
~~Write rough draft of Flash Forward.
            No plotting, no writing, so this was a bust.
~~Re-release 3+ backlist books.
            I re-released a collection with three other authors, but that was all.
~~Complete HHH Posts by the 10th of each month.
            I did complete this goal and even got ahead.
~~Complete one or more additional proposals.
            Nope. This one didn’t happen

Non-writing goals:
~~I will Do a Bible study on Prayer. 
        I did do this and hope to have a better prayer life.

So I reached 1 + 1 + 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 = 3.83 of my 10 goals. I was having a hard time focusing this first full year without my husband. So, I’m pleased with what I was actually able to accomplish. I’m calling it a win

My word for 2025 was Recover.
        I think I did do some recovering.

On to 2026 GOALS
~~Write 50,000-ish plus words. I need at least this amount to reach some of my other goals.
~~Complete The Other Side of Yesterday (Time Travel book 1). My agent asked me to up the word count on this one, so I’ve been working on it. I’m hoping to finish that by the end of January or middle of February.
~~Expand Deep Breath (Time Travel book 2) to the final word count of book 1.
~~Edit Deep Breath.
~~Plot Flash Forward (Time Travel book 3).
~~Rerelease 3+ backlist books. I want to reach for this goal again. I have the rights back to many of my books and want to re-release them. First, I need to figure out how to create covers using AI or something else.
~~Complete HHH Posts by the 10th of each month. I’m going to try to get a few months ahead again.
~~~Finish rough draft of The Shopkeeper’s Dilemma. This is in my Quilting Circle series. There are a few other characters that I want to tell their stories. This is one of them

Non-writing goals:
~~This year I’m going to do a study on the will of God. I bought a book on it and plan to see how it goes.

~~I will trying to get regular exercise by walking my dog

And finally, I will Continue to go through boxes. 

. . . OR SOMETHING BETTER

My word for 2026 is Clarity.

Do you have a word for 2026?

I hope you all are successful in meeting your goals in 2026. =0)

And I pray this year is happy and healthy, and may you find joy in the little things. =0)

For more information on how to set achievable, measurable, and controllable goals, you can reference my blog post on it HERE.
[[[ https://marydavisbooks.blogspot.com/2019/12/tuesday-tidbits-2020-goal-setting.html ]]]

Tuesday Tidbits: THE CAROL THAT PAUSED TWO WARS

On Christmas 1914, in Europe, the guns went silent and voices in German, French, and English rose in the stillness, singing Silent Night. For a short time, enemies found common ground in a nearly one-hundred-year-old carol.

 

ChristmasTruce1914

But long before WW1, another set of enemies set aside their weapons to sing Silent Night. During the US Civil War, the Union and Confederate troops halted fighting on Christmas day each year and could be heard singing this holiday classic. If only the soldiers on both sides of these wars could have held onto that brief peace after the last strains had been sung.

 

If Father Josef Mohr, of Austria, had known the power of his simple poem, he might not have tucked it away for two years, only to be brought out because of a Christmas crisis.

 

Stained-glass rendering of Mohr

In 1816, in the aftermath of the Napoleonic war, Mohr was in Mariapfarr, Austria. Appreciating the quiet after the war, he penned a six-stanza poem titled Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht. A year later, he was transferred to Saint Nicholas parish in Oberndorf in the state of Salzburg in Austria. Then in 1818, after the Salzach River had flooded, the head priest tasked young Mohr with putting together the Christmas Eve midnight service. Mohr was thrilled to finally be given some responsibility.

 

He put the program together with the hymns the choir had practiced. On Christmas Eve day, Mohr went to the church to make sure everything was in order. As an afterthought, he sat at the organ to play through the songs to be sung. The instrument didn’t make a peep, probably damaged by the flood. He tried everything he knew to get it to utter a note, but nothing worked. How could they have a Christmas Eve service without music?

 

Author Photo

Mohr braved the snowy streets by walking three kilometers to a nearby town to get help from a friend, Franz Xaver Gruber, schoolmaster and organist. Gruber was at a loss for what to do but offered to play his guitar during the service. Though the idea had merit, none of the pieces the choir had practiced would work with a guitar. Then, inspiration struck. Mohr remembered his poem, and if Gruber could put it to music, it could be played on guitar and sung.

 

Gruber

The young priest hurried home, found the poem, and returned. Gruber created a melody to fit the words. Mohr singing tenor and Gruber bass with accompaniment of the guitar along with the congregation joining in on the chorus saved the service in the little church.

 

Silent Night might have faded into the darkness of future silent nights if not for the broken organ. In January 1819, organ repairman Karl Mauracher came to Saint Nicholas. Mohr shared the story of having to use a guitar. Mauracher asked him to sing it. Impressed by the tune, Mauracher wrote down the words and learned the melody and took them back with him to the Ziller Valley. He then taught it to churches all across Europe. Thousands of choirs were singing it within a decade.

 

In 1832, the song was performed at a fair. In attendance was King William IV of Prussia. So moved by the piece, he insisted it be sung at his annual Christmas celebration.

 

Seven years later, this moving carol traveled across the ocean to the United States by way of the Rainer singing group who performed it at Trinity Church in New York. Silent Night became America’s favorite Christmas carol within a decade. From there, it has been recorded by numerous singers and groups.

 

Though today, we sing Silent Night slow and reflective, the original arrangement was at a more rapid tempo.

 

Silent Night Music-circa1820

Our contemporary version consists of stanzas 1, 6, and 2. Here are all six verses as translated from Mohr’s original, found on https://silent-night-museum.org/sounds/lyrics.htm. You may notice that some of the words are different. Modern translators changed some of the words to make it more relatable to people.

 

Silent Night! Holy Night!

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon godly tender pair

Holy infant with curly hair

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace.

 

Silent Night! Holy Night!

Son of God, love's pure light

Radiant beams from thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord at thy birth

Jesus, Lord at thy birth.

 

Silent Night! Holy Night!

Brought the world gracious light

Down from heaven's golden height

Comes to us the glorious sight:

Jesus, as one of mankind

Jesus, as one of mankind.

 

Silent Night! Holy Night!

By his love, by his might

God our Father us has graced

As a brother gently embraced

Jesus, all nations on earth

Jesus, all nations on earth.

 

Silent Night! Holy Night!

Long ago, minding our plight

God the world from misery freed

In the dark age of our fathers decreed:

All the world is redeemed

All the world is redeemed.

 

Silent Night! Holy Night!

Shepherds first saw the sight

Of angels singing alleluia

Calling clearly near and far:

Christ, the saviour is born

Christ the Saviour is born.

 

I find it fitting that a poem/song that was penned in the aftermath of one war brought temporary peace during two other wars. And if not for a broken organ, it may have remained in Mohr’s bottom desk drawer, forgotten.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 
MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR (Heroines of WWII series)
3rd Place 2023 SELAH Award

A WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) flies a secret mission to rescue three soldiers held captive in Cuba.

Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon is a thirty-four-year-old widow, mother of two daughters, an excellent pilot, and very patriotic. She joins the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). As she performs various tasks like ferry aircraft, transporting cargo, and being an airplane mechanic, she meets and develops feelings for her supervisor Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg. When Peggy learns of U.S. soldiers being held captive in Cuba, she, Major Berg, and two fellow WASPs devise an unsanctioned mission to rescue them. With Cuba being an ally in the war, they must be careful not to ignite an international incident. Order HERE!

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Rocky Mountains with her Carolina dog, Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

 

Tuesday Tidbits: JINGLE BELLS

Jingle Bells is one of the quintessential Christmas carols and probably the best known one around the world. It was originally titled One Horse Open Sleigh and is a standard at Christmas. The season wouldn’t be the same without it.

BUT . . .

 

Jingle Bells wasn’t written as a Christmas song. Nope. It was written for Thanksgiving. That makes it a Thanksgiving carol. However, it’s not even really about Thanksgiving. It’s about horse racing and dating. LOL!

 

Though the author of this time-tested carol is not in question, when and where it was written is.

 

Let’s roll back time to 1850. James Lord Pierpont was a young man of twenty-seven. (I won’t get into some of his less desirable traits.) His father and older brother were both ministers of Unitarian churches.

 

In 1850, James’s father asked him to write a song for the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration, or so the story goes. At that time, Thanksgiving wasn’t a national holiday. It was celebrated sporadically since 1789. It wasn’t until 1863, when President Lincoln declared a national day of thanksgiving to be observed on the last Thursday in November, that it became consistent across the country. Controversy surrounded which Thursday to observe this celebration, moving to different Thursdays in the month at the current president’s discretion. In 1942, Thanksgiving finally had a permanent home on the fourth Thursday in November.

 

Now, back to 1850 in Medford, Massachusetts. James was struggling with what to write for a Thanksgiving song when he saw some children sledding. He went out and joined them for over an hour, racing down the hill on a borrowed sled. His time in the snow brought back memories of when he was a teen racing horse-drawn sleighs with his buddies. At the end of the races, the winner would receive a hug from one of the girls watching. Which meant, they were racing for hugs and for the admiration and respect of girls. Things haven’t changed much.

James Lord Pierpont

James, being a bit of a rebel, penned verses of those younger years, racing horses to impress girls. He thought that was something to be thankful for. The song was a hit at the Thanksgiving service causing people to hum the tune as they left, and they asked for it to be performed again at Christmas. The repeat performance was received equally as well. Out-of-town visitors at the Christmas service enjoyed it so much, they jotted down the words and memorized the tune.

 

When James Pierpont headed down South in 1857, he took his Thanksgiving song with him. Oliver Ditson and Company published it in that same year in August, and James got it copyrighted a month later on September 16. This is what leads to the confusion of when and where it was penned. Both Medford, Massachusetts and Savannah, Georgia lay claim to the origin of this little ditty.

Back to this being a racing and dating song.

 

Line one of verse one — “Dashing through the snow”. Dashing denotes speed or a race.

 

In verse 2 (lesser well known) — “And soon, Miss Fanny Bright was seated by my side”—the narrator has a girl in the sleigh, and then proceeds to drive either at a great speed or in a reckless manner to end up in a snow bank and tipped over—“He got into a drifted bank and then we got upsot.”

 

Then in verse 3 (also lesser known) — He falls in the snow and a rival laughs at him.

. . . I went out on the snow,

And on my back I fell;

A gent was riding by

In a one-horse open sleigh,

He laughed as there I sprawling lie,

But quickly drove away.

I think they were racing because he says “on” the snow, not in the snow.

 

Last but not least, in the final verse — the narrator tells another fellow to pick up some girls, find a fast horse, then go racing with the fast horse.

. . . Take the girls tonight;

. . . Just get a bobtailed bay

Two forty for his speed

Hitch him to a sleigh

And crack! You’ll take the lead.

Two forty was a horse that could run a mile in two minutes and forty seconds or 22.5 mph.

 

Regardless of how this beloved carol began, over the decades, recording artists—such as Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby, the Andrew Sisters, and many others—have put their stamp on the tune and turned it into a Christmas favorite. Also, the lyrics and pacing have been tweaked since James Pierpont’s original version.

 

So special is this carol that Jingle Bells was the first song to be performed in outer space. On December 16, 1965, the crew of the Gemini 6 played it on harmonica backed up by sleigh bells. Both of which they smuggled aboard before liftoff.

Gemini VI

THE LADY’S MISSION (Quilting Circle 5)
2023 SELAH Award Finalist

Will Cordelia abandon her calling for love? Cordelia Armstrong wants nothing more than to escape the social norms for her station in society. Unless she can skillfully maneuver her father into giving up control of her trust fund, she might have to concede defeat—as well as her freedom—and marry. Every time Lamar Kesner finds a fascinating lady, her heart belongs to another. When a vapid socialite is offered up as a prospective bride, he contemplates flying off in his hot air balloon instead. Is Lamar the one to finally break the determination of Cordelia’s parents to marry her off? Or will this charming bachelor fly away with her heart?

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR, THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Quilting Circle 3) is a Selah Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection , Prodigal Daughters Amish series, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.
Mary lives in the Rocky Mountains with her Carolina dog, Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:
Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

Sources

Stories Behind The Greatest Hits Of Christmas, by Ace Collins

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingle_Bells

https://www.grunge.com/285218/the-history-of-jingle-bells-explained/

https://www.liveabout.com/jingle-bells-history-2456082

https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-jingle-bells

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lord_Pierpont

Tuesday Tidbits: A FORGOTTEN RECORD-BREAKING AVIATRIX

“I would like to think those flights of mine have a small corner in the history of achievement.” Lores Bonney

 

Maude Rose “Lores” (Rubens) Bonney

 

One would think with all those names that a person would be remembered. One would think that setting flying records would afford a person to be remembered. But alas, Lores Bonney faded into obscurity for most of the rest of her life.

 

Born Maude Rose Rubens on November 20, 1897 in Pretoria, South African Republic, her parents moved to England when she was four, then to Australia two years later in 1903. She didn’t like her given name so adopted the name Delores, which was shortened to Lores (pronounced Lor-ee).

 

“To put it bluntly, I was a rebel.” Lores Bonney

 

Her German-born father sent her to a German finishing school in 1911 to rein in her unruly behavior. She learned German, French, and became an accomplished pianist. While performing her first concert for Kaiser Wilhelm’s sister, she got a serious case of stage fright, feigned a nosebleed, and ran off the stage. Her first and last performance.

 

In 1917, while working for the Red Cross during WWI, she met and married Harry Bonney, nineteen years her senior. Though they wanted children, their marriage bore them none.

 

In 1928, she met Bert Hinkler, her husband’s first cousin once removed. He was an acclaimed pilot, having been the first to fly solo from England to Australia earlier that year. He took Bonney up in his Avro Avian biplane.

 

“It was the answer to my dreams. I adored birds, and there I was literally feeling like one. There and then I decided then to become a pilot.” Lores Bonney

 

But not merely to fly, she wanted to break records. She secretly took lessons while her husband golfed, because she didn’t know if he would approve. Her first lesson was on August 6, 1930. Within a year, she earned her private pilot’s license and confessed to her husband. His response was to buy her an airplane, a de Havilland DH.60 Gypsy Moth, which she named My Little Ship.

 

The first record she broke was in 1931 when she flew from Brisbane, Australia to Wangaratta, Australia. She spent Christmas with her husband, but wanted to have supper with her father the next day. She took off at 4:30 am and landed at 7:20 pm in time for supper. The longest one-day flight by a woman.

 

The second record was being the first woman to circumnavigate Australia’s mainland by air in 1932.

 

The third record was in 1933 when she was the first woman to fly from Australia to England, taking off on April 10, 1933. She wanted to make the same flight Bert Hinkler had set a record for. As with any of these kinds of early records, the trip was fraught with difficulties.

 

Lores Bonney overhauls her machine, April 11, 1933

 

With Victoria Point, Queensland, Australia only 50km away, Bonney ran into a terrible storm but felt she could fly through it. The clouds darkened and lightning cracked around her. The strong winds buffeted her about, and she feared the wings were going to get torn off, so she turned back to an island she had flown over.

 

She needed to make an emergency landing before the rain engulfed the island. With the tide out, she spotted a strip of wet, firm sand to land on. She made a smooth landing rather than her usual kangaroo-hopping ones, with no one there to witness it except a lone buffalo in her path. She turned to miss the beast, causing the aircraft wing to hit the water, flipping the plane. Bonney was trapped in the cockpit underwater part of the time when the waves rolled in. The harness release pin was bent, inhibiting her frantic efforts to free herself.

 

“What an inglorious finish — to be drowned in my cockpit, upside down.” Lores Bonney

 

After some struggle, she freed herself and got out of her wreckage. The wings, rudder, propeller, and tail fin were all smashed, only the fuselage and engine were relatively undamaged. After six days on the island, she and her aircraft were taken to Calcutta where it took a month to repair. Undeterred, she continued on to England on May 25, 1933 and touched down in England on June 21, 1933.

 

Then in 1937 came her fourth record when she was the first to fly from Australia to South Africa. She flew her newly acquired German Klemm L32 monoplane, named My Little Ship II. She ran into many difficulties along the way; torrential rains, sandstorms in the Middle East, bureaucrats, stranded during a bush landing, and heat so hot she couldn’t touch the throttle with her bare hands. Also, the glue on the soles of her shoes melted from the hot rudder pedals.

 

Though repairs took only three weeks in Khartoum, she decided to wait another three days for Amelia Earhart so she could meet her fellow aviatrix. Earhart and Fred Noonan were on their infamous ’round the world flight and due to stop in Khartoum any day. Hearing no word of where the pair was, Bonney decided she could wait no longer and took off on July 10, 1937. Earhart and Noonan landed two days later. Unfortunately, they disappeared shortly thereafter, and Bonney never got to meet her.

 

It took her another five weeks, including several repairs and a broken altimeter that nearly led her into the side of the mountain, before she finally landed in Cape Town, South Africa.

 

After WWII, she hung up her wings, partly due to age and diminished eyesight.

 

“I always liked to say I traveled the world with a Gipsy [sic].” Lores Bonney

 

She died in 1994 at age 96 of pneumonia. In 2017, an electoral district was created and named after her in Queensland, and in 2019, the Lores Bonney Riverwalk was opened in Brisbane, Australia.

 

~~I know it's been a while. Life has been super busy with painting my fence and building another section of it--also the never-ending battle with weeds. Then there are the mice in my garage I'm trying to get rid of. I hope to get back to consistently posting.

 
MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR (Heroines of WWII series)
3rd Place 2023 SELAH Award

A WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) flies a secret mission to rescue three soldiers held captive in Cuba.

Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon is a thirty-four-year-old widow, mother of two daughters, an excellent pilot, and very patriotic. She joins the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). As she performs various tasks like ferry aircraft, transporting cargo, and being an airplane mechanic, she meets and develops feelings for her supervisor Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg. When Peggy learns of U.S. soldiers being held captive in Cuba, she, Major Berg, and two fellow WASPs devise an unsanctioned mission to rescue them. With Cuba being an ally in the war, they must be careful not to ignite an international incident. Order HERE!

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Rocky Mountains with her Carolina dog, Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

 

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maude_Bonney

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2017/03/lores-bonney-the-forgotten-aviatrix/

https://www.historynet.com/lores-bonney-australian-female-pilot/

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bonney-maude-rose-lores-27042