6 April

 10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 6 April:

1. Born on this date in 1483 was Raphael (the artist formerly known as Raffaello Sanzio, not the Ninja Turtle), Italian Renaissance painter and architect. He died on his 37th birthday in 1520. The cause of his early demise, according to his biographer, was a night of excessive sex, after which he fell into a fever. Reluctant to tell his doctors that, he was given the wrong cure, which killed him.
2. In 1869, the first patent for plastic was issued. Celluloid was patented by John Wesley Hyatt, who discovered it while looking for a new way to make billiard balls.
3. The first Solar Eclipse was recorded by the Greeks this date in 648 BC. The Greek poet Archilochus wrote, "Zeus, the father of the Olympic Gods, turned mid-day into night, hiding the light of the dazzling Sun; and sore fear came upon men."
4. In 1327, the poet Petrarch (real name Francesco Petrarca), at the age of 22, noticed a beautiful married woman in the Church of Santa Clara, Avignon. He wrote 366 poems to her throughout his life, addressing her always as "Laura," never revealing her true identity.
5. In 1909, Robert E. Peary, Matthew A. Henson, and Inuits Ootah, Egingwah, Seegloo, and Ooqueah reached the North Pole. Henson was an African-American. The claim was disputed by sceptics, but upheld in 1989 by the Navigation Foundation, that they were indeed the first people in recorded history to reach the North pole.
6. The longest and possibly one of the shortest boxing matches in history both took place on this date. In 1893 Andy Bowen and Jack Burke boxed in St Louis for 7 hours and 19 minutes, or 111 rounds, and still ended in a tie. In 1900 James J Jeffries beat Jack Finnegan for the heavyweight boxing title in 55 seconds.
7. In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games, revived by Baron de Coubertin, began in Athens. The first gold medal was won by American James Connolly, who covered 44 feet, 11 and three-quarter inches in the triple jump.
8. This date in 6 BC is believed by some Biblical scholars to be the actual date of the historical birth of Jesus Christ.
9. In 1999, a life size waxwork of Adolph Hitler in full Nazi uniform was stolen from the Criminals Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls Canada. No reward was offered.
10. In 1996, 75 polo ponies stampeded at Windsor after a fire in the stables. The Duke of York helped the police and the army in the four-hour operation to recapture them.

The Power of Love

Willow believes in crystal healing, cosmic  ordering  and the significance of chance  encounters. She believes there's a spiritual  explanation for everything. Except she struggles to find a reason why she can turn herself into  mist and create a wave of energy which can slam a would-be mugger into a wall. Or why the love of  her life left her for a mysterious woman in sunglasses, who then disappeared without trace.  

A chance encounter with Firebolt, leader of the Freedom League superhero team, in a Glastonbury coffee shop, does turn out to be significant. He offers her a new start and the chance to use her powers for good.

Servant is a Christian who has joined the Freedom League in order to use his teleporting power to serve God. He and Willow clash from the start, yet they are drawn inexorably to one another.

When Willow leaves the team abruptly for reasons unknown, Servant knows he must put her out of his mind and find a nice Christian girl to settle down with. He is about to propose to devout and straight-laced Ruth, when Willow returns and turns his entire world upside down.

Available from Amazon:

Paperback

Kindle