I had looked longingly in the holiday supplement of my Sunday Observer at the holiday of a lifetime. Six days at sea on the QE2 cruise liner, 3 days at the Waldorf Astoria in New York and a flight home on Concorde. It seemed an impossible dream but then my husband went to work as a doctor in Saudi Arabia.

The travel allowance was unbelievable and he could spend it as he wished.

My dream was coming true.

We travelled in First Class on the QE2 and were thoroughly spoilt by the staff as most of the other passengers in our section were rich, grumpy , demanding old people and we were young and fit in our early forties. The food and the entertainment was superb and we danced until midnight every night, winning all the spot prizes as no one else had the stamina to stay up that late.

The Waldorf Astoria was a bit too posh for both of us and despite lavish state rooms, our bedroom there was smaller than the one on the ship.The staff were snooty so we went to the local diner for our meals, all the while getting more excited about our trip home.

At last the day arrived and our yellow taxi took us to the JFK airport where we went to our special check in counter and then to the Concorde lounge. Unlimited drinks were on offer with delicious snacks. We couldn’t eat anything as we were so excited.

Soon it was time to board. The cabin interior seemed narrow compared to those of the wide bodied jets but two pairs of seats flanking the central aisle were plush and comfortable.

I’m sure the food was delicious, the wines wonderful, the table cutlery , plates and glasses top rate but, for me the best part of the flight was to find,in the seats opposite us, sat my idol, Robert Redford and his minder.

The three hour flight passed in what seemed like a blinking of the eye but I floated on air for the next three weeks.