I'm in helicopter heaven

New Year's Resolution? To write this blog every 48 hours.

And the first thing I'm over the moon about this year is the news that the Penzance helicopter service will still be running from the town to the Scillies rather than from Land's End aerodrome.

Purely selfish reasons of course. It’s all about the view from the window, particularly on the way back from the isles.

On a fine evening you are treated to amazing views every rotor sweep of the way – like this one of the coast near Porthcurno.

The headland you see is called Treryn Dinas - which is where you can find Cornwall’s famous Logan Rock. It's a bit of a climb if you don’t have a helicopter, but well worth doing, especially in a gale when the massive piece of granite sways very slightly on its pivot. If you sit on it you are treated to a sensation that I can only describe as gentle-earthquake.

It was Lieutenant Hugh Goldsmith (the poet's nephew) who wobbled the great stone from its perch in April 1824. Although it only dropped three feet, it was an act of vandalism that got him into a good deal of trouble. Even back then the rock was so well known that two local guides enjoyed a living taking people out to see it sway.

The disgraced Goldsmith offered to make good by returning the stone to its rocking place. Preparations took months and the Admiralty became involved. Eventually, in front of a crowd of thousands, engineers and 60 St. Just men ("who did little but drink beer") managed to haul the rock back to its perch. You can still see rusting evidence of all this manoeuvring today and the operation cost what was a then staggering £130.

Clever though the feat was, they could never get it exactly to the place where you could push it with a finger tip. It does wobble though. Three of us got it rocking.

"I reckon I could work out a way..." began my blacksmith brother Dominic.

I hauled him away quick – but such are the memories I enjoy when taking the trip back on the helicopter from the Fortunate Isles.