Stormy Petrel Trivia Quiz

Answer: A bird and a pleasure boat

The storm petrel is the smallest of all sea birds and only comes in to land to breed. In the book, a nesting colony of these birds is on Seal Island, a tiny island visited by the heroine.

The "Stormy Petrel" is a boat hired by one of the two main male characters in the book. The other hires a boat called "Sea Otter".

Answer: Rose Fenemore

Rose Fenemore and her brother Crispin arranged to spend two weeks away together at the end of summer term. They chose a small Scottish island for the peace and quiet and bird life. The book is written from her perspective.

Camilla Haven is in "My Brother Michael", Kate Herrick is in "Rose Cottage" and Gianetta Brooke is in "Wildfire at Midnight". All three are books by Mary Stewart.

Answer: Writes Science Fiction books

Using the pen name of Hugh Templar, our heroine supplemented her income with her books. The book she was writing while on this holiday was about a team of space-travellers who had discovered a mirror image of the planet Earth on the other side of the Sun.

Answer: Ewen and Neil

Ewen Mackay let himself in with a key. He claimed to have thought that his parents still lived there, but he had been away for a few years and had not been in touch.

Neil Hamilton knocked on the door a short time later. He claimed to have been made homeless by the storm when his tent got blown away. He gave his name as John Parsons.

Our heroine left the two men downstairs and returned to her bed. Both men were gone when she got up the next day.

Answer: Archie

Archie McLaren drove the land-rover, the most advanced transport used on the island. He delivered people and goods.

Neil Hamilton owned Seal Island. Megan was one of the two students that were visiting the island. Hart, short for Hartley, Bagshaw arrived on the island with Crispin.

Answer: Train wreck

The sleeper train that Crispin travelled north on was derailed. Crispin helped rescue his fellow passengers, including Mr Bagshaw, from the carriage before it rolled away downhill. His ankle was injured some time during the accident and he was hospitalised for tests before being allowed to continue on his journey.

Answer: He was a property developer

Mr Bagshaw had met Ewen Mackay while in prison. Ewen Mackay had told him about the old lady who had recently died and whose house and surrounding grounds would be for sale. Hart Bagshaw was looking for a property to develop into a holiday resort and had put in a generous offer, site unseen.

Answer: No

Although Custom Officers arrived on the island to question Ewen Mackay about drug running, he was not arrested for it. He was arrested for stealing a pair of Purdy guns, among other items.

The owner of "Stormy Petrel" was involved with drugs, but there was no evidence that Ewen Mackay had been a party to it.

Answer: Macaroni cheese with bacon

Stargazy pie is a dish from Cornwall, the opposite end of UK. It is pilchards baked in a crust with the heads showing through.

Roast beef is a traditional Sunday dinner, not red squirrel. This answer was added because my favourite wrong answer to a question on FunTrivia is that the reason for the decline of the red squirrel in UK is due to it being used as a traditional Sunday dinner.

As our heroine was English, she was unlikely to make a dinner containing haggis, which is considered Scottish and traditionally eaten at New Year.

Macaroni cheese is what I refer to as a "cupboard meal". Our heroine fed four people at short notice and Hart Bradshaw said that it was the best meal that he had eaten in a long time, as well as his favourite.

Answer: That she and Neil are a couple

Although it is obvious to both Mr Bagshaw and her brother, Neil and Rose have not admitted their attraction for each other out loud. By the end of the book though, the couple are planning to meet up in Cambridge the following term, if they do not meet again on the island.