Hail to thee, Blithe Spirit, bird thou never wert...
Delicious ! This is the "Best Show in Town" - and can brighten a dull day. If you're new to this Thread, prepare to discard any notion of reality and enter a world in which Baron Munchausen, the Captain of Kopernick, Don Quixote and Walter Mitty would be perfectly at home.
Essentially, this is a "Perils of Pauline" serial, the twist being that Pauline is/was in no peril whatsoever (except of that of Being Found Out). What adds spice to the story is that Persons in High Positions, Large and Important Companies and Organisations (and the Royal Navy, too !) have hitched their wagon to this "star".......Now read on (and back !) and enjoy.
Pauline's enthralled audience are agog for the dénouement, which surely must come soon. Wait for it !
Danny42C.
PS:
I confidently predict that the Moderators will strangle this Post at birth (or as soon as it is brought to their notice) and may even excommunicate me altogether. In a spirit of true Christian charity I forgive them in advance, for they may be in the grip of force majeure. D.