JUST imagine if, all of a sudden, hundreds of rugged, masterful men landed on our shores, knocked our blokes out of the way and whisked us women off into the sunset. Wouldn't it be great? There we'd all be, doing the dishes, hanging out the laundry, or draped over the ironing board on a drizzly afternoon and in they'd steam, these hunky fellas, eyes sparkling, muscles gleaming.

They would flip us over their shoulders and carry us off to the coast, where a line of waiting ships would transport us to a new life in a new land. It's the stuff of dreams.

Yet, back in the days before electricity, that very thing happened. Around AD900 to be precise, when Viking men rowed across the North Sea to Britain to pick up women.

Of course, that is common knowledge. But legend has it that these females were ill-treated. Mention the Vikings and the words "rape and pillage" spring to mind.

Now, however, that widely-held view is changing. Scientists have confirmed what historians have long suspected - Viking men had a soft spot for British females. And what may have started off as a trade in sex slaves almost certainly ended with Viking blokes and British women having children in stable family relationships. It has been suggested that the women may even have gone willingly.

If their lives were anything like those of women in the 21st century, I'm sure they did. Stuck with men who would rather watch a game of football or pop to the pub with their mates (in my husband's case, fiddle about in the garden) than go out for a romantic meal, most of us are dissatisfied to say the least.

I'll bet Viking men didn't whinge when they caught a cold or moan when they had to do a bit of DIY. They built their own transport, for heaven's sake.

Can you imagine the men of today making so much as a dodgy-looking raft to cross the Ouse, never mind a watertight vessel that could cross an ocean?

Healthy, fit, tanned, good with their hands - a hot-blooded Viking could come across and pluck me from the office any day. And if we admit it, we'd all love to be swept off our feet by a handsome stranger and start a new life in another country. Look at the success of the film Shirley Valentine.

I know today's Norsemen wouldn't be the same. They probably wouldn't be that far removed from the men we know. But, as long as they're tall, blonde (chances are they will be) and adventurous, I'm willing to surrender without a struggle.

I'm not overly keen on the idea of the longboat, however. Bit chilly to say the least, and none too comfortable. Something with Cunard stamped on the side would be a tad more welcoming. And I don't much fancy being picked up and hurled roughly over someone's shoulder.

Still, I would imagine modern-day Nords would be intelligent enough to realise that, with our appetites for junk food being what they are, car rental would be a lot easier.

Maybe it will happen. Maybe, as I write, thousands of Norsemen are plotting a repeat invasion. I hope so. My suitcase is packed and ready.

Old flames who rediscover each other after years apart have the best chance of wedded bliss, according to researchers at an American university.

Prince Charles is among the examples cited, having been romantically linked with Camilla Parker Bowles - then Camilla Shand - in his mid-twenties.

Based on my own previous relationships, I can't say I agree. Unless my exes have had personality transplants, I couldn't possibly live blissfully with any of them.

The theory can't possibly work for everyone - if old flames are that great in the first place, why do we ever move on?