Gran survives 100ft plunge - with no seatbelt 

A North Yorkshire grandmother drove over a 100ft cliff while not wearing a seatbelt - and walked away without a scratch.Barbara Tyreman, 60, of Eskdaleside, near Whitby, was leaving her home when she accidentally hit the accelerator of her Mini.As she swerved to avoid another car, the Mini "flew" over the cliff and landed between two trees, reports the BBC.Mrs Tyreman, who runs a holiday lets business, said she was amazed when she realised she was uninjured.She said: "As I was reaching back for my seatbelt, my foot hit the accelerator and shot right across, quite fast, across the car park and down the drive, which is very long and steep."I was hurtling down the drive and I tried to put the brake on but for some reason I kept hitting the accelerator and just carried straight on."My daughter and granddaughter were in a car in front of me and I didn't want to hit them so I turned the car to the left and just flew, literally flew, and went over the cliff edge. It went down for about 100ft and the car came to a halt."I was sat in my car and realised I hadn't banged my head and my legs and arms and everything were still moving and I couldn't believe it."Firefighters had to cut Mrs Tyreman from the car and she was airlifted by helicopter to Scarborough Hospital, where she was X-rayed and given blood tests but released later with just a bruise on her arm.She said: "I just don't know how I'm alive, I'm very lucky, my life flashed before my eyes. I'm just happy that I'm here and I've got my family and everything."

Pensioner holidays in war zones

A Northumbrian pensioner has foresaken the delights of Saga holidays by taking up extreme tourism in the world's war zones.Gordon Moore, 75, from Hexham, has just returned from a tour of Iraq where he was in the first tourist group to visit since war broke out in 2003.The great grandfather ignored Foreign Office to go on the 17-night trip, spending his first night at the Sheraton Hotel, facing the square where the statue of Saddam Hussein fell.His stay in the country, still heavily monitored by international troops, follows four visits to Afghanistan, and trips to North Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon.The only reason he hasn't been to North Korea yet is he was the only one who signed up for the trip, reports the Daily Telegraph.Mr Moore's latest trip took him to Babylon and Basra, and none of the travelling group, including three other Brits, a Russian, two Americans and a Canadian, could get travel insurance.The former postmaster was greeted by the sound of a bomb blast within minutes of arriving, while the group had to pass more than a dozen checkpoints to reach the Green Zone (safe area) of Baghdad.Despite some 'hairy' moments, he said: "It was absolutely fascinating. Of course plenty of people think I'm absolutely mad for going, especially because of my age, but everyone is entitled to their opinion."I had a brilliant time. I did have to pinch myself a few times while I was there. I've seen the country on the news all these years, and you never think it will happen but there I was, standing in Iraq."Policeman would come over to you and ask what we were doing and why we were there, so we would say we were tourists, but they were puzzled, they didn't even know what they are."

World's biggest train set

German twin brothers have spent the last nine years painstakingly putting together the world's biggest train set.Housed in a previously empty Hamburg building, it covers 1,150 square metres and features almost six miles of track, but is still not complete.Frederick and Gerrit Braun, 41, have spent 500,000 hours and the equivalent of more than £8million working on it.Their creation is on display to the public and is so vast they have to employ more than 160 people just to show visitors around.Their 'Miniatur Wunderland' is split into six regions, including America, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Germany and the Austrian Alps.Each region boasts detailed models of some of the world's most famous landmarks.The American section is home to giant models of the Rocky Mountains and Mount Rushmore; the Swiss section has a mini-Matterhorn; and the Scandinavian part has a 4ft long passenger ship floating in a 'fjord'.The brothers estimate the enormous track will be completed in 2014, when it will cover more than 1,800 square metres and feature almost 13 miles of track.Today, their model railway comprises 700 trains with 10,000 carriages, 900 signals, 2,800 buildings and 160,000 individually designed figures.The scenery took 700kg of fake grass and 4,000kg of steel to build. Night and day is even replicated thanks to 250,000 lights.

Hero parrot saves tot

A parrot whose cries of alarm helped save the life of a choking girl in the US has been hailed a hero.Quaker parrot Willie has been awarded the Red Cross's Animal Lifesaver Award in Denver, Colorado.His histrionics alerted his owner, Megan Howard, who was baby-sitting the little girl last November.Incredibly, Willie squawked: "Mama, baby", and flapped his wings to get her attention, reports Sky News.Ms Howard returned to find the little girl, Hannah, already turning blue after choking on her breakfast.The carer saved Hannah by performing the Heimlich manoeuvre but said Willie was "the real hero".Hannah's mother, Samantha Kuusk, has admitted recounting the episode is still painful."The part where she turned blue is always when my heart drops no matter how many times I've heard it," she said."My heart drops in my stomach and I get all teary eyed."

The man who remembers everything

A Los Angeles man can recall almost everything he's ever done since the age of five.TV producer Bob Petrella, 58, remembers up to half the days of his own life in shockingly vivid detail.He was diagnosed with hyperthymestia, meaning overdeveloped memory, after putting himself forward for a study about memory at the University of California last year.The rare condition, also known as Super Autobiographical Memory, has been discovered in just four people around the world.Scientists are still baffled as to how and why it happens and no cases have yet been recorded in the UK.Mr Petrella recalls the day and date he first met a good friend, and all the conversations he's had on most days throughout the last 53 years.He first discovered his amazing talent at primary school, when he could pass every test easily without even revising.Mr Petrella, said: "I always had this amazing memory but I never liked to advertise it or boast to strangers."I remember things best when they interest me, whether that's sporting events, or historical or political dates, or just good days I've had in the past."He added: "I remember everyone's telephone number. I lost my cell phone on September 24, 2006. A lot of people would panic... But I didn't have any numbers in my cell phone because I have them stored in my head."