years late.

Their first honeymoon bid flopped when Mr. Townsend was taken to hospital with stomach ulcers.

That was in 1965. But now the New Jersey couple have a second chance, thanks to Judy's mum, Mrs. Ruth Cox.

"She has paid for everything as a special gift for us,'' exclaimed Mrs.

Townsend, who arrived with her husband yesterday from Princeton.

"We have been really looking forward to Bermuda. It'll be our real honeymoon.'' It will also be a double celebration -- for Mrs. Townsend toasts her 49th birthday on Thursday.

The couple, who are here for a five-day visit, first flew to Bermuda over the Christmas of 1965.

Barely an hour after they arrived, Mr. Townsend was gripped by stomach pains and rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Said Mrs. Townsend: "The next time I saw him he was in a wheelchair. The doctor told me that I had nearly become a widow.

"I was told it was very lucky he hadn't died on the journey over to Bermuda.'' Mrs. Townsend said her husband, then just 20, had an ulcerated stomach.

The couple were students from the University of Florida and were under great strain.

"Wes was under a lot of pressure,'' said Mrs. Townsend, trying to explain the ulcers.

"He was in hospital for a month. He received 21 pints of blood, and major surgery followed.'' The ulcers may have been caused by a mystery illness during a visit to Africa, added Mrs. Townsend.

But she was full of praise for the local nurses and doctors, describing them as "absolutely wonderful''.

And she also paid tribute to a Mrs. Flood who put her up in a guest house while her husband recovered.

"I can't remember her full name, or where her house was, but she was terrific to me.

"She made the best French toast I have ever seen.'' Mrs. Townsend, now a teacher, recalled how her husband revived his childhood hobby of coin collecting to while away the hours.

He would sift through sacks of coins provided by the bank.

Unfortunately, when the couple left Bermuda they were unable to exchange the coins because the bank was shut.

"I realised that I would be paying our hotel bill in sacks full of halfpence!'' laughed Mrs. Townsend.