These are some great books that I bought for myself just after Christmas.
The Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman. I watched the TV programme of their adventures and very much enjoyed it. (I wrote about their first similar adventure, The Long Way Round in 2004 on a recent post)
They travel by motor bike and this journey of 15,000 miles from John O’Groats in the North of Scotland to Cape Agul in South Africa takes them through 18 countries. The terrain is tough, the people are friendly – they have nothing but give what they have.
They met former child soldiers in Uganda, mine affected children in Ethiopia and had close encounters with families of Gorillas in Rwanda and they were nearly trampled by a herd of elephants in Botswana.
Ewan and Charlie are very involved with UNICEF so they incorporate this with their travels
Saving Planet Earth by Tony Juniper
Again this was a TV series about how the human race is changing g planet earth
How to Read an English Garden by Andrew Eburne and Richard Taylor
Apparently gardens are among the fastest growing visitor attractions today
In the UK alone 15 million people will visit a garden this year
The book provides an account of different elements of gardens of all ages and origins of design. It brings historic and modern gardens to life. For example why mazes are a common feature in English gardens.
The Nature of Britain by Alan Titchmarsh A celebration of our landscapes and wildlife
Again I watched the TV series
For its size Britain has an enormously diverse range of natural environments from mountains. Forests, lakes, fenlands and downs. Thousands of rivers and streams flow through moor land and woodland, heath and meadow to its 10,000 miles of coastline. The book surveys landscapes chapter by chapter including towns and cities.(It’s hard to imagine we have 10,000 miles of coastline for such a small country but it is made up of many harbours and inlets)
While mentioning this I wonder how many people know that Great Britain is made up of well over 6,000 islands
In My Father’s House by Miranda Seymour (autobiography)
George Seymour, Miranda’s Father was obsessed with Thrumpton Hall from a young age until he bought it.
This is an autobiography and family memoir – the house took priority and everything else was
The Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman. I watched the TV programme of their adventures and very much enjoyed it. (I wrote about their first similar adventure, The Long Way Round in 2004 on a recent post)
They travel by motor bike and this journey of 15,000 miles from John O’Groats in the North of Scotland to Cape Agul in South Africa takes them through 18 countries. The terrain is tough, the people are friendly – they have nothing but give what they have.
They met former child soldiers in Uganda, mine affected children in Ethiopia and had close encounters with families of Gorillas in Rwanda and they were nearly trampled by a herd of elephants in Botswana.
Ewan and Charlie are very involved with UNICEF so they incorporate this with their travels
Saving Planet Earth by Tony Juniper
Again this was a TV series about how the human race is changing g planet earth
How to Read an English Garden by Andrew Eburne and Richard Taylor
Apparently gardens are among the fastest growing visitor attractions today
In the UK alone 15 million people will visit a garden this year
The book provides an account of different elements of gardens of all ages and origins of design. It brings historic and modern gardens to life. For example why mazes are a common feature in English gardens.
The Nature of Britain by Alan Titchmarsh A celebration of our landscapes and wildlife
Again I watched the TV series
For its size Britain has an enormously diverse range of natural environments from mountains. Forests, lakes, fenlands and downs. Thousands of rivers and streams flow through moor land and woodland, heath and meadow to its 10,000 miles of coastline. The book surveys landscapes chapter by chapter including towns and cities.(It’s hard to imagine we have 10,000 miles of coastline for such a small country but it is made up of many harbours and inlets)
While mentioning this I wonder how many people know that Great Britain is made up of well over 6,000 islands
In My Father’s House by Miranda Seymour (autobiography)
George Seymour, Miranda’s Father was obsessed with Thrumpton Hall from a young age until he bought it.
This is an autobiography and family memoir – the house took priority and everything else was
secondary
I buy a lot of books and am certainly not going to put myself under the pressure of posting on all of them but I will post on some on occasion
The River at the Centre of the World by Simon Winchester
This book charts a journey up the Yangtze River and back in Chinese time
The others are all novels
The Jigsaw Maker – Adrienne Dines
The Weight of Water – Anita Shreve
Excess Baggage – Judy Astley
The Triumph of Katie Byrne – Barbara Taylor Bradford
Out of the Blue – Charlotte Bingham
Just Between Us – Cathy Kelly
Always and Forever – Cathy Kelly
Love and Devotion - Erica James
P.S. I Love You – Cecelia Ahern
I also bought 2 new C.D.'s just after Christmas
both of these are 'boy bands' with a difference
are 4 talented singers who have had much experience on the Broadway and West End Musical stage before coming together to form a group
They are all classically trained and have a lifetime of musical background
Blake www.blakeofficial.com are again 4 very experienced and talented singers
They have backgrounds in classical, opera, choir and much more
Their paths having crossed when they were young they came together again through Facebook and decided to form a group. They come from upper class backgrounds, one of them having sung for the Queen at her 80th birthday party
I think both these groups have voices that blend so well and I am thoroughly enjoying them
I have included both websites where you can hear them sing and read their biographies which are very interesting ENJOY

