Who is Radio 4's 'fourteen-stone budgie'? How did Phyllis Willis & Mavis Davis make announcer Charlotte Green lose her cool? What does ' Ruth' really think about The Archers? When did Today stop having a keep-fit spot? & who was the Spam Fritter Man & what became of him? This wonderful history-cum-guide answers these & many other questions about the irreplaceable world of Radio 4. It is an essential reading for every devotee. ...

Peter Jefferson presented the Shipping Forecast for over 40 years & his familiar voice continues to be heard reading"ations on Radio 4s"e/ Unquote". This book is both an affectionate memoir & an account of the science behind the forecast: Peter explains how it came about who collects all the information & what its like to read this bulletin. Even though the information in the forecast is now readily available in many formats the Shipping Forecast is something of a must listen A" for fans gathered over the decades. For reasons not quite understood it has become a much-loved part of the British cultural landscape with an avid following of listeners who find its poetry is the perfect cure for insomnia." ...

Thousands of visitors go to the Italian Chapel in Orkney every year witnesses to a series of remarkable acts of transformation. Among these are the Churchill Barriers nearby straddling the ocean to link a number of Orkneys southernmost islands to its mainl&. Constructed to protect Britains naval fleet in Scapa Flow during World War Two its builders included a group of Italian soldiers imprisoned in this bleak & windswept part of Scotl&. In the course of this they not only played a part in changing Orkneys way-of-life forever but also transformed a simple Nissen Hut constructing through their labours a place-of-worship that still stands till this day a remarkable symbol of their identity & faith. & On This Rock tells the story of the strength & tenacity laughter & tears of the men who built the Italian Chapel showing how spirits defeated & despondent during years of exile were lifted by its creation. It does this with its own artistry & grace using folk-tale & myth to provide a fitting counterpart to the wonder & beauty of the building that inspired it. ...

Those who read or listen to our stories see everything as though through a lens. This lens is the secret of narration & it is ground anew in every story ground between the temporal & the timeless.. . In our brief mortal lives we are grinders of these lenses. When John Berger wrote this apparently unclassifiable book it was to become a sensation translated into nine languages & indelible from the minds of those who read it. This stunning work is a shoebox filled with delicate love letters containing poetry & thoughts on mortality art love & absence capturing moments in time that hover above Bergers surprising landscapes. From his lyrical description of the works of Caravaggio & profound explorations of death & immigration to the sight of some lilac at dusk in the mountains this is a beautiful & most intimate response to the world around us. ...

Caro London presents 30 sewing projects for both nightwear & accessories. With items for both adults & children all with beautifully illustrated step-by-step instructions you'll be spoilt for choice. In the summer the pleated camisole & shorts set will be perfect for balmy nights as will the frilled strappy nightdress & the holiday kaftan is beautiful enough to be worn day or night. Meanwhile in colder seasons wrap up in the kimono with taffeta trim or go for the classic long-sleeved shirt & matching trousers. Young girls will love the vintage lace nightdress while for boys there's a traditional pyjama set. Why not make one of the gorgeous accessories
- a cosy hot water bottle cover or a bolster bed cushion? Or try one of the smaller items such as a travel jewellery roll or a fabric headband that can be worn with your favourite outfit as well as in the bathroom. If you're not an experienced sewer fear not as the comprehensive techniques section will explain everything you need to know. Also included are full-size patterns & templates for all the projects.
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In April 1993 Stephen Lawrence was murdered by a group of young white men on a street in South-East London. From the first police investigation onwards the case was badly mishandled. In the end long after the case against the five suspects had been dropped the government had to give in to mounting pressure & hold a public inquiry which became the most explosive in British legal history. These facts leave the reader unprepared for Doreen Lawrence's own story of her son's murder. In this raw honest book she writes about her life for the first time & recreates the pain frustration & bafflement she experienced as she realised that there would never be a moment when she could say to herself that justice had been done. ...

When Argentinian World Cup winners Ricky Villa & Ossie Ardiles were unveiled as Tottenham Hotspurs new signings in the summer of 1978 it was one of the most sensational transfer coups English football had ever seen. The pair were an instant success. Ossie claimed the limelight with his wonderful control & comedy English but when Ricky dribbled his way round half the Manchester City team to score the greatest FA Cup final goal ever in 1981 he swerved his way into the hearts of the nation & a permanent place in English football folklore. Never truly comfortable speaking in English for the first time
- with the help of co-author & translator Federico Ardiles (Ossies son)
- Ricky Villa is able to tell his story. From his childhood growing up on a farm in rural Argentina playing alongside teenage sensation Diego Maradona for Argentina to the dark early days after arriving in London when he was unable to communicate & suffered serious depression through to the elation of scoring that wonder goal at Wembley. Ricky also talks about the pain of being caught between two countries he loved during the Falklands conflict as well as his experiences as a member of Argentinas 1978 World Cup squad which won a tournament tainted ever since with allegations of bribery & intimidation by Argentinas ruling military Junta.

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On 14th April 1912 the Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage & sank. Fifteen hundred passengers & crew lost their lives. As the order to abandon ship was given the orchestra took their instruments on deck & continued to play. They were still playing when the ship went down. The violinist 21 year-old Jock Hume knew that his fiancee Mary was expecting their first child the authors mother. One hundred years later Christopher Ward reveals a dramatic story of love loss & betrayal & the catastrophic impact of Jocks death on two very different Scottish families. He paints a vivid portrait of an age in which class determined the way you lived
- & died. An outstanding piece of historical detective work & THE BAND PLAYED ON is also a moving account of how the authors quest to learn more about his grandfather revealed the shocking truth about a family he thought he knew a truth that had been hidden for nearly a hundred years.
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On 14th April 1912 the Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage & sank. Fifteen hundred passengers & crew lost their lives. As the order to abandon ship was given the orchestra took their instruments on deck & continued to play. They were still playing when the ship went down. The violinist 21 year-old Jock Hume knew that his fianc?e Mary was expecting their first child the authors mother. One hundred years later Christopher Ward reveals a dramatic story of love loss & betrayal & the catastrophic impact of Jocks death on two very different Scottish families. He paints a vivid portrait of an age in which class determined the way you lived
- & died. An outstanding piece of historical detective work & THE BAND PLAYED ON is also a moving account of how the authors quest to learn more about his grandfather revealed the shocking truth about a family he thought he knew a truth that had been hidden for nearly a hundred years.
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So then. You want a story & I will tell you one... Afghanistan 1952. Abdullah & his sister Pari live with their father & stepmother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father Saboor is constantly in search of work & they struggle together through poverty & brutal winters. To Abdullah Pari
- as beautiful & sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named
- is everything. More like a parent than a brother Abdullah will do anything for her even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot their heads touching their limbs tangled. One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari & Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the h&. Crossing generations & continents moving from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos with profound wisdom depth insight & compassion Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us & shape our lives the ways in which we help our loved ones in need how the choices we make resonate through history & how we are often surprised by the people closest to us.

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