One of the revelations of William Shawcross's official biography of the Queen Mother was her private correspondence. Indeed the Sunday Times described her letters as 'wonderful.. .brimful of liveliness & irreverence steeliness & sweetness.' Queen Elizabeth was a prolific correspondent from her earliest childhood & her letters offer readers a vivid insight into the person behind the public face. They reveal
- in her own words
- the little girl writing to her family; the young woman who eventually accepted Prince Albert's proposal; the Duchess of York embracing the public role demanded of her on royal tours both at home & abroad. They reveal too her shock when she & her husband realized that he would become King the dreadful toll exacted by the Second World War culminating in the King's tragically early death & her determination to find a role for herself during her long widowhood. Full of wit acute observation & a deeply held sense of duty Queen Elizabeth's letters offer a chronicle not only of her long life but of the twentieth century.

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In Country Jasper Conran uses his own experiences & the landscapes & homes that are familiar to him to portray a seductive way of life. The allure of the countryside has a universal aspiration. How do we achieve the dream? It is not about spending money or prescribing to a certain style it is about appreciation self-expression & getting back to the root of what makes us tick. Moving from one season to the next from interior to exterior from detail to landscape this is life as it is actually lived in the countryside today. It is one mans vision that informs by captivating the senses & the imagination. Country is realistic full of ideas & completely engrossing
- a book to spend time with. Beautifully conceived beautifully photographed & beautifully written Country is a new kind of lifestyle book
- it means that you can live the dream.

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London Transports Country Buses provided services in the outer London area & part of the Home Counties extending to an approximate 25 mile radius from central London. Upon its formation in 1933 the London Passenger Transport Board faced the task of acquiring many independent operators in the Country area restructuring the route network & dealing with the great variety of vehicle types. In the following years London Transport designed a range of new buses for these services & built a number of well-equipped garages. The Second World War saw a vast expansion of services with many new routes serving the needs of war workers. After the war a start was made in replacing the war weary fleet & a number of new routes in rural areas were established. This first volume of the book tells the story from the origins of the Country area in the early 1920s until the end of 1949. ...

Why is the country cooking of France so compelling & why does it exert such fascination & evoke so much respect? The answer lies in the terroir of its pays (regions) the fresh produce & specialty foods that are unique to each area & are then transformed into such traditional favourites as Soupeau Pistou & Choucroute Alsacienne. Anne Willan is well known for her highly respected cooking school in France La Varenne founded thirty years ago as well as her many best-selling cookbooks. She combines her years of experience writing about French cuisine with extensive research hands-on experience & a deep appreciation of the current culinary trends in France to create this classic cookbook. ...

Country Cottage Quilting Learn how to make gorgeous quilting patchwork applique & sewing projects with Country Cottage Quilting from bestselling author & fabric designer Lynette Anderson. Lynette's country cottage garden provides the inspiration for this collection of 15 beautiful projects from quick-to-stitch applique designs that make ideal gifts to larger wall hangings & bed-sized quilt patterns. The stunning designs combine charming hand embroidery with traditional patchwork & quilting techniques. Beautiful fabrics warm colours & a homely feel are enhanced by a book design that captures Lynette's heart-warming quirky style. Inside Country Cottage Quilting: Patchwork & Applique Projects
- 15 projects for you to make at home from quilts & cushions to wall hangings scissor keepers & sewing cases. Techniques
- all the sewing patchwork & applique techniques you need to know to make the projects. In this chapter you will learn about sewing seams pressing work needle-turn applique English paper piecing how to make yo yos how to quilt & more & you will also find a comprehensive guide to all of the embroidery stitches that Lynette uses.

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I thought of life's many bounties to have known the extremities of joy & sorrow love crossed love & unrequited love success & failure fame & slaughter to have read in the newspapers that as a writer I was past my sell-by date yet regardless to go on writing & reading to be lucky enough to live in these two intensities that have buttressed my whole life. Born in Ireland in 1930 & driven into exile after publication of her controversial first novel The Country Girls" O' Brien has created a body of work which bears comparison with the very best writers of the twentieth century. In " Country Girl" we come face to face with literary life of high drama & contemplation. & along the way there are encounters with Hollywood giants pop stars & literary titans
- all of whom lend this life so gorgeously sometimes painfully remembered here a terrible poignancy. In prose which sparkles with the effortless gifts of a master in her ninth decade Edna O' Brien has recast her life with the imaginative insight of a poet. It is a book of unfathomable depths & honesty."
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I thought of life's many bounties to have known the extremities of joy & sorrow love crossed love & unrequited love success & failure fame & slaughter to have read in the newspapers that as a writer I was past my sell-by date yet regardless to go on writing & reading to be lucky enough to live in these two intensities that have buttressed my whole life. Born in Ireland in 1930 & driven into exile after publication of her controversial first novel The Country Girls" O' Brien has created a body of work which bears comparison with the very best writers of the twentieth century. In " Country Girl" we come face to face with literary life of high drama & contemplation. & along the way there are encounters with Hollywood giants pop stars & literary titans
- all of whom lend this life so gorgeously sometimes painfully remembered here a terrible poignancy. In prose which sparkles with the effortless gifts of a master in her ninth decade Edna O' Brien has recast her life with the imaginitive insight of a poet. It is a book of unfathomable depths & honesty."
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It is the early 1960s in a country village in Irel&. Caithleen Brady & her attractive friend Baba are on the verge of womanhood & dreaming of spreading their wings in a wider world; of discovering love & luxury & liquor & above all fun. With bawdy innocence shrewd for all their inexperience the girls romp their way through convent school to the bright lights of Dublin
- where Caithleen finds that suave idealised lovers rarely survive the real world
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John Humphreys was an enthusiast & great ambassador for the countryside its people ethics & sports & his friendly manner enabled him to connect immediately with all he met across the whole strata of life. As one of the shooting communitys foremost writers & a best-loved character his boundless knowledge & enthusiasm were beautifully communicated in his weekly Country Gun column for Shooting Times. Packed with a gloriously random selection of his finest shooting articles this beautifully produced volume is the perfect gift for the countryman. ...

Country house kitchen gardens were designed as perfect 'grown your own' environments & ensured that many households were supplied with their own fruit & vegetables throughout the year. This book offers an insight into the digging & sowing of these gardens as well as exploring how walled gardens contributed towards a sustainable lifestyle & often were a source of not just food but also natural medicines. A wealth of contemporary illustrations material from archives gardening manuals seed catalogues engravings & other documents paint a vivid picture of the country house kitchen garden & its development over three & a half centuries. This delightful book recounts an important part of our historic houses & their national heritage
- to be enjoyed by gardeners & non-gardeners alike. ' Fascinating to read' The Garden
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