It was as if I had privately discovered life on another planet or a parallel universe where life was at once recognizably similar but entirely different. I can't tell you how exciting it was. Insofar as I had accumulated my expectations of Australia at all in the intervening years I had thought of it as a kind of alternative southern California a place of constant sunshine & the cheerful vapidity of a beach lifestyle but with a slightly British bent
- a sort of Baywatch with cricket...' Of course what greeted Bill Bryson was something rather different. Australia is a country that exists on a vast scale. It is the world's sixth largest country & its largest isl&. It is the only island that is also a continent & the only continent that is also a country. It is the driest flattest hottest most desiccated infertile & climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents & still it teems with life
- a large proportion of it quite deadly. In fact Australia has more things that can kill you in a very nasty way than anywhere else. This is a country where even the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you out with a toxic nip where seashells will not just sting you but actually sometimes go for you. If you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistable currents or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. Ignoring such dangers
- yet curiously obsessed by them
- Bill Bryson journeyed to Australia & promptly fell in love with the country. & who can blame him? The people are cheerful extrovert quick-witted & unfailingly obliging; their cities are safe & clean & nearly always built on water; the food is excellent; the beer is cold & the sun nearly always shines. Life doesn't get much better than this.



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Emmy Carter's mother is a prostitute
- & her life has made Emmy determined to avoid the same fate. But Emmy is beautiful so attracts
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Culled from the Down Beat" archives this work

Includes:: in-depth interviews with literally every great

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The first volume of Bernard Donoughue's Downing Street Diary was described by Charles Moore in the Daily Telegraph as 'the best account of Harold Wlson's last days'; 'the sheer scale & detail are fascinating' wrote Peter Riddell in the Times Literary Supplement. This second volume covers the three years 1976-79 when Donoughue was Senior Policy Advisor to James Callaghan. At first Callaghan quickly established dominance over his cabinet & restored calm after the plots & scandals of the later Wilson years. His incomes policy reduced inflation & in the teeth of opposition from the left wing he negotiated the notorious IMF loan at the expense of eliminating some of Labour's most cherished dreams. By 1978 Callaghan a politician of great patriotism & decency seemed to have succeeded in steering Britain into calmer waters. But then the storm broke. Trade union militants brushed aside their mediocre leaders & launched a ferocious attack on Callaghan's pay policy driving up inflation & demonstrating the government's impotence. In the diaries we see the prime minister & the government paralysed as the ' Winter of Discontent' began to bite & politics took to the streets. As Labour drifted to inevitable defeat in the 1979 election we see Callaghan fighting honourably. From the smoke of battle there emerges a striking new leader: Margaret Thatcher. The diaries describe vividly both the decline & final collapse of 'old' Labour & how Mrs Thatcher took the opportunity to launch her crusade to dismantle trade union power & much of the British public sector. Besides James Callaghan the chief figures in this volume of Lord Donoughue's diaries are Roy Jenkins Denis Healey Tony Crosland Michael Foot Shirley Williams David Owen & Tony Benn. ...

This first volume of Margaret Thatcher's memoirs which encompasses the entirety of her career as Prime Minister. Margaret Thatcher was the towering figure of late-twentieth-century British politics. This is the story of her remarkable life in her own words. This first volume of her memoirs is a riveting first-hand portrait of the events & personalities of her eleven years in power. She recalls the triumphs & the critical moments of her premiership
- the Falklands War the miners' strike the Brighton bomb the Westland Affair & her unprecedented three election victories. Her judgements of the men & women she encountered whether world statesmen or Cabinet colleagues are astonishingly frank. She is lavish with her praise; devastating with her criticism. The book reaches a gripping climax with an hour-by-hour description from inside 10 Downing Street of her dramatic final days in office. Margaret Thatcher's compelling account stands as a powerful testament to her influential legacy. Although ' The Downing Street Years' is not available as an ebook the ebook ' Margaret Thatcher: The Autobiography' (ISBN 978-0-00-741694-3) comprises abridged versions of this & the first volume of Thatcher's memoirs ' The Path to Power'.
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Immerse yourself in Julian Fellowes multi-award-winning drama. The full scripts of Series One include previously unseen dialogue & drama. Downton Abbey has become a national phenomenon & the most successful British drama of our time. Created by Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes the first series delighted viewers & reviewers alike with stellar performances ravishing costumes & a gripping plot. Set in a grand country house during the late Edwardian era the first series of Downton Abbey follows the lives of the Crawley family upstairs & their servants downstairs as they approach the announcement of the First World War. Julian Fellowes succeeds in not only entertaining his audience with a combination of sustained storylines & sharp one-liners but also in delivering a social commentary of British life. The Series 1 scripts give readers the opportunity to read the work in more detail & study the characters pace & themes in depth. With an introduction & commentary from Julian Fellowes this is an invaluable insight into how he researched & crafted the world of Downton Abbey. ...

The fantastic Shapeshifter series continues with Dax & his friends settling into their new secret hideaway in the Lake District. The whole place has been fortified so that the Children of Limitless Ability won't ever be under threat again. After dodging death once too often for his liking Dax is looking forward to a quieter time
- building a treehouse in the grounds & shifting to a fox or a falcon & exploring the countryside. But all is not well in the spirit world
- strange messages are coming through & Dax Gideon Lisa & Mia must once again join forces. Could the messages be coming from Luke & Catherine Gideon's dead brother & sister? Perhaps they're even still alive? In which case they have to rescue Luke from Catherine's evil clutches
- but is Dax really a match for her?


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His credentials are impeccable the results are astonishing Daily Mail Back pain is the major reason for sick leave in this country & its reaching epidemic proportions. Dr Alis unique integrated programme gives a fascinating new perspective on back pain & helps people to prevent & treat themselves through diet exercise massage & realigning posture. His approach considers the whole body & the mind rather than treating the back by itself. As he says A healthy spine depends on a healthy lifestyle. Equally your general health can be affected by your back so keeping it strong & supple is essential. The spine is strong but needs special care. Dr Alis revolutionary programme
Includes::--massage techniques for individual muscles--yoga Alexander Technique & Pilates--sleep positions & patterns--posture in daily life--diet & nutrition Dr Ali also provides sound & helpful advice on professional manipulation acupuncture & Ayurvedic oil massage.
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If you want to lose weight or keep the weight off Dr Atkins Diet Planner is specifically designed to guide you through the process. It ensures you can chart what you eat each day & helps you keep a daily carb count. It shows you how to track your success as well as retrace your steps when you've temporarily gone astray (and let's face it we all make mistakes!) It will help you to pinpoint the foods which are getting in the way of you reaching your target & will also enable you to explore emotions & other lifestyle issues that may have a bearing on your relationship with food. Dr Atkins Diet Planner
Includes::--120 day plan for counting carbs & tracking supplements water intake & exercise--Weekly pages for weighing in rating your progress confronting challenges & recording your feelings--Guidelines for success in each phase--Advice on setting up an Atkins-friendly kitchen--Shopping lists--Tips for eating out
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With images of protests last trains & the subsequent dereliction Julian Holland presents a vivid picture of this dramatic & drastic shake-up of Britain's railways. Julian Holland's Dr Beeching's Axe 50 Years On is a unique memorial to all that was lost following the publication of the ' Beeching Report' on 27 March 1963. Across the land railways were ripped up & communities were broken apart. Vast regions of England Scotland & Wales were left without a railway link to the outside world. Skilled railwaymen who for generations had loyally given their all to the 'company' were tossed aside for the sake of a politically motivated love affair with road transport. There was never any joined up thinking (' Integrated transport?' ' What's that?') it was never properly thought through & our country has suffered ever since
- witness the near gridlock on our motorways. Uniquely the author has tried to include every railway line that was closed as a result of the ' Beeching Report' & more. They are all shown on Map 9 in Part 2 of the ' Report' & have been annotated for clarity at the beginning of each regional chapter in the book. Needless to say it is not plain sailing: there are lines that were marked for closure on the maps but were closed before publication of the ' Report'; there are lines that were not originally on Beeching's original hit list but which were closed anyway; there are lines that were originally marked down for closure but which were fortunately reprieved. There are even one or two which seem to have not existed at all! The author has included them all.
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