Diana Ferguson – författare

This delightful book takes the reader on a journey into the weird and wonderful world of nursery rhymes. Offering a selection of more than 100 of our best-loved and widely known rhymes, it delves beneath the surface of the verses to interpret their meaning and reveal their historical origins. The rhymes you’ll find here are instantly recognizable and provide a comforting link to our past, however the stories behind them are often unknown and always fascinating – frequently telling the stories of true historical events from a time when the printing press was still a thing of the future and news was passed around verbally.With rhymes on topics ranging from the weather to the stars, journeys to sums and food and drink to wise ways, each chapter presents the full and best-known version of the rhyme, followed by an explanation of its meaning and origins, along with the wider references the rhymes make to such topics as foods and culinary customs, historical events or archetypes of folk and fairy tales. Whether you’re a lover of nursery rhymes or more of a history buff, there is lots in this book for all to enjoy.

Packed full of the age-old wisdom and expertise of generations of gardeners, who used their down-to-earth and practical experience to create beautiful, productive and useful gardens without spending a fortune.Behind every beautiful garden is the skill and experience of the gardener who tends it. How do you know which plants will thrive in your patch, given the bewildering array on offer? How do you know what soil and location they will like? And what do you do about all those pests just waiting to tuck in, not to mention the fungal diseases that suddenly turn your rose leaves from glossy green to blotchy yellow and coat other leaves with a powdery white dust? Just how do you tackle these gardening challenges, while being eco friendly at the same time? This is where Old Wives’ Lore for Gardeners comes in. Packed within its pages is all the age-old wisdom of generations of gardeners, people who knew a thing or two about plants. They lived before the days of chemical pesticides and concocted kitchen-cupboard remedies to treat pests and diseases. They gardened organically – although they wouldn’t have called it that – because there was no other choice on offer. With a wealth of savvy and cost-effective tips and advice, intriguing facts, snippets of history and quotes, Old Wives’ Lore for Gardeners is not only a fascinating read but also an invaluable guide to the gardening practices of old, which are as relevant today as they have ever been.

Meet ghastly beasts, shapeshifting spirits, deadly demons and terrible trolls.A legendary adventure through the fantastical world of monsters. From the ten-headed demon, Ravana to the headless goddess Coatlicue, all sorts of magnificent monsters are brought to life from across the globe and many different cultures.Fascinating facts accompany each illustration so you can find out how to defeat a flying head, what will protect you from tiny tokoloshe and which ancient Greek monster can turn you to stone.