Silver Birches

When David Herrick receives an invitation to a reunion from a long forgotten acquaintance, his first reaction is to refuse. After all, he hasn't seen Jenny, Peter or the others since they were all a part of the same youth group two decades ago. Moreover, he isn't feeling very sociable since his wife Jessica died six months ago. But the invitation comes from Angela, one of his wife's oldest friends—and mysteriously, she has something for him from his beloved Jessica. Reluctant but curious, he makes his plans to visit Headly ManorWhen the friends gather, they no longer resemble the fresh-faced group of twenty years ago. Each member bears the weight of their own burden. One has been deserted by her husband, another has lost his faith and another is filled with anger and bile. Life hasn't been the sugar-coated existence they might have hoped for. As they have less than forty-eight hours with each other, they decide to be vulnerable and share their greatest fears, Will they have the courage to bare their souls? And if they do, how will such revelations be received? Will they find a way to lift each other up or will their burdens be too much to bear? This poignant, moving and sometimes disturbing story blends Adrian Plass' rich style of humor with his knack for addressing the deep issues we all face, such as faith, grief, love...and fear.

A small town has held on to their traditions and celebrates Christmas as if it were 100 years ago…which reporter Jake Logan finds surprisingly charming, but wonders if it’s too good to be true. Jake has traveled the world but never really felt at home, until he spends time in a town that has its own unique way of celebrating the holidays. The longer he stays, the more he comes to like the town, the people, and one charming B&B owner in particular. Lorna Sullivan has never met anyone like Jake, but she knows tourists don’t stay once the holidays are over. The more time she spends with Jake, the easier it is to wonder if this could be different…but there are secrets in every small town and this one could destroy their chance at happiness.

Part of an exciting series of sturdy, square-box 500-piece jigsaw puzzles from Flame Tree, featuring powerful and popular works of art. This new jigsaw will satisfy your need for a challenge, with the charming Silver Birches by Tom Thomson. This 500-piece jigsaw is intended for adults and children over 13 years. Not suitable for children under 3 years due to small parts. Finished Jigsaw size 490 x 360mm/13.3 x 14.2 ins. Thomas John Thomson was a Canadian artist active in the early 20th century. During his short career he produced roughly 400 oil sketches on small wood panels along with around 50 larger works on canvas. His works consist almost entirely of landscapes depicting trees, skies, lakes, and rivers.

"It's up to every single one of us to do our bit for wildlife, however small our gardens, and The Butterfly Brothers know just how that can be achieved." Alan Titchmarsh Join the rewilding movement and share your outdoor space with nature. We all have the potential to make the world a little greener. Wild Your Garden, written by Jim and Joel Ashton (aka "The Butterfly Brothers"), shows you how to create a garden that can help boost local biodiversity. Transform a paved-over yard into a lush oasis, create refuges to welcome and support native species, or turn a high-maintenance lawn into a nectar-rich mini-meadow to attract bees and butterflies. You don't need specialist knowledge or acres of land. If you have any outdoor space, you can make a difference to local wildlife, and reduce your carbon footprint, too. "Wildlife gardening is one of the most important things you can do as an individual for increasing biodiversity and mitigating the effects of climate change. From digging a pond to planting a native hedge, the Butterfly Brothers can help you every step of the way." Kate Bradbury

The quality of human life has been maintained and enhanced for generations by the use of trees and their products. In recent years, ever rising human population growth has put tremendous pressure on trees and tree products; growing awareness of the potential of previously unexploited tree resources and environmental pollution have both accelerated development of new technologies for tree propagation, breeding and improvement. Biotechnology of trees may be the answer to solve the problems which cannot be solved by conventional breeding methods. The combination of biotechnology and conventional methods such as plant propagation and breeding may be a novel approach to improving and multiplying in large number the trees and woody plants. So far, plant tissue culture technology has largely been exploited in the propagation of ornamental plants, especially foliage house plants, by com mercial companies. Generally, tissue culture of woody plants has been recal citrant. However, limited success has been achieved in tissue culture of angiosperm and gymnosperm woody plants. A number of recent reports on somatic embryogenesis in woody plants such as Norway spruce (Picea abies), Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), Sandalwood (Santalurn album), Citrus, Mango (Mangifera indica), etc. , offer a ray of hope of: a) inexpensive clonal propa gation for large-scale production of plants or "emblings" or "somatic embryo plants", b) protoplast work, c) cryopreservation, d) genetic transformation, and e) artificial or manufactured seed production.

The Second Edition of the Price of Water expands on the coverage of the first edition and ambitiously develops the theme of the proper management of river basins, both with respect to the control of rivers’ water quality and the defence of their quantitative flows from source to sea. Using the hydrosocial balance concept of the first edition, and the grand theory of catchment water deficits, a remarkable breakthrough is made in understanding how river flows are destroyed by human society. Drawing on extensive empirical research into the Kafue River Basin and the Thames River Basin, it is shown that the exhaustion of river flows that we see on a world-wide scale can be explained by just five measurable ‘drivers’ to basin surplus and basin deficit. Moreover, by specifying the key drivers and measuring their value, the basis is provided for economic, engineering and land management strategies that will reverse river basin destruction. Bringing together 20 papers previously published in refereed journals, The Price of Water provides information that many readers would not otherwise have been able to access to through their professional and academic libraries. The scope of the book is broad, dealing with a diverse range of subjects such as regional and catchment planning and integrated water resources management. Topics considered include: both water quantities and qualities drought management the "virtual water" controversy farmers water-rights the economic demand for water the design of abstraction charges the cost and use of irrigation water the design of effluent charges the "willingness-to-pay" methodology catchment water deficits water resource impacts of new property construction water leakage impact on river basins managing water quality within EC directives.

The last time Esther Wilding’s beloved older sister Aura was seen, she was walking along the shore towards the sea. In the wake of Aura’s disappearance, Esther’s family struggles to live with their loss.