I grow a lot of Lupins, Delphiniums, Poppies and Peonies, all of which suffer badly in the event we get a lot of rain. So, that means most years the likelihood is that the plants will be damaged by rain. Having been caught out badly last year, I decided to take preventative action this year and have already placed several of these frames around the tender emerging shoots of plants.

The frames are strong and it was easy to insert the rods a couple of inches into the soil. They feel nicely anchored. I placed the frames around the plants whilst they were still quite small so that they could grow into the frame rather than risk too much damage by trying to manipulate longer growth inside the rings. At the moment the frames are quite visible although they will soon disappear as the plants grow more. I will use some single stem supports for some of the higher/heavier blooms as a further safeguard but these provide a good, stable framework from which to (hopefully) prevent some of the extreme damage one downpour caused to my plants last year. I selected these 24" frames for smaller stemmed plants such as the Delphiniums and Poppies; for Peonies and Lupins, I found the 30" version more suitable.

It is ironic to think that the individual who pulled the trigger that led to 16 million deaths died of the Flu. Perhaps more so given that it was probably the Spanish Flu - a consequence of the mass movement of people caused by the First World War.

Cause and effect, chain reactions, the laws of unintended consequences. Clark sets out how the trigger hammer had been steadily pulled back over the previous two decades; Gavrilo Princip merely let it go. The title comes from the notion that the War was not started by decisions but the lack of them.

The message 'come on, we were all in this - it wasn't just Germany' resonates. The idea that the horrors of war cannot be laid at the feet of any one Nation is eminently rational and is only slightly spoilt by the subtext 'it was the Balkans'. Clark's thesis (that war occurred through a series of permissive events that made it inevitable) is much more plausible than entering into the blame game. However, the implication that there was an inevitability about it all seems to go too far the other way and argue fatalism.

I would have felt slightly more comfortable if Germany had not presented Clark with an award for promoting German-British relations in 2010. I have always preferred a firebreak between history and politics and this is the third major historical account in a row where I have started to worry as to the extent to which bias and selectivity may creep in. Perhaps I was naive before and maybe there is no such thing as a neutral account.

A detailed and lucid account and worthwhile reading as a perspective but in my view dangerous if accepted as a definitive work. At times too detailed and despite this being a far more academically forged work than Hastings on the Second World War (All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-1945) Clark could still learn a thing or two about making history digestible from Max.

I find it very difficult to differentiate the three stables (Taiwanese Cyberlink, Canadian Corel and American Adobe) in terms of their products. The technology tends to be convergent and, like cars, they may look slightly different but the principle and most of the underlying execution is much the same.

As with cars, the evolution over the last few years has been phenomenal whichever brand you choose. It is amazing just how much editing power is packed in and it seems churlish to critique software that would only have been available to those with a very large professional budget only a short while ago. Face recognition, object removal, body slimming - reality can be a thing of the past.

PhotoDirector 4 plays catch up with its competitors on various features and is also Mac compatible. A clean interface with various 'modes' to choose from, the software is relatively responsive and stable and the system for comparing and reversing tweaks seems smoother. I have an impression that Cyberlink and Corel software is slightly slower/more demanding on resources than Adobe but that is a very subjective view.

Photodirector seems to nudge the Pro slot with Adobe Photoshop's Lightroom 4 but it is very difficult to separate the plethora of competing products each software house produces. This is very competent software but it is a challenge to argue that any product is best.

I still think it is best to try all three competitors with an entry level or old version product and decide which you like the feel of. Then become an expert with that brand and stick with it. Chopping and changing in the past meant that I scarcely exploited the potential of what I already had before I was chasing the next great thing.

This is a good Pro end product and it is difficult to imagine what it lacks until they come up with the next incarnation.

Whilst I found a number of recipes appealed visually in the book, the time required to complete some rendered them unpalatable. For example, vegetable papillote is simply vegetables served in a foil parcel at the table - but you have to cook a pan of vegetables for 30 minutes just to extract the nage (cooking liquid) for the batch of vegetables you will be serving up. It feels slightly wasteful, albeit a handy use of the hated celery, just to produce a stock for the main event.

I found the sections 'Leave it to cook' and 'Quick weekday suppers' most appealing for a working household with little time to spend cooking, at least during the week. Boulangere Potatoes need a fair bit of careful oven cooking but the preparation is nice and quick. Kedgeree was a little more labour intensive but the resultant dish was well received.

Overall, whilst I liked the collection of recipes, I felt many were most suited to dinner party situations or large family gatherings where you may be able to set aside a significant amount of time for food preparation. For such events, this book offers a wealth of choice.

Some experiences are worthwhile just for the sensation - the Hall of Mirrors or the Haunted House at the FunFair. Some experiments have sublime results - a few of Heston Blumenthal's concoctions. Other escapades fare less well. Oscar Wilde the Musical closed on its first night. My partner once decided to make a tea cappuccino and discovered why it is not a mainstay of Cafes. A friend on holiday once went on a mystery bus tour back to their home town.

This is an experiment and succeeds in the way of Mackerel Ice Cream. Unusual, thought provoking and certainly an experience. However, the sensation is ultimately an artefact of rearranging the flow of information to the reader rather than any startling originality of ingredients. If you liked the film 'The Lost Highway' you may love this short book and I found it novel, engaging and initially beguiling but ultimately not profound. Once I had put what is in essence a jigsaw back together I had much the same sensation as my friend on discovering their destination was ultimately somewhat pedestrian.

Jamie is into experimentation and this is his first novel. I am not suggesting that a novelist has to learn the traditional craft before they extemporise (although even Dali studied the Dutch Masters) but art is about communication and I suspect that Jamie's idea looks better in his head than on paper. Having said all that, I note that it was six years in the writing and may have been overworked.

A preparedness to break the rules can enable a writer to discover new territories and to find different ways to convey thoughts and feelings. Whilst this book felt a bit too much like non conformity for the sake of it I don't think Jamie is talentless. Perhaps if his second book has less angst of process and tries less hard to be different I may hear his song better. I will certainly listen out for him.

We have a few issues with coverage and had weighed up whether to go for repeaters (which bounce the signal around the home) or HomePlugs (which use the ring mains).

The set up went straightforwardly thanks to having someone in the household who isn't fazed by a screen or two requiring minor configuration input. The difference between this and the BT branded box is, I understand, that the latter has some settings pre-loaded.

The range seemed better than we got from a basic BT hub but I am told that a lot can depend on the idiosyncrasies of one's home and types and configurations of walls.

The Unit is very much 'there' like a Sputnik and not quite as elegant as BT Hubs. It is therefore a matter of allowing it to be a statement rather than hiding it away. If you want discreet you may need to consider other choices.

I have been told that homes are increasingly getting more and more powerful WiFi to push out competing signals from neighbouring properties. I don't know enough of the technicalities to understand whether this is true or if it is an issue. In the furthest reaches the signal from the TP Link shows as less strong than a secure network of a neighbour's but iPads and the like easily locked into it.

The jury is out on this Unit. We are still considering experimenting with HomePlugs because it feels more secure and selecting ones that have WiFi repeaters built in to spread the signal for mobile units. In the meantime, the TP Link seems to offer more Oomph at the compromise of a somewhat more bulky unit.

As a vegetarian I feel slightly left out when it comes to family events such as barbeques, when my choices sourced from the local deli counter can be very limited. Anjum's collection of recipes makes me feel the balance is redressed slightly; okay whilst I do need to make the dishes, even when time is at a premium there is sufficient choice of quick and easy recipes to ensure I feel included again.

The recipes are nicely laid out, with accurate timings and ingredient lists. I particularly enjoyed the chickpea burgers, which were prepared in the time it took the barbeque to heat up and joined the rest of the food to be cooked outside. And I enjoyed them with the suggested purple coleslaw topping, which is something I can usually take or leave.

Darwin looks at the evolution of the British Empire in terms of the how and why and helps to explain why colonisation was so effective relative to other countries. The fact of the British Empire came about through a confluence of factors set out in very coherent fashion by the author.

It is politically correct to bash Britain about the Empire and there is a lot to be criticised. However, many recent books about the Empire tend to sit in judgment and this creates white noise around the subject. Darwin does not duck describing the failures and the tragedies and is not an apologist but he sets out how many issues consisted of shades of grey.

At times complex and not always succinct, Darwin has nonetheless done well to cover such an historic vista in a single novel. In this sense he achieves what Hastings did for the story of the Second World War (All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-1945) but in more academically rigorous fashion.

The account strikes me as fair and balanced and perhaps a good point from which to gain a neutral perspective before reading more opinionated tomes. Bill23's review helpfully mentioned Paxman's Empire [Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British] and Brendon's Decline and Fall [The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire] both of which had passed me by. I will be picking up on these suggestions to obtain an overview before returning to Darwin's book because there is a lot to absorb in one sitting.

It is said that all stories are permutations of about half a dozen underlying themes (Christopher Booker, for example, argues seven http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Seven-Basic-Plots-Stories/dp/0826480373). As a result, one could say that all of Shakespeare is clichéd.
Cheese and tomato omelettes, Gilbert & Sullivan, Gin & Tonic - it isn't so much the ingredients but what you do with them.

Forced into marriage is a well trodden story line handled effectively by Tracy Brogan. However, it is her first historical romance and she will hopefully learn that 'twas, 'tis, my Lord, and Aye are unnecessary props. I get that it is Scotland and five centuries ago and if I didn't I am not sure that such syntax (which can get in the way of imagination) would convince me.

That aside, the plot, pace, characters and backdrop combine to develop the theme into a romp that is enjoyable to read and does not tax. Tracy won an award for her first (non historical) novel from the Romance Writers of America Trade Association and was also a finalist with this book. The novel has a breezy tone and with enough pulses, strained bodices and flushed cheeks to keep the reader riveted.

We inhabit our bodies all our lives and it is ironic that many of us know more about how a car functions than what keeps us alive. In my view anything, but anything, that can catalyse an interest in how our bodies work must be worthwhile. Frances Ashcroft's book aims to bring the role of electricity in the body to life and she illuminates the subject even for those that know the fundamentals.

In the author's area, physiology, she excels at reaching out to the lay reader and makes otherwise abstruse concepts accessible. There is a vast population who may want to know about what makes us tick but often have little that gives them purchase on the subject. The content may not teach anything new to someone who has recently taken A Level Biology but even they may find that the account expands out on a subject that was possibly only accorded a couple of lessons and a chapter in a text book.

If I have a criticism, the initial historical chapters lacked the effervescence of Frances when explaining physiology (where anecdotes abound and liven the story). However, these were necessary background, competently written and supplemented what is a worthwhile tour of the subject with all manner of eclectic stopovers to keep the interest going.