T. Wahaid

Into your hands I commend my spirit, 18 May 2013

I'm a big fan of history and historical fiction, especially the Tudor period, but the 9 day rule of Lady Jane Grey is something I knew very little about. I knew some of the basics from various things I had read, such as that she was married against her will and had no desire to rule, but that was about as far as my knowledge went .

Written by historian Alison Weir, this is the authors first historical fiction novel, although she has written many good historical biographies. I was very interested to read this, as with the author being a dedicated historian I was confident that the book would be well researched and as accurate as possible . While a certain amount of artistic… Read more

An incredibly interesting book, 18 May 2013

I'm a big fan of Historical Fiction, although usually I tend to read books about well known figures - Kings, Queens and suchlike. However, recently I read a review on Dooyoo of the book 'Wedlock' , which made me decide to try something a little different.

Wedlock tells the story of Mary Eleanor Bowes, one of the richest heiresses of the time, and her marriage to 'Captain' Andrew Robinson Stoney (from whom we get the phrase 'Stoney Broke'.

Mary had an unusually good upbringing - a loving father, an uusually good education for a woman in those days, and lots of money as well as good looks ensured she married well , if for convenience rather than love, to the Earl of… Read more

A great present - just not for christmas!, 17 May 2013

Late last year, I remember reading several excellent reviews on the Insect Lore Butterfly Garden . It sounded incredibly appealing - so appealing in fact that I almost immediately went onto Amazon and purchased one as a christmas gift for my daughter .

The kit, as it turned out was a terrible Christmas present . The kit itself was perfect - a lovely brightly coloured pop up habitat with a zip opening and mesh sides, through which you could see your butterflies. Although caterpillars were not included in the kit itself , they were included in the price - you simply had to send off the voucher at the bottom of the instruction leaflet, and you'd receive the caterpillars in the post… Read more