This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Generous, moving and alive. A gift' - Tim Dee, author of Greenery ' Intelligent, thought-provoking and always, always interesting ' - Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment 'Smyth writes with warmth and engaging perception about our relationship and understanding of the natural world on our doorsteps' - Jon Dunn, author of The Glitter in the Green 'Fresh and tender and playful' - Patrick Galbraith, author of In Search of One Last Song Weren't they richer, rock pools, wasn't the seashore busier, when I was a kid? Richard Smyth had always been drawn to the natural world, but when he became a father he found a new joy and a new urgency in showing his kids the everyday wild things around them. As he and his children explore rockpools in Whitley Bay, or the woods and moors near his Yorkshire home, he imagines the world they might inhabit as they grow up. Through different objects discovered on their wanderings - a beech leaf, a jay feather, a limpetshell - Smyth examines his own past as well as that of the early natural historians, weaving together history, memoir, and environmentalism to form a new kind of nature writing: one that asks both what we have lost, and what we have yet to find.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
When an American whaler arrives to a British coastal town, the peace of its inhabitants is disrupted. It's 1920s England, and the coastal town of Gravely is finally enjoying a fragile peace after World War I. John Lowell, a naturalist who writes articles on the flora and fauna of the shoreline, and his wife Harriet, lead a simple life, basking in their love for each other and enjoying the company of John's visiting old school friend, David. But when an American whaler arrives in town with his beautiful red-haired daughters, boasting of his plans to build a pier and pleasure-grounds a mile out to sea, unexpected tensions and temptations arise. As secrets multiply, Harriet, John, and David must each ask themselves: what price is to be paid for pleasure?
It’s 1920s England, and the coastal town of Gravely is finally enjoying a fragile peace after the Great War. Jon Lowell, a naturalist who writes articles on the flora and fauna of the shoreline, and his wife Harriet lead a simple life, basking in their love for each other and enjoying the company of Jon’s visiting old school friend David. But when an American whaler arrives in town with his beautiful red-haired daughters, boasting of his plans to build a pier and pleasure grounds a half-mile out to sea, unexpected tensions and temptations arise. As secrets multiply, Harriet, Jon and David must each ask themselves, what price is to be paid for pleasure?
This book is a treasure trove of English oddities, crammed with the most curious stories, remarkable facts and unexpected goings-on from the country's long and convoluted history. From frogs' legs at Stonehenge to knicker elastic in the Blitz, this is England – the unauthorised biography.
This is the hidden history of an invention that we use every day but seldom dare to speak of. In medieval China it was cutting-edge technology. For 19th-century Americans it was a newfangled alternative to dried corncobs and the Sears & Roebuck catalogue. Wits in Georgian London preferred pages of bad poetry. The sages of ancient Athens were content to wield the xylospongion instead. It's the tale of toilet paper; the biography of bumfodder. From its origins at the Imperial court of Emperor Hongwu to its reinvention as a quack remedy for haemorrhoids in 1870s New York city; from the Dutch and their mussel-shells to Henry VIII and his Groom of the Stool; from Madame de Prie's pioneering bidet to the space-age Washlet; from leaf-wielding chimpanzees to Mr Thirsty Fiber and the world's first three-adjective loo-roll - it's a story of necessity and invention, luxury and squalor, experiment and tradition. What does a submarine crew do when it runs out of toilet paper? Who stole the Pope's loo-roll? Does printer's ink cause piles? How do you fold a sheet of toilet paper in half more than seven times? What did 'bumphleteers' do, and why? Richard Smyth answers the questions you never thought to ask about the product we can't live without.
My name is Richard Smyth, and this is my story. I was raised from ten sisters and six brothers, and yes, I did have a mother at the time I was being raised up. I was never good at school, so I did quit it. I was too young to work, so I tried to get in the army, but since I was too young, I had to get my mother's permission. The army took me, but that did not last long at all. They said to me, "You have to go back home." I said, "Why?" They said to me, "All your brothers are at war, and we have to leave one home so that the last name must go on." So they sent me back home and said, "We're sorry, son. Maybe some other time." When I got back home, I got a job at Ford Motor Co. I stayed there for five years. Now I am married and have five wonderful kids--three girls and two boys--but life has its ups and downs. Again I was working and taking care of my kids and taking care of my wife too. I said to God, "When is it going to stop?" He never answered me. Any time I was going by in my life, it got even worse in my life. I started asking, "How can I stop feeling the way I do?" I was driving down the road, hoping when I go through this red light, it would be all over, but nothing happened, so again I yelled out to God and said, "Take me from this miserable life," and ran through the red light. Again nothing happened. Then something happened to my life. There was a call from the police. They told me I needed to come in and give my statement, so I did. The police had no evidence on what happened; it was hearsay--she said, he said. But don't get me wrong, this was my way out of this life. So I took it, and before I knew it, a new life started. I went to prison for ten years and loved every bit of it. I went back to school every day for eight hours and took up A A, N-A classes . I even took up Bible classes too. As I graduated from all the courses, I had a lot of time on my hands now. I started praying to God, "What do you want me to do?" I then started looking through the Bible and found my days and nights were going by fast. Next day I went to the library to learn more about this man they called Jesus. Before I knew it, I was reading all kinds of Bibles. From the time I got locked up, I never once forgot about my kids. Every day I wrote to each one and told them, "I love you all, but God has a mission for me." The next day I was led to go back to the library and get some Bible off the shelves, and I did. As I was reading, my heart told me to write it down, so I did for about ten years. Now everything is on scripts. It was about ten thousand pages. Then I met this man, and he told me, "This is way too many pages. You need to break it down some." So I did. Then I let this man look at what I had left. He said to me, "Break it down more." Now I was getting so flabbergasted. I said, "What are you doing to me?" The man told me, "You just got to trust me. I know what I'm doing. If you send all of your paperwork in, they will throw it away. It is too much for them to read." So again I watered it down for them to read. I got done; the man said it's ready. So I put all my scripts away and waited for God. God granted my parole and sent me home to my kids, where I finished this book. It was in 2017 when I got done with it. I sat on it for five years, then my dreams started for about a week, the same dreams over and over. So I sent it to the Christian Faith Publishing Inc.
A disquieting question persists: “What if I should die before I feel life is full?” It is deeply personal, hauntingly spiritual. It’s a challenge to re-visit beliefs and the dynamics of faith, love, hope. Exploration brings a fresh encounter: the human and spiritual elements of “self.” These are not contending identities; each supplies unique initiatives for life’s fullness. Both need nurturing; either can be ignored. Spiritual experience makes promise and mystery real; this enhances earthly achievements. These Meditations focus on spiritual vitality—especially for seniors. They reach beyond a biological birth-death time-frame. They touch on continuity beyond earth-time. God’s initiatives enrich the spiritual self—grace energizes faith. This generates and motivates people to offer acts of love. Love fosters grander character and perspective, wholesome relationships, healing for the heart-hungry/heart-broken. The outcome: a healthier self experiencing joy and peace—wholeness for life beyond death. Richard Smyth’s missionary service in India was designated “church development.” The Indian church prepared for autonomy, to assure continuity of American mission initiatives. “Development” involved identifying and implementing specific ministries. The challenge: match peoples’ needs with relevant opportunities. This affected worship/activity in local congregations as well as their outreach efforts. The goal: design culturally valid strategies, structures and services for the church’s mission, organization, workers. An emphasis was proper leadership and resources. He built up a multi-cultural congregation in one of New Delhi’s new suburban areas. This housed government, business and military personnel called to national offices. The congregation’s focus: build strong fellowship ties and initiate outreach services in the community. This pattern was used for nation-wide training programs by denominational and para-church groups. The last 15 years expanded the ministry to facilitate similar transitions by mission institutions in 14 Asia/Pacific nations. Richard and Sylvia Smyth retired in 1998; they reside in Asheville, North Carolina. Their family of 5 Indian children and spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren live in New Delhi, Manila, Dubai and Stockholm.
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