"A delightful, rhyming story about a little dormouse named Dandy, written and read by bestselling poet Pam Ayres, author of The Last Hedgehog and I Am Oliver the Otter.
I am a dormouse, and Dandy is my name.
There are many different mice, we're not all the same . . .
Written in rhyme, Pam Ayres's charming tale I Am Dandy the Dormouse is a gentle reminder of how conservation efforts ensure dormice like Dandy and his mate, Dinky can thrive in their habitats. Bursting with natural facts interwoven throughout the story, and with information at the end including tips on how to spot these majestic creatures."
"Follow Emily the barn owl on an extraordinary journey through her life in the fields, unveiling the fascinating world of these secretive and enchanting creatures, written in rhyme and narrated by the much-loved poet, Pam Ayres.
Did you ever see us, in these fields and grassy places?
Sensed our silent wings; glimpsed our exquisite heart-shaped faces?
From the loss of her cherished barn to finding hope and a new home, discover the resilience and beauty of barn owls like Emily in I am Emily the Owl. Learn what sustains these graceful hunters, from their hunts for voles and mice to the snug boxes that become their sanctuaries.
Beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Nicola O'Byrne, I am Emily the Owl is the third book in Pam Ayres's Animal Stories series. Bursting with natural facts interwoven throughout the story, and with an information spread at the end that includes tips on how to spot these majestic creatures."
"Read by the author, Pam Ayres.
Join Hattie the playful Brown Hare as she leaps from meadow to farm to heath, in this heartwarming tale written in rhyme by the much-loved poet Pam Ayres, author of The Last Hedgehog.
We didn't always live here, once we had a sunny home,
We came here with centurions, all the way from Rome . . .
From grape green meadows to old-fashioned farms, hares travelled thousands of miles to find a home in the British countryside. What do they eat? What's their perfect habitat? Can you tell them apart from rabbits?
Wonderfully read by the author, I Am Hattie the Hare is a follow-up to the bestselling I Am Oliver the Otter, bursting with natural and historical facts interwoven throughout the story."
"A heart-warming, rhyming story about a little otter called Oliver, written and read by bestselling poet Pam Ayres, author of The Last Hedgehog.
Come on down to the riverbank, and discover a wild and wonderful world . . .
Oliver the otter is happy enough living alone, swimming or scampering along the twisty-rooted waterways. Until one day, among the green rushes, he meets an otter called Ottilie - and his life changes forever.
Written in rhyme, Pam Ayres's charming tale brings the natural world to enchanting life. With nature details interwoven throughout the story, and an information page at the end, including fun facts about otters."
"Pam Ayres, one of Britain’s best loved entertainers, personally presents this audiobook which brings together two of her solo stage shows with live audiences. Pam introduces each recording and then, as a bonus, reads a collection of new and previously unrecorded poems from her two most recent books, You Made Me Late Again and Up In The Attic.
With poems such as My Mother Was Right About You, Geriatric Juliet, Poor Old Father Christmas, and The Hat From Hell, blending Pam’s characteristically sharp wit with her warm, comic observations on everyday life, this hilariously funny collection is a must-have for seasoned fans and first time listeners alike. It also includes some of Pam’s more reflective poems including the title poem, Down the Line, which she wrote for the 100th Anniversary of the end of the First World War.
“Pam Ayres is absolutely essential to British humour.” MAIL ON SUNDAY"
"Writer, poet, and broadcaster Pam Ayres has been making her fans smile for more than 30 years, since her first television appearance on Opportunity Knocks. Now some of her best sketches, verses and songs are brought together in this complete collection of series 1-6 of her Radio 4 show, Ayres on the Air .
Each series consists of 4 episodes, with Pam performing witty and wonderful pieces on subjects as diverse as getting older, shopping and a surfeit of beige, bored chickens and school plays. With each sketch, she delights and entertains in a way that is unique to this very special broadcaster."
"Brought to you by Penguin.
'NEXT, I APPLIED TO WORK IN THE ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT, a sealed room where women operated clattering machines like enormous typewriters. After I had catastrophically and erroneously applied all the wrong information to several trolley loads of documents and lumbered the staff with weeks of corrective work, I was shown the door by a tight-lipped manageress. I knew what was coming. Over the relentless, furious din of machinery, I lip-read the familiar words: 'Lacks the necessary aptitude.''
Pam Ayres' early childhood in Stanford in the Vale was idyllic in many ways, and typical of that experienced by a great swathe of children born in rural areas in the immediate post-war years. Though her parents' generation was harrowed by war, better times were coming. Everything the family needed was within walking distance in the village, and life with four older brothers and a sister in their crowded council house was exceedingly lively.
In her late teens, Pam grew dissatisfied with her life as a Civil Service clerk with only the local 'hop' for scintillating excitement. Having seen three of her brothers called up for National Service and sent off to exciting destinations, Pam felt desperate for travel and adventure. She joined the WRAF and soon found herself in the Far East. There she began to write in earnest, and develop the unique talent that would make her one of Britain's favourite comics...
Written with Pam's much-loved combination of humour and poignancy, The Necessary Aptitude is a beautifully written memoir of her early years."
"Pam and Gordon Grant are a couple at odds running a rural garden centre. While Pam still feels young and is determined to avoid the slippery slope into middle-age, Gordon seems keen to dive in - slippers first. Pam’s ally at the garden centre is teenager Carol, a girl more than happy to speak her mind. If only, Gordon complains, there was something in her peroxide head apart from boob jobs, alco-pops, Johnny Depp and bronzed chests smothered in baby oil... Naïve deputy manager Dave, though older than Carol, is smitten. Luckily, he has Pam to advise him on the route to Carol’s heart: like pointing out that metal detecting is NOT a good idea for a hot date! And how could the garden centre survive without the ancient and, quite frankly, bizarre Roy, the highly inaccurate singer of pop songs and runner-up in the Gloucester beauty pageant? Will Pam’s last fling at life, adventure and fun overcome Gordon’s passion for comfortable trousers, caravanning and penny-pinching? Let battle among the begonias commence!"
"Pam Ayres' stage show has been a sell-out success throughout the world. With her natural warmth and wit she builds up a rapport with the audience that guarantees an evening of fun and laughter. Pam's reflections on daily life bring a chuckle of recognition from people of all ages. Whether she's reminiscing about the spartan conditions on a caravan holiday in the Fifties, or describing her less-than-spectacular prowess in a Nineties' gym, her wonderfully accurate wit is always a delight. In this live recording of Pam Ayres on stage at the Swan Theatre, Stratford, she includes - along with a few of her classic poems - more recent gems such as Sexy at Sixty, The Wonderbra and With These Hands to provide a richly entertaining example of Pam Ayres at her best."
"Warm and witty, direct and droll, the sharply funny Pam Ayres has been amusing and entertaining her many fans for more than 30 years since her first television appearance on Opportunity Knocks. Her humorous observations of daily life touch a chord with anybody who's ever been bewildered by the exercise craze or has yearned after the vanished Spotted Dick. In this collection, Pam reads over 50 of her best-known and loved poems, including such favourites as 'Oh I Wish I'd Looked After Me Teeth', 'I'm a Starling...me Darling', 'Will I have to be Sexy at Sixty?', and 'St. Tesco'. Many of the poems include a personal introduction by Pam."
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