• Things to do in Taipei • Chiang Kai-shek galore "What is this meat?" asked the Israeli woman. "To-ni-ou," replied our Taiwanese guide, struggling for the...
KMT leader Chiang Kai-shek ran the country under an often brutal martial law regime that did not end until 1987, 12 years after his death.
Don't miss the National Palace Museum, Taipei's No1 tourist attraction. Although it is invariably crowded, it is well worth putting up with the squash to see its amazing line-up of Chinese artefacts.
That plants have changed the world is not in dispute. In Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History, Bill Laws looks mainly at edible plant produce - sugar, cocoa and tea, for example - but also medicinal species, such as Cinchona, from which quinine is produced, and what he loosely calls "commercial" plants, including cotton.
What was once part of a West Otago farm is, 14 years on, a splendid garden. Gillian Vine reports.
Camellias are promising a great spring show, says Gillian Vine.
When pears and apples start falling, it's not just a signal to bring out the bottles and preserving pan, but an indication the trees are shutting down for the winter. The other sign is, of...
There are about 850 species of Ficus; most are from subtropical and tropical regions.
• Vegetables Think ahead to spring and start improving heavy, clay-based soil by digging roughly, so different levels are exposed to winter frosts, winds, rain and sun. Raw manure can be...
Even those who are not dog lovers will be drawn to Chet, the canine that narrates Spencer Quinn's "Dog On It" mysteries. In To Fetch a Thief, Chet and his private-eye human, Bernie, are hired to find a missing elephant and its trainer.
Now that daylight saving has ended, we seem to be galloping towards winter, so now is time to sow broad beans to harvest next summer. The hardiest of the bean family, the broad bean (Vicia faba)...
A Mosgiel couple who began breeding roses for fun are soon to have their second commercial release, reports Gillian Vine.
What a pleasure it is when a writer who has gone off his or her game returns to form.
When members of the Outram Garden Club discussed celebrating the club's 30th anniversary, it was generally agreed it had been founded in 1981, so plans began to be made to mark it this year.
One of the strengths of Louise Penny's Bury your Dead is that it is not necessary to have read any of her earlier novels featuring Chief Inspector Armande Gamache to appreciate this one.
Spring may seem a long way off but planning - and buying - new plants and bulbs now guarantees the best show. Gillian Vine suggests some bulbs and perennials for southern gardens.
In recent months, readers from around Otago have written letters to the editor complaining about roadside rubbish.
My husband accuses me of being paranoid about rising food prices, but I've got the United Nations on my side.
The 2009-10 season was a bad one for apples, with gale-force winds and cold conditions resulting in few bees on the wing.
The Outram Flower Show is a popular annual event, with flowers, vegetables, children's artworks and an impressive sales table. Gillian Vine meets one of the workers who help make the show so successful.