Many people believe that the concept of an apple a day keeps the doctor away is just a played out, overused saying that adults made up to get their children to eat healthier.

The banks of the Thames had gardens intermixed with the buildings, and the architecture was of a lighter character, while the beautiful old Abbey rose like a queen amid her court.

I heard the harsh rasping of a weta, a mega-cricket. Then a pair of Morepork owls began a duet. Few birds are as aptly named as the Morepork. From dusk to sun-up and from forest to suburban garden, this medium-sized owl emphatically calls for more pork.

On these occasions I often heard him declare that the whole of Europe did not contain ten thousand men, and that as for King George, he was only fit to be a dewan or zamindar under himself.