THREE Peebles neighbours are to have a joint book launch in the town.

Joanna Thomson and her neighbours Phillip and Myrtle Ashmole, both authors of two different books are coming together to hold the launch for their works have a joint book launch and an author signing at Whitie’s Books and Crafts shop in Pennel’s Close, Peebles.

The event is set to take place on Thursday, December 1, between 6pm to 8pm, with guests invited along to celebrate with a glass of wine.

More known around Peeblesshire as a jeweller, or part of the team that turned the Eastgate Theatre round after it got into financial trouble, Joanna has now tried her hand at something different.

To create the book, she has pulled together some of the best writings of her grandparents and her father on the topic of nature care and presented them in a fresh way, with illustrations in her own style.

Titled Live Well, Eat Well, the book is a guide to healthy living, and Joanna has poured her years of personal experience into explaining the principles of nature care, a plan for healthy living and disease prevention.

Meanwhile, Joanna’s neighbours Philip and Myrtle Ashmole are at the same time launching their book on Tenerife’s natural history.

The couple, who have stayed just outside of Peebles for 45 years, have written four books.

Their latest book, titled The Natural History of Tenerife, is comprised of the Ashmoles’ visits to the island for more than three decades and their studies of learning about its wildlife and studying the unique barren lava flows and caves, for which they collaborated with the biologists at the University of La Laguna.

They published their first book on Tenerife in 1989. This new work delves even further and focuses on explaining the origins of this active volcanic island and describing its diverse habitats.

The publication also takes a look at the couple’s favourite places on Tenerife, many of which are rarely seen by visitors, where the unique plants and animals can be found in their natural surroundings.

Myrtle said: “The book is lavishly illustrated with maps and diagrams by myself and over 700 photographs by Philip, friends and colleagues on the island, many of whom have also contributed small sections on special topics.

“This is a book about the non-tourist side of Tenerife. It is an ideal present for anyone interested in plants, birds or other wildlife who has visited the Canary Islands or plans to do so.”

For more details information on how to attend, call 01721 588170.