diff --git a/lib/validates_timeliness.rb b/lib/validates_timeliness.rb
index c828446..f1c4a40 100644
--- a/lib/validates_timeliness.rb
+++ b/lib/validates_timeliness.rb
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 require 'validates_timeliness/base'
 require 'validates_timeliness/attribute_methods'
 require 'validates_timeliness/validations'
+require 'validates_timeliness/validate_timeliness_matcher'
 
 ActiveRecord::Base.send(:include, ValidatesTimeliness::Base)
 ActiveRecord::Base.send(:include, ValidatesTimeliness::AttributeMethods)
diff --git a/lib/validates_timeliness/attribute_methods.rb b/lib/validates_timeliness/attribute_methods.rb
index d68639d..e17b9ce 100644
--- a/lib/validates_timeliness/attribute_methods.rb
+++ b/lib/validates_timeliness/attribute_methods.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# For Rails 2.0.x:
+# For Rails 2.0.2:
 #   This module adds method to create reader method for Time attributes
 #   to allow for invalid date checking. If date is invalid then returns nil for
 #   time value.
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
   module AttributeMethods
     
     def self.included(base)
-      if Rails::VERSION::STRING < '2.1'
+      if Rails::VERSION::STRING <= '2.0.2'
         base.extend ClassMethods::Old
       else
         base.extend ClassMethods::New
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
     end
     
     module ClassMethods
-      # Rails >= 2.1
+      # Rails > 2.0.2
       module New
         def define_read_method_for_time_zone_conversion(attr_name)
           method_body = <<-EOV          
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
               elsif time
                 # check invalid date
                 time.to_date rescue time = nil
-                time = time.in_time_zone if time
+                time = time.is_a?(String) ? Time.zone.parse(time) : time.to_time rescue time if time
               end
               @attributes_cache['#{attr_name}'] = time
             end
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ module ValidatesTimeliness
         end
       end # New
     
-      # Rails < 2.1
+      # Rails <= 2.0.2
       module Old
         def define_attribute_methods
           return if generated_methods?
diff --git a/lib/validates_timeliness/validate_timeliness_matcher.rb b/lib/validates_timeliness/validate_timeliness_matcher.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f1214d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/validates_timeliness/validate_timeliness_matcher.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+module Spec
+  module Rails
+    module Matchers
+      class ValidateTimeliness
+        def initialize(attribute, options)
+          @expected, @options = attribute, options
+        end
+
+        def matches?(record)
+          @record = record    
+
+          valid = error_matching('2008-02-30', /valid/) &&
+              error_matching('2008-01-01 25:00:00', /valid/) &&
+              no_error_matching('2008-01-01 12:12:12', /valid/)
+          return false unless valid
+          
+          if after = options[:after]
+            valid = error_matching(after, /after/) &&
+              no_error_matching(after + 1, /after/)
+          end
+          return false unless valid
+          
+          if before = options[:before]
+            valid = error_matching(before, /before/) &&
+              no_error_matching(before - 1, /before/)              
+          end
+          return false unless valid
+        
+          if on_or_after = options[:on_or_after]
+            valid = error_matching(on_or_after -1, /after/) &&
+              no_error_matching(on_or_after, /after/)              
+          end
+          return false unless valid
+          
+          if on_or_before = options[:on_or_before]
+            valid = error_matching(on_or_before + 1, /before/) &&
+              no_error_matching(on_or_before, /before/)              
+          end
+          return false unless valid
+          
+          return true
+        end
+      
+        def failure_message
+          "expected model to validate timeliness of #{expected.inspect} with #{last_failure}"
+        end
+        
+        def negative_failure_message
+          "expected not to validate timeliness of #{expected.inspect}"
+        end
+        
+        def description
+          "have validated timeliness of #{expected.inspect}"
+        end
+        
+       private
+        attr_reader :actual, :expected, :record, :options, :last_failure
+        
+        def error_matching(value, match)
+          record.send("#{expected}=", value)
+          record.valid?
+          errors = record.errors.on(expected)
+          pass = case errors
+            when String
+              match === errors
+            when Array
+              errors.any? {|error| match === error }
+            else
+              false
+          end
+          @last_failure = "value #{value} to have error matching #{match.inspect}" unless pass
+          pass
+        end
+        
+        def no_error_matching(value, match)        
+          pass = !error_matching(value, match)
+          @last_failure = "value #{value} to not have error matching #{match.inspect}" unless pass
+          pass
+        end
+      end
+      
+      def validate_timeliness_of(attribute, options={})
+        ValidateTimeliness.new(attribute, options)
+      end   
+    end
+  end  
+end
diff --git a/spec/attribute_methods_spec.rb b/spec/attribute_methods_spec.rb
index 8540a11..de3692f 100644
--- a/spec/attribute_methods_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/attribute_methods_spec.rb
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ describe ValidatesTimeliness::AttributeMethods do
       @person.birth_date_and_time.should be_kind_of(Time)
     end    
    
-    unless Rails::VERSION::STRING < '2.1'
+    unless Rails::VERSION::STRING <= '2.0.2'
       it "should return stored time string as Time with correct timezone" do
         Time.zone = TimeZone['Sydney'] # no I'm not from Sydney but there is no Melbourne timezone!
         @person.birth_date_and_time = "1980-12-25 01:02:03"