This book is apparently a follow up to a first publication venture called ‘The Secret Life of Cows’ which I have not read. I might though, because I did enjoy these gentle pages telling of life on a family farm, handed down through generations. The farm is in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds and has been run on totally organic lines since the word was first commonly used. But somehow there is more. There is a very respectful and distinct relationship between the cows, sheep, horses and chickens … and the humans that tend them. The animals are often left to determine what is right for them, where they should spend the night, where they should give birth, how much they should eat etc. The farmers are there to offer whatever help is required but they allow the animals to know themselves best. As I read, I wondered how you could make a living from what began to sound like some sort of petting zoo, but it does work, with organic meat being sold from their farm shop, obviously with a healthy profit margin.
These people: Rosamund, her partner and her brother, have a strong and complex relationship with nature, nature in all its forms and infinite variety. The author also has a wide knowledge of poetry and literature and this comes through into her writing, in an attractive way. Rosamund employs years of experience, living on the land and spending hours observing, to tell the reader about changes in weather and seasons, wildflowers, clouds and insects. It creates a powerful connection between writer and reader.
If you’re looking for some reading that is kind and will take your mind off any problems … or just the state of the world, this might be just the thing.