Pastoral Song by James Rebanks

 Pastoral Song is the second book I've read by James Rebanks and I enjoyed it.

What initally drew me to the author is his location in Cumbria as well as the stories about farming and family heritage.  My GG grandparents lived in the same area but they were not farmers; they worked at the cotton mills.  Many of the names he mentions such as Ullswater, Windermere, Solway Firth and others are familiar to me from my ancestors obits and writings so that was indeed an attraction for me to read about the land as he sees it.

Rebanks grew up learning from his grandfather about the ancient ways of farming, methods which worked then and had done for many generations.  Then came the global revolution of a new way of farming using chemicals and "modern" ways of rotating field crops.  His methods blend the two and this is what he talks about in this book.  Well, anong other things and sharing personal anecdotes.

In his childhood he remembers a family friend called Anne telling his mother about how many grocery items she was able to purchase for less than it costs to grow them or purchase locally.  The first large supermarket opened in Kendal and sold many items at low cost.  She teased his mother about home baking as you could just buy a cake for less time and enegry spent.  That's the way it is now with people wanting to support local businesses and do things for themselves but the tempting big stores make it so easy to buy for less.  That said, she still had her vegetable garden, much to his father's irritation at digging it.

There are heartbreaking parts about animals killed by police snipers because of hoof and mouth disease.  Some farmers felt they didn't exist because their identity and existence were tied to the daily work, markets and talking to other farmers about their livestock.  They had no livestock to take care of and thus, no money coming in to support the farms. 

Rebanks mentions a few classic farming books titled A.G. Street's Farmer's Glory and Henry Williamson's The Story of a Norfolk Farm. I may look for those at a later date but will be taking a "farming" break right now in my reading lineup.

Sharing with Joy for British Isles Friday.