The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Lesley Silvester on September 26, 2014, 09:19:41 pm

Title: Great book
Post by: Lesley Silvester on September 26, 2014, 09:19:41 pm
I've just finished reading Humble by Nature by TV presenter Kate Humble. It tells the tale of how she and her producer husband decide to get out of London and buy a country cottage with room for a few hens and to grow their own vegetables. And how those few hens turned into lots of hens, pigs, donkeys and various other animals. A great read and I found it difficult to put down.
Title: Re: Great book
Post by: hafod on September 26, 2014, 10:47:22 pm
Thanks MGM. I think it will go on my christmas list. We were lucky enough to get an invite for the opening of their aquaponic greenhouse earlier this year which was a great day. We had a good chat with Kate and with Tim who runs the farm on Kate's behalf - they've got some really interesting ideas.
Title: Re: Great book
Post by: fiestyredhead331 on September 26, 2014, 11:06:21 pm
I read it that too  :thumbsup:

I wasn't a huge fan of hers until I read the book but then towards the end the cynic in me kicked in, but she got brownie points for having a goat called Biscuit (so do I)...
Title: Re: Great book
Post by: philcaegrug on September 27, 2014, 08:59:26 pm
I bought it last saturday in The Works £1.99  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Great book
Post by: Lesley Silvester on September 28, 2014, 11:16:43 pm
What?I paid full price in Waterstones. Actually, I didn't because I was spending a voucher and it was my 'second for half price' book.  ;D
Title: Re: Great book
Post by: Ideation on September 30, 2014, 02:46:24 pm
Aye, you get a good story. Not quite the whole one though . . . .

I live local, and they came from London, bought up a Council farm (the last one in the area, which up till then had been tenented to new starters) and have a whole host of other folk who do all of the farming / agricultural activities. . . . . . . while they get all of the credit in the magazines etc.

I happen to be freindly with the couple who actually farm the land, and the woman who built the edible garden, and the one who does the willow sculptures. . . . . and the one who designed and mostly built the aquaponics greenhouse. . . . . . .

Do I sound cynical?
Title: Re: Great book
Post by: Anke on September 30, 2014, 06:09:37 pm
Yes I thought they were riding along the celebrity bandwagon quite a bit and had "staff" to employ to do the mucky bits... maybe not all the time, but a lot of the time. I got it from the library though, rarely buy books nowadays, except if I have read them before and know that I will need to read them again, and again... so usually have a search on www.abebooks.co.uk (http://www.abebooks.co.uk).


Title: Re: Great book
Post by: ballingall on September 30, 2014, 06:23:03 pm
I was totally put off by them when I noticed an update on their website, stating they had just received some Nubian goats, and a picture of them. And I'm sorry, but there was no way one of the goats was a true Nubian. Then, because the article said they had come from Adams farm, I had a look at his website, and I read with interest about how he only keeps rare breed goats, GG's, Bagots, and oh yes that well know rare breed, Boer's!  :roflanim:
Title: Re: Great book
Post by: philcaegrug on September 30, 2014, 09:19:23 pm
What?I paid full price in Waterstones. Actually, I didn't because I was spending a voucher and it was my 'second for half price' book.  ;D
I often have a walk around Waterstones but rarely buy anything.
Title: Re: Great book
Post by: Porterlauren on October 01, 2014, 10:09:30 pm
Yes I thought they were riding along the celebrity bandwagon quite a bit and had "staff" to employ to do the mucky bits... maybe not all the time, but a lot of the time. I got it from the library though, rarely buy books nowadays, except if I have read them before and know that I will need to read them again, and again... so usually have a search on www.abebooks.co.uk (http://www.abebooks.co.uk).

They do 'employ' a lot of folk, but not just for the 'dirty' jobs A lovely local couple actually farm the place, they are great folk, but it's their sheep etc. And most of the great ideas and innovative creations are done by the hands of other locals.