The first book I read by this author was" A Wild Life; A Year of Living on Wild Food" which he wrote in 2009 after spending a year eating only the food he could shoot, catch or forage on his farm. I tried to read Meadowland in 2014 but for some reason just didn't get on with it so I wasn't sure I would enjoy this, his most recent book. However it was a lovely read, making me remember why I used to read a lot of Country writing.
Lewis-Stempel wants to take an arable field, farm it in the old fashioned way and then plant wild flowers in among the wheat. His aim is to find out which birds and animals he will attract, ones usually not seen on arable fields that are treated with chemicals. He starts with a bird table in the field and then someone who traps hares deliver some to the field, so his aim is to keep them there.
Along the way he finds out more about hares and the folklore and mystery surrounding them and remembers his country childhood.
A short, quick and interesting read.
Thank you for comments about schooldays.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
We have lots of hares too, no shortage in eastern England. My grandmother won the Waterloo Coursing Cup in the 1930s, now no longer run sadly. All her family were involved in coursing in the Fens, they were Fen farmers, and as they would tell you, it was for the running and the dogs and it did not result in many hares being caught, they could outrun the dogs. Now we have illegal coursing here when men drive up from London and Essex and invade the fields in the moonlight.
ReplyDeleteI was driving home last week at about 8pm when I thought I had better be careful, they may be cats about ready to dart out. A second later a whopping great hare appeared in my headlights. He froze and I was able to brake and swerve around him.
ReplyDeleteLots of hares in the NE of Scotland . I paint Hares from the photos the DP and other photographic friends take. Love 'em.
ReplyDeleteThank you for telling me about The Scribbler, my copy arrived today, a good evenings reading ahead.
ReplyDeleteA friend bought me this as an early birthday present - I really did enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds good. I will look out for this. Haven't seen a hare round here for some years but 2 years ago on holiday in a Suffolk farm house we watched the hare running round the field opposite.
ReplyDeleteHere on the prairies of Canada we either have the small bush rabbits or large jack rabbits. I don't think that jack rabbits get as large as your hares but they are fairly large.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I love hares, but rarely see them here in the Midlands. You may like Karin Cater's Spirit of the Hare book, her illustrations are stunning.
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