Some months ago I was both honoured and delighted to be asked by the lovely Lorna Sixsmith if I would fill out a questionnaire on life as a ‘farm wife’. Lorna has previously written a very funny book called ‘Would You Marry a Farmer‘ and her witty tone and hilarious anecdotes made for a great read. When she mentioned that she was writing another book and was looking for perspective from the wives of farmers I jumped at the chance.
Months passed and one day I arrived home to find this waiting for me. As delighted as I was with the arrival of this book, my husband was even more thrilled, ‘there’s always room for improvement’ he quipped!!
I was even more impressed to see my name in the acknowledgements, a very prized return for my small contribution.
And because, as the chief farmer mentioned, there was potential for improvement, I couldn’t wait to get reading.
There is so much to love about this book, it is funny and witty, it is practical and it is wise. And yet there is so much to potentially rage against, not because what Lorna writes is incorrect but actually because she is so spot on in her observations.
Having grown up on a farm, the role of a farm wife should not come as a surprise to me, and yet it is vastly different being a child on a farm, looking back with somewhat rose tinted glasses, and being ‘her indoors’ and living the reality of a farm wife and mother.
Farming is not 9 to 5, at no point is a farmer ever truly ‘finished work’ and so their contribution indoors can be very limited. The upsides of farm life compensate in many great ways for this but the reality of it can be difficult at times. Lorna captures this aspect of farming perfectly and her advice on finding a happy compromise will salve many a domestic argument.
There are so many happy memories brought back by this book, of packing the dinner to bring out to the contractors in the fields, no fancy wicker baskets for these field picnics, of performing the miracle of the loaves and fishes on a regular basis to ‘stretch a dinner’ for unexpected men at the table, of my poor father never being able to sign a cheque as my mother has been forging his signature for so long his own one is now unusable!!
There are some inclusions of great articles from a bygone era, and having read them I’m delighted to say that times have, in many ways, changed for the better. There are great recipes to try and some brilliant tips for around the home.
Farming is and always has been a family enterprise, and this is true whether you are at home all day on the farm, or work outside of it.
If you would like to purchase this book just click on the link above.
This is stop three on the book blog tour, to see where the tour will take you next have a look on The To Be Read Pile
Thank you Elizabeth, I'm delighted with that review and it made me laugh. I've had a few husbands buy the book from my site and the comments they have asked me to write on the book for their wives have made me laugh. My husband thinks they are brave men saying that if he bought me a book with that title, I'd probably throw it at him. Of course, many of heard of the humour and liberal pinch of salt approach as well as the valuable tips! I'm delighted people are seeing the humour in the 1950s type title. The next book just might be How To Be A Perfect Farm Husband so you can get your own back then 😉