Part one:
Part two:
Part three:
My first ever novel, VILLAGER, is now up for funding. If you’d like to reserve a copy, you can do so here.
My most recent book is Ring The Hill – which is also out in the US and Canada in February.
If you’d like to support my writing by taking out a subscription to this site, you can do so via the homepage.
My next book is out on March the 18th. It’s called Notebook.
A nice way to wake up in a Sunday morning actually listening to the tale of ‘the sheep stuck on the ledge’. I had a light bulb moment of what the bucket might be before the uncommunicative farmer turned up with it. Perhaps farmer #1 might benefit from attending a zoom communication forum, perhaps not.
I thought I might try reading Proulx when I finish 21CY, but if I can’t finish that without resorting to the audiobook, there’s little hope that I’d be successful. Probably just a bit too thick.
Great stuff. Thaks.
Kitty Jay’s grave could be the next Generation Game : a leaf, a twig, a set of ski poles, food blender …
At the end you and the sheep could have got into the scoop bucket and had the farmer drive you both aloft down the hill to his farm. You would have been like Han Solo and Chewy arriving majestically for the medal ceremony at the end of A New Hope. Ps I cannot seem to re-subscribe to your meanderings.
I just discovered your Ramblecasts and they’ve helped me get through a work day. Thanks for sharing!
Ahhh, the death wish sheep that are everywhere on Dartmoor…. the more time you spend out there the more frequently you are likely to become involved in these horrible rescues that leave you with scratched arms, bruises and soaking wet clothes. Like you though, I can’t resist the challenge. And I feel so sorry for the poor bloody helpless things. One time recently a biggish non shorn sheep had to be pulled out of a deep rocky gully where it had been laid in running water for a long time. Its fleece was wet through and so heavy it would have been impossible to move had I been alone. The most infuriating thing was the daft animal was so scared of its rescuers that once free it ran blindly off back into the gully and became stuck again ! That’s when the nightmarish Groundhogsheep Day begins and suddenly, yes, 3 hours have passed.
If there are no farmers around to help, the Dartmoor Livestock Protection people are very good and will attend ponies, sheep and cows in trouble promptly.
Love listening to these. I can actually see you walking…
The taciturn farmer of a certain age seemed very familiar. Maybe it’s all such farmers or maybe it’s the same one that appears in order to confuse, fluster and frustrate a little, like in a dream when you are trying to get something done. I’m sure I have met him😉
We had a couple of sheep years ago and of there was one single thing that was the worst possible option for them to take, they took it. I thought the farmer may have been bringing a bucket of feed to tempt it in the right direction? I found Kitty’s grave on google maps. It looks interesting and the 360⁰ view was lovely. I can see why you enjoy walking the area. I hope your neck feels better soon. I am going to try to find The Shipping News in my local libraries and see if I am not too thick to enjoy it. 😁
Hi, I read The Shipping News a few years ago and this brought back how much I enjoyed it. I haven’t read any other by Annie Prouloux, have you any recommendation for which one I should read next.
I love the story about Kitty Jay, Ive just finished reading Alias Grace by Margaret Attwood and theres a touch of Kitty Jay in the character of Mary Whitney in the book.