{"id":11782,"date":"2022-03-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-07T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=11782"},"modified":"2022-03-23T15:52:20","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T14:52:20","slug":"lazy-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/2022\/03\/08\/lazy-days\/","title":{"rendered":"Lazy days"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n

April<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Lazy days<\/h2>\n\n

BOOKS > TV > RADIO > FILM > LETTERS > PUZZLES<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Reviews editors: Margaret Bartlett, Maria Hodson<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n

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Sheep have been the mainstay of the Cumbrian economy since Viking times, with many breeds specially bred to withstand the climate and terrain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

NATURE IN RECOVERY<\/h4>\n\n

An ecologist\u2019s tale of the battle to boost biodiversity while keeping a farm afloat<\/p>\n\n

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BOOK<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n

WILD FELL: FIGHTING FOR NATURE ON A LAKE <\/span>DISTRICT HILL FARM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

BY LEE SCHOFIELD, TRANSWORLD, \u00a320 HB<\/p>\n\n

A vein of mistrust and suspicion runs through Wild Fell like lines in a stick of rock; seeking to navigate the yin and yang of wildlife conservation and sheep farming, Lee Schofield frequently comes unstuck. \u201cIf you hate sheep so much, Lee, why are you even bothering with them?\u201d asks one farmer at a meeting in Ambleside he attends.<\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s not a bad question, as Schofield himself tacitly acknowledges. Many conservationists do hate sheep, and yet Schofield runs a hill farm owned by Britain\u2019s biggest wildlife group, the RSPB.<\/p>\n\n

The Lake District is our most famous national park and a World Heritage Site to boot, with some 20 million visitors every year, but on the whole, it is not a place flocked to by people who want to see something feathered or furry. Or even flowery. And that\u2019s because of sheep. In Cumbria, they live at a density that is five times higher than they are in Norway and they eradicate biodiversity with every mouthful.<\/p>\n\n

But sheep farming is part of Cumbria\u2019s cultural heritage, so how do you square lowering sheep densities with providing a viable income for farmers? That, in essence, is what Schofield is trying to do.<\/p>\n\n

In the end, it all comes down to flowers.<\/p>\n\n

Schofield may work for the RSPB, but Wild Fell leaves you in no doubt that if we don\u2019t protect our wild blooms, there won\u2019t be any bugs and there won\u2019t be any birds and, ultimately, any people. James Fair, wildlife journalist<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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BOOK<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

OUR WILD FARMING LIFE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

BY LYNN CASSELLS AND SANDRA BAER CHELSEA GREEN, \u00a318.99 HB<\/p>\n\n

What a joyous book this is. Tales of people upping sticks to follow their dreams in beautiful places are invariably stirring stu month, Cassells (below right), tells the story of how she and Baer took over a semi-derelict Scottish croft and brought it back to ravishing life, but sharing the writing credits seems only natural given the young couple\u2019s collaborative approach to farming, where livestock and humans alike are all part of \u201cthe team\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe never meant to be farmers,\u201d Cassells says \u2013 the big idea was simply to lead a more sustainable existence on their own modest plot. Once the pair fall in love with the rugged 60-hectare Lynbreck Croft near the Cairngorms and start to care for the land and live to its seasonal rhythms, they become full-time farmers by a process of trial and error.<\/p>\n\n

Producing delicious organic food, we learn, is an art as well as a vocation.<\/p>\n\n

There are cutesy anecdotes involving free-range chickens, rare-breed pigs and adorable Highland cattle, some of which will be familiar to viewers of BBC Two series This <\/em>Farming <\/em>Life <\/em>in which the award-winning, nature-led croft appears. But the couple are not romantic \u2018lifestylers\u2019 or rewilders. Money is tight and Cassells is brilliant at relating the daily grind, sleepless nights and never-ending business plans and grant applications that, together with a supportive local community, keep the croft viable.<\/p>\n\n

Ben Hoare, naturalist and author<\/p>\n\n

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Look out for barn owls at dusk when they venture out to hunt for field voles and mice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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BOOK <\/span><\/p>\n\n

TH<\/strong><\/span>E BOOK OF THE <\/span>BARN OWL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

BY SALLY COULTHARD, HEAD OF ZEUS, \u00a314.99 HB<\/p>\n\n

The barn owl is a British wildlife icon. Who could fail to be thrilled by the sight of one of these pale, silent hunters as it quarters across a meadow at dusk or is lit briefly in the darkness? It is a special bird and, as this book shows, there is much about it to amaze. For example, one ear opening on the head is higher than the other, so the owl can detect prey in pitch dark in three aural dimensions. Its hearing doesn\u2019t deteriorate with age, either, but the relevant cells are regenerated.<\/p>\n\n

These are among multiple remarkable adaptations that make the barn owl fascinating as well as charismatic.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

This nicely produced book, well researched and written, is divided into several chapters \u2013 such as \u2018Family\u2019, \u2018Body\u2019 and \u2018Love\u2019 \u2013 which fully cover this owl\u2019s natural history. Each begins with a short narrative about a barn owl family that is presumably local to the author. It is all commendably accurate, up to date and, in contrast to many a recent book, concentrates properly on its subject.<\/p>\n\n

There is much to like but, in my opinion, something missing, too. It is somewhere between a reference book and a \u201cgood read\u201d type, but for me there isn\u2019t enough sparkle for the latter. There are good turns of phrase and faultless fact-giving, but not quite the magic I would have loved.<\/p>\n\n

Dominic Couzens, bird expert<\/p>\n\n

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MUSIC<\/span><\/p>\n\n

HEAL AND HARROW RACHEL NEWTON AND LAUREN MCCOLL<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

A single fiddle opens with a melancholy call. A bewitching harp joins and the vocal begins, mournfully beautiful, \u201cYou\u2019ll find me on the shoreline, in the space between, underneath the sandstone\u201d, before rising to a despairing chorus of \u201cand if I am a witch, will the devil help me now?\u201d. This is \u2018Lilias\u2019, the first song on Heal <\/em>& <\/em>Harrow <\/em>by Scottish musicians Rachel Newton and Lauren McColl, who have crafted an enchanting album inspired by the witchcraft trials of the 16th and 17th centuries.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The union of harpist and vocalist Newton with fiddler McColl is magical. In English and Gaelic, Newton sings of the women who su ered following the 1563 Witchcraft <\/em>Act, <\/em>when nearly 3,000 \u2013 herbalists, matriarchs, healers, nonconformists \u2013 were executed as witches. Several tracks pay tribute to a slain woman: \u2018Lilias\u2019 is a song for 64-year-old Lilias Addie, buried under a sandstone slab on the Fife coast, while the thrilling melody of \u2018Behind the Eyes\u2019 captures the story of accused-turned-accuser Margaret Aitken, burnt in 1597. This is an extraordinary album of eerie beauty.<\/p>\n\n

Maria Hodson, production editor<\/p>\n\n

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TV <\/span><\/p>\n\n

GENTLEMAN JACK, <\/span>SERIES TWO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

BBC ONE AND BBC IPLAYER<\/p>\n\n

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Sophie Rundle plays Ann Walker in Gentleman Jack <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Set in Yorkshire in the early 1800s, the second series of Gentleman Jack sees<\/em> Suranne Jones return as formidable landowner Anne Lister, with Sophie Rundle\u2019s Ann Walker by her side. Together they set up home at Shibden Hall, keen to combine their estates and make a success of it. But Lister\u2019s entrepreneurial spirit and unconventional love life alarms locals, and with Halifax simmering with political upheaval, trouble is brewing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Based on the real-life diaries of Anne Lister (1791\u20131840), the series is sure to deliver great drama and dreamy scenes of Yorkshire countryside. As well as Shibden Hall, where Lister lived, other locations include North Yorkshire\u2019s Sutton Park and York\u2019s cobbled streets.<\/p>\n\n

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<\/div>
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Q&A<\/span><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

DIGGING FOR HISTORY<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In a new companion book to the Channel 4 series The Great British Dig: History in Your Garden, <\/em>archaeologist Chlo\u00eb Duckworth delves deeper into the sites featured in the show. We ask Chlo\u00eb for some tips on how to uncover history in your own back garden<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What inspired you to become an archaeologist? <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never meant to be an archaeologist. I had an offer to read law at Durham, but something just snapped and I ended up going through the list of degrees in university \u2018clearing\u2019. I spoke to a lovely man about spaces on his archaeology course and, once I was in, I was hooked for life. An archaeology degree gives you so much breadth of learning: a bit of science, a smidgeon of philosophy and critical thinking, loads of opportunities to do practical and team-based work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did the team identify which back gardens to investigate?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of research goes into what we do before and after we excavate a site. We look at historic environment records, old maps, satellite images, previous archaeological reports and we talk to other archaeologists. On The <\/em>Great <\/em>British <\/em>Dig, <\/em>we are lucky to work with a company called Solstice Heritage, who put in a huge amount of work to pinpoint likely sites for us. That\u2019s the easy part, though. Convincing people to let you whack a great big hole in the middle of their lawn, while a TV crew films them from behind the petunias is something else! We\u2019ve had quite a few say \u201cno\u201d, but people are usually really polite about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the most common historical items people tend to find?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It depends on where you live, but a really common find is a clay smoking pipe fragment. Tobacco was first brought to the British Isles in the 16th century, and it was hugely popular by the 18th. When clay pipes broke, people would often just toss them aside. If you imagine that cigarette butts were made of something durable like clay, you can get a sense of just how many of these old bits of pipe are kicking about beneath our feet. You might also find coins and other metal objects, and the remains of air raid shelters are common in gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the first step to take if you think your house may be on a site worthy of excavation?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go online and check it\u2019s not under any kind of legal protection. If you are keen on having a dig, you will get way more out of it with a bit of forward planning. My book includes a step-by-step guide to opening a one-metre trench in your garden, and how to recognise the different archaeological layers within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also helps you see how changes in soil can provide a lot of information on what happened over time. When you do find objects, all that information makes them far more meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you come across something, who should you report the find to?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the UK\u2019s treasure laws, as it\u2019s possible you will need to officially report your find to a local coroner. Go online and find the contact details for your local \u2018finds liaison officer\u2019 (everywhere has one); they can help to identify your find and ensure it\u2019s properly recorded in an online database. finds.org.uk\/contacts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was the most exciting thing you unearthed on the recent TV series?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was thrilled when I discovered a section of the barracks block wall belonging to the Roman fort at Falkirk in Scotland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soil was filled with all this burnt building material because the whole thing had been burnt down, either during or after its abandonment. It felt like I\u2019d found this \u2018smoking gun\u2019 evidence for the retreat of the Romans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will there be a third season of The Great British Dig? <\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t know for certain yet, but I hope so, because we already have some really exciting sites lined up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The GreatBritishDig:History inYourBackGardenby Dr Chlo\u00eb Duckworth (Conway) is out now in hardback and ebook; \u00a325. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

Photos: BBC, Getty, Sandra Angers Blondin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The best of this month’s books, TV, radio and film<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":11774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"96","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"96","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_96-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_96-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"April-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"April-2022","purple_external_id":"April-2022-96-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"April-2022-96-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000084054||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000084054||","purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.188","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.188","purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.188","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.188","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"91da22fd-9e7f-40d1-a93f-fc46e9516d91","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-03-09T11:43:24Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"80f1fa3f-5bb4-4a2c-a263-37883dd988a3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-03-23T14:52:29Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACw==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AgPH6P1u0SiyiYzeIPdmIow","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[33],"tags":[14],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/2a945090-8d2d-455d-8fe0-aeb947066d04.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"10","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/2a945090-8d2d-455d-8fe0-aeb947066d04.jpg",2048,1243,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/2a945090-8d2d-455d-8fe0-aeb947066d04-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/2a945090-8d2d-455d-8fe0-aeb947066d04-300x182.jpg",300,182,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/2a945090-8d2d-455d-8fe0-aeb947066d04-768x466.jpg",768,466,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/2a945090-8d2d-455d-8fe0-aeb947066d04-1024x622.jpg",800,486,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/2a945090-8d2d-455d-8fe0-aeb947066d04-1536x932.jpg",1536,932,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/03\/2a945090-8d2d-455d-8fe0-aeb947066d04.jpg",2048,1243,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The best of this month's books, TV, radio and film","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11782"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11782"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14952,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11782\/revisions\/14952"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}