Product Description

How often have you thought you might like to chuck it all in, leave the steaming metropolis and its noise and dirt behind and make for pastures new, to begin your life again? We often talk about it but people rarely do it. Jackie Moffat is one of those who did. In 1982 she and her family - armed with a bucketload of optimism, stout boots and a highly developed sense of the ridiculous - upped sticks from London (where she'd lived all her life) and went North, to Cumbria. Their destination was the Eden Valley, and a small stock-rearing and dairy farm called Rowfoot, and there they have spent the past twenty years getting to grips with the practice of running a working farm, keeping sheep, cattle, pigs and horses, becoming part of the (often eccentric) community, coping with the ups and downs (Foot and Mouth devastated them) of farming life. For the past ten years, the author's written a regular column for the Cumbria and Lake District Life magazine, and it was this that inspired her to write about her rural life, her wacky take on it and the trials, tribulations and pleasures of running a farm.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24279 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From the Back Cover
We often talk about leaving the bustle of metropolitan life behind and going in search of pastures new but rarely do so. Jackie Moffat is one of those who did.

It was in 1982 that she and her family, armed with a bucketload of optimism, stout boots and a highly developed sense of the ridiculous, bade farewell to the London suburbs and headed north up the M6 to Cumbria. Their destination was Rowfoot, a small, dairy and stockrearing farm (although mice seemed to be the only stock in evidence on their arrival) nestling in the idyllic Eden Valley. Their intention was to start leading 'The Good Life' and get to grips with the reality of running a working farm. After over twenty years of learning the rural ropes - and especially the vagaries of the farm's four-legged residents: the sheep, cattle, pigs, horses, dogs, not forgetting Millie the goat - Jackie and her farm are each going strong, concentrating on rearing Manx Loghtans, a rare breed of sheep originating from the Isle of Man.

Inspired by her column in the Cumbria and Lake District Life magazine, The Funny Farm is Jackie Moffat's funny, wise, heart-warming and at times moving account of the day-to-day trials, tribulations and triumphs she's experienced - the story of a woman at one with her life even if, on occasions, she feels completely at odds with the rest of the world!

About the Author
Jackie Moffat:
Jackie Moffat is a Londoner, born and bred, but in 1982 moved to the Eden Valley in Cumbria, where she still lives and farms. As well as breeding Manx Loghtans (a rare breed of sheep, originating from the Isle of Man), she also writes a column for Cumbria and Lake District Life magazine.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic!
What a joy this book was. I found it by accident when browsing Amazon but it is one of my best ever buys, a book I delighted in reading from cover to cover and will return to time and again to dip into. A selection of articles from the author's column in a Cumbrian magazine, (and how I wish I had access to that and had read everthing Jackie Moffat had written!), these are snapshots of life for someone who took the brave, and some would say mad step, of chucking in the rat race and moving to the tranquil beauty of the Eden Valley. Jackie Moffat writes of her life, her animals and her neighbours with a wit and turn of phrase that had me laughing out loud most of the way through. She has warmth and a special ability to draw you in and make you feel you are living the dream along with her. Magical stuff. And the few entries that touch upon the horrors of the foot and mouth outbreak and the devastation that brought to so many people's lives, are written with understanding and poignancy. This is a book I shall be giving my friends for birthday and Christmas presents. It is a fabulous read and I hope to goodness there will be a second volume of tales about life at the Funny Farm very soon.

Very Funnny!
This is a great read. It is written in the form of short chapters, as the author originally wrote for a column in a local newspaper. As a result is it good for those of us who can only snatch a few minutes to read every now and again. It took me a couple of chapters to get into the author's style of writing - she has a brilliantly dry sense of humour which took some getting used to. This is one of the few books that has actually made me laugh out loud. There are sad moments - it was very difficult to read about the impact of foot and mouth on the farm, but Jackie Moffat doesn't focus on these - she is obviously a survivor and it shows.

I highly recommend this book - especially if you have ever thought about leaving city life and moving to the country!

A hilarious journey through the life of a small holding
I have just about managed to stop laughing long enough to type thisreview. What a fantastic, interesting and humurous book. Jackie's styleof writing is like listening to her in conversation. Her descriptionsconjure up hysterical pictures which will leave you chuckling forhours.
This is a no holds barred account of some of Jackie's experiences whilstrunning her Cumbrian Farm. Her comments are down to earth, and shedoesn't hold back with her own opinions. In fact some of her rants, hersoap box moments, are some of the funniest pieces in the book.
If you feel any connection with farming, working with animals and rurallife this is a book worth reading. If you don't but want to read a bookabout an inspirational and slightly eccentric (her own word) person thenthis is still worth a look.
I'd love to see her do another book. I would certainly be in the queuewith my money in hand.