Jeremy Clarkson is back again with his third collection of columns about life on the farm. For those of us in Australia, it’s an annual treat to read these columns which then are fleshed out at a later date in visual format (Clarkson’s Farm). As always, it’s amusing with some shock value.

The latest book in the series is pretty skinny, with huge print, drawings and blank pages between sections. No problem – understandably, running a farm is a full time job and then some when you have multiple other things to contend with (a farm shop, a billion forms, issues with the local council, a global motoring show). However, I wish that it had been published in a smaller format book or just brought down the font size a bit. You will breeze through it – it’s an easy read with more than a few giggles – but the size of the book suggesting more words is a bit deceptive. We don’t need to have a Clarkson book every Christmas!

Back on the topic, and one of the main changes to Diddly Squat is the addition of pigs. They are very cute and also sound just as problematic as the sheep and cows! With the amount of financial support for British farmers decreasing, Jeremy has a multitude of ideas for other avenues of revenue including nettle soup. He also touches on serious issues regarding the environment, as well as the costs involved with farming and competition against the EU. Despite these issues, it’s clear that he really enjoys farming. He’s a lot more sincere (for Jeremy) and there is less grumpy old man about it. But the best moments in this collection are definitely Lisa’s attempts not to assist on the farm (note to self: tiara and ballgown are very good ideas).

A fun light read for the fans.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )

very good and enjoyable,you sort of read it in clarksons voice ( )

Simply splendid ( )

loved it,very funny ( )

Jeremy Clarkson knows how to put a funny spin on things. So his second collection of articles about his farming escapades contains some hilarious moments, like running into the solo power pole in a field or having to reverse twenty-five times into a shed. But he also shines a light on the red tape surrounding the UK farmer and how that affects what he can/can’t do as well as the effects on the environment and the local community.

As I was reading this book, my local newspaper ran an article suggesting that Clarkson’s farm wasn’t as poor as he made out, thanks to the Diddly Squat farm shop. What they forgot (and that Clarkson explains so well), is that farm shops aren’t the norm for farmers. It’s (as Clarkson puts it) – sheeping, harvesting and growing food. In this book, he describes the amount of hurdles he has to jump to rotate his stock through his fields such as blocking access to natural water sources (to avoid pollution from animal faeces) but exposing his cows to tuberculosis from badgers. (He’s not allowed to cull the badgers). He’s not allowed to have a car park for his farm shop either. Clarkson also shines a light on the costs involved to farmers – they have to think in terms of hundreds of thousands of pounds (e.g., for a crop drying shed or shelter for the cows) because nothing is cheap. (Not even wood for fencing). He also describes how a crop lost most of its value after paying for a truck to transport it, then losing money because of excess moisture. What was left over was worth less than the transport costs. Recent trade deals have also affected the price local farmers can get for their meat, which frustrates Jeremy and he lets go in typical Clarkson fashion. He definitely raises great points on how UK farmers are fighting a losing battle not only against traditional foes like bugs and weather, but red tape and bureaucracy.

The book is easy to read, in short bursts or longer sessions. I’d love to see some of these articles in longer format, such as the Christmas one (with input from Lisa).

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )