Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Lambing Season

I don't do book reviews, never have, probably never will.  I only mention these books because it seems odd to me that I enjoyed them so much. I'm a knitter so I suppose the sheep/wool caught my eye.  Little did I know how much pleasure I was in for.  

About half way through lambing season last spring I became aware of Herdwick Shepherd (@herdyshepherd1) on Twitter.  James Rebanks tweets photos made with his smart phone as he works among his sheep delivering lambs.

Rebanks farms about thirty miles from Scotland in The Lakes District of England, beautiful country there.


His first book came out to amazing success shortly after I began following his tweets.  Reading it I became even more enamored with the man.  Like most small farms in the world it is no longer possible to make a living without supplementing their income.


James was a pesky kid, not at all inclined toward academics but someone saw a spark in him.  The story is fascinating of his acceptance into Oxford.  After finishing his degree he came back to the family owned farm to continue his work as a shepherd.

To supplement the family income he became a consultant for UNESCO and travels around the world to promote tourism while preserving history and culture. 


Amanda Owen is a Shepherdess in Yorkshire Dales England.  Her story is very different but just as interesting.  She and her husband reside on a remote 2000 acre historic farm.  She's only made it to the hospital twice giving birth to their eight children.  You won't be bored reading this family's story. Amanda is on Twitter as YorkshireShepherdess (@AmandaOwen8).

6 comments:

  1. They both sound interesting enough.
    I do not twitter ...

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  2. James Herriott made me a fan of the Yorkshire Dales. This sounds like an interesting read.

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  3. I'd enjoy these authors. My father had sheep on our farm. I once had a lamb named Brownie. I grew up hearing knitting needles click in my mother's hands, and after I retired, I became a knitter, too.

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  4. Hi had a little bit of time to go and visit some new blogs, came in "Now you see me"
    I haven't learn to knit, but I do crochet.
    If you have time stop in for a cup of coffee.

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  5. So many good books, so little time. I'll add these to my list.

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