In May 1933 Margaret Leigh took over the tenancy of Achnabo farm, in a beautiful corner of the West Highlands overlooking the isle of Skye.
In this unsentimental yet exquisitely written book, she recounts a year of farming life there, from the burning of the land and ploughing in March, through planting and sowing in April to haymaking and harvesting in September. Incidental details - such as a visit to the smithy, the arrival of some new bulls and the annual journey of the cows to the summer shielings - provide fascinating insights into farming life.
Local characters and customs feature too, adding another rich dimension to this reflective and poignant memoir of a world now vanished forever. |
