The Cow Book

I absolutely love to receive the gift of books at Christmas, and I lucked out this year by receiving The Cow Book by Longford author John Connell.The Cow Book is the story of one mans life as a farmer, a vivid portrait of a traditional family farm,and a tender meditation on the natural cycle of birth, life and death.Farming has been in John Connells family for generations, but he never intended to follow in his fathers footsteps. Until, one Winter he found himself back on the farm and began to learn the ways of the farmer, and the ways of the cows.Connell records the hypnotic rhythm of the farming day, cleaning the outhouses,putting down hay, milking the cows, and walking the land. Alongside the routine there are the unforseen moments, when a calf fails to trive,when the rain wont stop, when illness breaks out, when depression takes hold, when arguments break out, things said that cant be unsaid. Interwoven throughout is the story of the cow itself,worshipped by the ancient Egyptians as a God,to the modern day pracice of industrial farming.I would encourage you to read this book.It is a book of beauty,warmth and empathy that is a memorable guide not only to life on a small Irish farm,but also on how to live life itself.

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