Addlands

Product Information

The stark beauty of the Welsh countryside is given powerful life in this sweeping tale of one family from World War II to the present day, for readers of Alice Munro, Kent Haruf, Bruce Chatwin, and Louise Erdrich.

Addlands is a gorgeous and painstaking evocation of the land and those who work it. Bullough’s writing is a joy—disciplined, observant, and musical, blissfully free of cliché.” —Andrew Miller, winner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Personally, having gotten a Masters in Celtic and Scottish Studies, none of the stories of Scotland were new to me. However, they were entertainingly told, and great for anyone unfamiliar with the vast and varied history of Scotland. Aside from one noticeable Gaidhlig error (dualchais does not mean belonging per se, but more cultural heritage) its an entertaining and fairly accurate book.One cautious warning in regards to this book is that if you have not caught up on the Outlander television series to season five, wait to read this book. You will be spoiled for the show if you decide to read this first. One of the (many) beautiful things about Addlands is how Bullough keeps the world of the book separate from the world beyond the valley. It is a character study of a place and time and how the people moving through it leave their strange marks on its surface” The writing style and organization of this book was wonderfully done in that it read as part memoir, part adventure, and part historical fact. Although that may sound strange, it combined excellently into an enjoyable and balanced read. Graham and Sam are both starring in an upcoming television show, “Men in Kilts”, which will be broadcast by the Starz Network in February- “Clanlands” is the book version of this show. It is very history rich, and explores (in much detail) , the various feuds and wars that have plagued Scotland since its inception, mostly the feuding families and clashing clans that are so pertinent to its history.

A parish can encompass anything from a small rural area with hundreds of people to a town with thousands If you’re looking for land with Addland, seeing parish boundaries can help you understand who is responsible for your local parks, community centres and the like. Usually comprised of elected volunteers, parish councils often help organise local events and groups.

Another strand is the change in attitudes to unmarried mothers - at the emotional centre of the book is Etty, who is forced to marry the proud but old fashioned and older farmer Idris while pregnant with Oliver, whose father has deserted her. Oliver is a giant, hard-working but hot-headed often drawn into fighting. His child Cefin is the product of a short-lived affair with Naomi, a student teacher and aspiring writer who refuses to sacrifice her career to the farm. Graeme is our Agricultural Lead, meaning he knows everything there is to know about peat, farming, soils and so much more! His choice here is about woodland, and he says: A truly ambitious mixture of social realism, folklore, Romanticism and imagistic paean to nature. To say it’s Poldark meets Dylan Thomas is to undersell Bullough’s clout as a serious novelist, but in truth you could approach it either as a made-for-TV noirish romp or a cutting-edge work of art, and love it either way” Intended to benefit both people and wildlife, Local Nature Reserves are protected areas of land, such as ponds or parks, that are deemed to benefit the local community that lives on or near them. Used for the likes of exercise, wildlife watching and more. Local Authorities designate and manage LNRs and generally do not approve any developments on them. Oh! And shall we not forget the thinly veiled homophobic comments, alongside how they don’t feel “manly” and comparing the kilt to a dress, despite being oh so proudly Scottish?

Parts of this book were quite funny as Heughan and McTavish constantly poke fun at each other. I was amused at the beginning chapter called "Taken for a Ride" when Sam Heughan changes a quote from J.R.R.Tolkien by saying, "It's dangerous business, Graham, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." -Sam Heughan on behalf of J.R.R.Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings. While I don’t care much for Outlander books, I’ve always been partial to Outlander the TV show (the horror of liking the movie more than the book! Book gods are about to smite me!). To borrow the description that this book provides about it, “The show can be best described as tartan and soft porn”. There are plenty of descriptions of the land and of farming methods, and plenty of local dialect words some of which are beyond the scope of a standard dictionary, but these are rarely essential to understanding the story, which is largely about the way farming has changed, and the community has changed with it. Labour costs to prepare the land for planting and grazing. New plots won’t be clear, verdant pasture but will probably have stones or weeds which will have to be cleared (you can do this yourself but will still have to pay for waste disposal). Food Standards Agency (in England and Wales) or the local environmental health department: if you want to produce and sell milk.

Materials to build fences and animal housing, or plant beds (using recycled materials here can save costs). When reading the last chapter "The Journey Ahead" I was also amused when I read the iconic quote from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life which says, "Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations." That film is hilarious.

Which is my best explanation for the setting of this novel. Radnorshire: a place of history, but also, literally, a place of the imagination. And, in Radnorshire, where else but the Edw Valley? How much land you’ll need will depend on the balance between subsistence and cash crop farming that you’re going to be doing, as well as what you’re going to be growing. If you’re only producing for yourself and your family, you’ll need around five acres of land. There really is no set formula for the amount of land, though you should consider some factors: How much time you want to spend on the land: Drawing on HM Land Registry data, you can use Addland to see the precise, up-to-date boundaries of all plots of land in England and Wales. All the crucial information about a plot of land, from its exact area in acres to title number and boundary lines. Using this layer can help you understand your land and solve everyday problems like boundary disputes. Fresh, seasonal, environmentally-friendly produce for your table might be the result, but for many smallholders the joy is in the process.There's an obvious friendship that comes out through this book and both of these men came across as relatable and down-to-earth in a world where the life of a 'celebrity' is very different compared to the average person. This was a surprise and made the book that much more enjoyable to me.