What do you do when you’ve been made redundant from running the largest dairy farm in Britain, you can’t afford a farm in the UK, and you’ve lost the use of your arm? You buy a small farm in France for the same price as a semi-detached house in England, and you make it work.
Having worked as a dairy farmer in the UK for 30 years, and achieved the top job in his profession, Philip longed to put a lifetime of experience into practice for himself, instead of being at the beck and call of the landed gentry and their land agents. The opportunity presented itself in an unusual fashion; the estate he ran was to be split up and sold off, and he was made redundant.
Follow Philip’s wonderful adventure into the centre of France, to the beautiful dairy farm of Les Marais; 75 hectares of softly undulating land with woods and a 5-hectare lake filled with coarse fish and ragondin (or coypu). Read on as he tackled the differences in agricultural techniques, whilst learning the language, mastered cooking acceptably for his French neighbours, and found out that falling in love with France was not the same for everybody.
In this sequel to his highly entertaining first book, Dairy Cows and Duck Races, Philip Dixon shares the next chapter of his eventful farming career.
The myths and realities of farming life in France
When the functionaries say maybe, it actually means yes
Financial and medical privacy becomes a thing of the past
Fitting in: immersing yourself into the community is the only way
Some differences between British and French farming practices
Coping with sudden extreme weather conditions
Language faux pas!
Finding true love and a life partner
Being married by a silage partner who was also the mayor
