Dairy Cows and Duck Races: The Tale of a Young Farmer Paperback – 28 Feb. 2017

When a friend recommended this book, I downloaded it to my kindle with some trepidation… after all, it is written by a farmer, and me being an ardent animal lover since tiny tot size and recently into animal rescue, well farmers and me sometimes seem to come from different planets.I need not have worried!!! The book grabbed me from page one and I delved into it every spare moment I had to find out what the author would get up to next. In a nutshell it tells the story of a dairy farmer, but it is so much more than that.It gives us a wealth of experience about farming methods, covering the good and the bad times. He thinks outside of the box and his sense of humour coupled with his ability to stick one finger up to convention leaps off the pages. He has that special knack of being able to tell a story. I felt as if I was at his table listening to him recounting stories and giving me mental pictures of the people he met along the way.The book structure follows the timeline of the author’s start in farming, up until the time he is dreaming of once again being his own boss – why did things go wrong the first time round? Well, you will just have to read the book to find out, you won't be disappointed. The chapters are arranged into amusing and sometimes poignant stories covering his working life, interspersed with snippets of his private life and family, which made it all the more real for me.It really is an absorbing read and left me wanting more. After the book ended on my kindle there is an excerpt from the author’s next book – I tore my eyes away from the screen and set the book back to the beginning. When I read the next book I want it all there and not just the excerpt.I recommend this book to country loving people especially, but also to those “townies” who would like a sneaky glimpse into a dairy farmer’s life. A great read.

I loved this book which I found to be well-written, amusing, moving and very interesting. A tribute to how good it is comes from the fact that while enjoying it on my iPad at mealtimes I couldn't resist reading many passages aloud to my husband. I learned a lot about dairy farming from it, too.Philip came across as a very special guy and I can't wait for the next book about his experiences in Central France, as we have a second home there in the depths of the countryside. However I gather from his blog that he is now in Kenya - is there no end to his resourcefulness?!I could hardly bear to read the part describing his life-changing injury and whilst knowing that the author shuns self-pity I can't help wondering how it is now...PS: The cover is very attractive: congratulations to the designer.

What a great book. I have thoroughly enjoyed this. Mr Dixon does give us quite a lot of detail about farming but it is in no way like reading a text book. Fascinating tale of a part of his life and how he takes the knocks and gets on with the next stage. At the end it gives and excerpt for his next adventures and says to be published in 2015. As I am a middle of the night reader I got up at 4am to search for the sequel as I so wanted to know what happened next, sadly it doesn't seem to have been published yet. Hope it appears soon.

Have given it four stars because I didn't want to read about the following book. Apart from that the book was enjoyable and in parts quite funny. Describing his life was an eye opener and you really should take time to read it.

It is fun to discover for yourself a new author. This is a funny memoir. I will say that again. It is so funny that it made me laugh, but there is more to it than humor. Living at the time in the North of England, Philip Dixon describes a time of change, when traditional farming techniques were being supplanted by larger scale industrial practices. This book does not so much mourn loss but rather celebrates the value in those old ways. To the author, a herd of cattle is a collection of individuals, and to look after them it is well worth making their acquaintance. He lightly teaches us a vocabulary of time and place, such as the Northumbrian word for herd, "kine". He describes the irreplaceable skills of old men who were born on the farms that they continue to work. I loved reading this book.

This is such a good read, very funny and entertaining. The author come across as a very likable person who manages to pick himself and his family up and thrive, despite some difficult times. Really looking forward to the next book about his life in France.

Really enjoyable book. I had no prior knowledge or interest in farming and it was a bit of a random buy to be honest but I thoroughly enjoyed it! And I learned a few things too. Good writing style and easy to read. Looking forward to the next book.

Very much enjoyed this. A light, easy read. This man seems able to succeed in everything he does. Ill look forward to the sequel.