Book ~ "Diddly Squat: A Year on the Farm" (2021) Jeremy Clarkson

From Goodreads ~ Welcome to Jeremy's farm. It's an idyllic spot, offering picturesque views across the Cotswolds, bustling hedgerows, woodlands and natural springs. Jeremy always liked the idea being a farmer. But, while he was barrelling around the world having more fun with cars than was entirely reasonable, it seemed obvious that the actual, you know, farming was much better left to someone else.

Then one day he decided he would do the farming himself.

After all, how hard could it be?

Well ...

Faced with suffocating red tape, biblical weather, local objections, a global pandemic and his own frankly staggering ignorance of how to 'do farming', Jeremy soon realises that turning the farm around is going to take more than splashing out on a massive tractor.

Fortunately, there's help at hand from a large and (mostly) willing team, including girlfriend Lisa, Kaleb the Tractor Driver, Cheerful Charlie, Ellen the Shepherd and Gerald, his Head of Security and Dry Stone Waller. Between them they enthusiastically cultivate crops, rear livestock and hens, keep bees, bottle spring water and open a farm shop. But profits remain elusive.

And yet while the farm may be called Diddly Squat for good reason, Jeremy soon begins to understand that it's worth a whole lot more to him than pounds, shillings and pence.

Jeremy Clarkson is an English television presenter, journalist, columnist and author, best known for his work on motoring and, more recently, farming. 

This book follows Clarkson as he takes over the day-to-day management of his 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds during COVID after the previous farm manager retires. With little agricultural experience, Clarkson documents his first full year of farming, describing the challenges of learning an unfamiliar profession while dealing with changing weather, crop management, livestock, machinery, regulations and fluctuating market conditions. The book follows the seasonal cycle of the farm, from preparing fields and planting crops to harvesting and caring for sheep. He describes the financial realities of running a farm, including equipment costs, government policies and the impact of unpredictable events such as heavy rain, drought and market changes. 

I hadn't heard of Clarkson. This book caught my eye because of the content and I thought it would be fun and interesting ... and it was. This book apparently draws from his weekly newspaper columns written at that time. Though there were many English references I wasn't familiar with (people, places and events), I liked it and the writing style. It is the first in a series (there are currently 5) and I'll continue to read the others.