Book #4/2019 The Horseman

The Horseman by Tim Pears
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A list of some twenty-eight characters at the beginning of the book is somewhat confounding. It is necessary to get your head around these from the start, otherwise confusion will spoil your enjoyment of this gentle, pastoral novel set in Devon in 1911/1912. Composed as a calendar through the months and seasons and following the daily, hardworking lives of the Sercombe family: Albert Sercombe, a ploughman, Ruth, his wife, Fred, Sidney and Leopold (Leo), the three sons and Kizzie, their daughter. These are the central characters - in particular the twelve year old Leo - along with Arthur, Lord Prideaux, owner of the estate and Charlotte (Lottie), his only child.

A bucolic blend of Flora Thompson, Laurie Lee and Thomas Hardy, sprinkled with countryside words and events through the seasons: how to groom a Shire horse, how to plough a field, how to slaughter and butcher a pig (in graphic detail), the harvest cycle of collecting, stack-building and threshing. It's all here in forensic detail. One wonders - where is this going? Is there a plot?

Remember Leo and Lottie? Working class, humble lad and privileged daughter of landed gentry. Leo loves horses. His mind is set on working with them, one day. Lottie is at first antagonistic towards him, but at the same time intrigued by this quiet lad. They share a love of all things equine. It will take them on a journey through their age of innocence to a simple act, misinterpreted, that leads to devastating consequences. The last ten minutes of this beautiful story left me stunned...

My thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for this ebook.

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The Kid on Slapton Beach

My wife and I visited Tyneham Village, Dorset last summer, the village where all residents were given short notice to leave just before Christmas 1943 when the surrounding area was commandeered by the then War Office (now MoD) for use as firing ranges for training troops. 252 people were displaced...

When I read an introduction to The Kid on Slapton Beach by Felicity Fair Thompson there was an immediate resonance with what I knew about Tyneham: "War is hard enough when your dad is missing in action and even harder when you have to leave everything you know and love. Twelve year old Harry is one of three thousand people leaving the coast in Devon during the Second World War as US troops move into  the area, planning secret D-Day rehearsals on the beach there in April 1944. But what if your most treasured possession is left behind?...."

I suppose words like 'The Kid'... 'dad'... '12 year old'... should have been clues to the target audience of this book, definitely written for the younger reader!

Never mind though, I grudgingly admit that I am rather enjoying it....

Grey Long-eared Bat Numbers Declining

The Grey Long-eared Bat Plecotus austriacus is nowadays confined to small pockets along the south coast of England, including the Isle of Wight. A few of these mammals are also living in the Channel Islands and south Wales. It appears that the breeding colonies are so fragmented that the bat could become extinct unless more work is done to protect it and the habitat it needs. A study published today says that only 1,000 grey long-eared bats are thought to remain in the UK. And the numbers are declining.

There is an area near the river Teign in Devon where between 20 and 30 female grey long-eared bats live in an attic (the males are in temporary roosts elsewhere) while 250 lesser horseshoe bats occupy a neighbouring roof space.

The research was carried out by Orly Razgour, who studied the grey long-eared bat for her PhD at Bristol University. She said: "The two species live in perfect harmony. This is one of the best and strongest colonies of grey long-eared bats, but the population is very fragile. Unless we do more to protect them, they may die out completely. The problem is that the bats' hunting habitats are vanishing and colonies are becoming even more isolated. Intensive farming over the decades has meant that the lowland meadows and marshes that the bats favour are harder to find". Razgour further stated that she was shocked when she discovered there were so few grey long-eared bats remaining and is calling for them to be afforded UK priority species status.

If you would like to get involved with bat conservation then why not consider joining the Bat Conservation Trust  http://www.bats.org.uk

Barn Owls Under Threat

Alarming figures have been published by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) recording a 280% increase in reports of dead Barn Owls in March, at the start of the breeding season. Many had starved. According to the Barn Owl Trust this has been the worst breeding season for more than 30 years. This catastrophic fall in numbers follows a series of cold and wet springs.

1,234 breeding sites across Devon are monitored every 10 years. Of 276 sites checked so far this year, barn owls are nesting in seven and only four sites have young. West Sussex normally has up to 55 nests but only five have been found this year.

The fantastic weather in March 2012 meant that owls started breeding earlier, but then in June the rain started and didn't stop. This prevented adult birds hunting and many young birds starved. In some cases entire broods of owlets were found dead in the nest.

Jeff Baker of the BTO said: "Barn Owls can sustain one or two years of poor breeding performance, but we don't want another very cold spring, or very wet one".

It is hoped that these icons of the countryside will be able to recover.