Tuesday 1 September 2020

Good TV.



I'm sure there's a frustrated farmer inside me. I'm not really a TV person, but programmes of this ilk fascinate me.

'Our Yorkshire Farm' is much more than just about the tough life that certain farmers experience. It's about a young family and their holistic view of life.

Amanda Owen wasn't born into farm life. She comes from Huddersfield (I think). She is 41 years old, has 9 children, and says 'she's been breastfeeding for the past 15 years'.

Her hill farm on the Yorkshire Dales has 2000 acres, 1000 Sheep, 6 Dogs, and 4 Ponies. It's a bleak but beautiful farm with no immediate neighbours.

It's the way she approaches life that is the main crux of the programme. Whilst always managing to look attractive, she is constantly reviving Lambs, showing her children how to help the Sheep give birth, how to warm a frozen Lamb in her old cast iron range, organise the children with their daily tasks, etc. Her daily work-load is non-stop; most people would require an au pair, a farm hand, a cleaner, a cook, and nanny, to cope with all she does.

A remarkable woman, and an uplifting programme. You don't need to be interested in farming to appreciate these snippets of her wonderful life. She's an example to us all.

'Our Yorkshire Farm' appears on Channel 5; or if not, on YouTube. Catch it if you can.

31 comments:

  1. Thanks Cro. I'll look for it on YT . I also like that kind of programs.

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    1. I imagine some episodes are better than others, but they're all worth watching. The one I saw last Sunday (I think) was very good, and was mostly about her children.

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  2. These programmes do give a lot of people an insight into the tough life that is sheep farming.

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    1. It's only in Winter when the really tough side of hill farming becomes evident. The one I saw on Sunday (?) was made in Spring when everything was calm.

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  3. I see the holistic approach to contraception doesn't appear to work.

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    1. I read somewhere that she gave birth to four of them outside, by the side of the path. No, contraception hasn't reached The Dales yet.

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    2. Breast feeding as a contraceptive? That's the biggest joke going

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  4. The current series has just finished over here. Think it was the 3rd or 4th. It's lovely to see the children growing up.
    I loved what she says about having so many children something like "one is easy, two is fun third and 4th need a bit more juggling but once you get to the 5th it doesn't matter anymore!"

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    1. She really is a wonderful person. A true 'Earth Mother'.

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  5. She is doing a good job but maybe having nine children hasn’t helped her cause ? XXXX

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    1. I don't know if she has a cause, or what her cause would be. I just like the way that nothing (on camera) seems too much for her. I'm not surprised that her husband works away from the farm.

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  6. One of my favourites. I remember years ago when they were first featured on, maybe Ben Fogle, a series about the Yorkshire Dales. The children always seem to be smiling, you can't help but love them.

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    1. They seem like a really nice family, all round. The children just get stuck in to everything and anything.

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  7. I love the way she just seems to take everything in her stride , at this time when some people have been holding up their hands in horror at having to self isolate or wear a mask she copes with everything that is thrown at her . I am not sure I could cope with nine children but you can't help but admire her .
    Sun is shining today in Brittany woo hoo .

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    1. She makes everything look effortless, but maybe when the cameras aren't turning it could be quite different. Yes lovely day here too, and better to come.

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  8. It's my favourite programme - they are all so down to earth and the way that Reuben can "fettle" anything is admirable. They are not told "no, you can't do that" and I think her children have thrived because of it. It's a tough life up there, that's for certain.

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    1. Her children will all grow-up as self confident individuals. I can't think of a better upbringing.

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  9. Sounds interesting. What percentage of French and English t.v. do you watch?

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    1. We watch no French TV at all; it's dreadful.

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  10. Bookmarked to look at later.

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    1. If you're interested in agriculture, and/or wild and windy places, you'll love it.

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  11. I wouldn't say she is universally popular up here in The Dales, and that is a shame - all credit due to her and the way they are bringing up their children. The farm is about maybe fifteen or twenty miles from where I live and yes - it is bleak in winter. But as they have a shepherd's hut and do cream teas for walkers on the coast to coast path their summers are a bit mote lively. Her children are very self assured

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    1. I can imagine her not being too popular with the locals. Too much concentration on one person is bound to cause jealousies, etc. I did see something about her offering cream teas to walkers.

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  12. Amanada Owen leads an easy life compared with most Yorkshire women. After all, she has only got nine bairns and she has a house to sleep in. My mother had seventeen kids and we lived in a tea chest. Mum slept for minus two hours a night and we had dandelion leaves for tea.

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    1. That's nothing; me and my twenty five brothers and forty sisters were crucified every night, and only ever ate the used nails. We loved it.

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  13. Reality shows are usually scripted and seldom really real. However, we like to believe in them and they entertain. This show might be more of a documentary of their lives and more true to their way of life.

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    1. I quite expect this presents her life in a very selective way, but it's still very good.

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  14. I bought her book ages ago and while she's no writer I love the series. Clive is lovely too and her kids seem to be good kids. It's one of the few programmes that I really enjoy!

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    1. In the edition I saw recently, Clive hardly appeared. I think he likes to keep himself apart.

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  15. It was discussed on Rachel's blog not so long ago. I like it and it is wonderful escapism, but the programmes, the books and Amanda Owen's lecture tours must have made a lot of money. I suspect it would be very different if the farm was their only source of income.

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    1. She has a finger in many pies; I hope she makes plenty of money, she needs it!

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