A Book to order
Thanks to Doctor Curmudgeon & Co.
for pointing out this from Economist.com | The English countryside about Roger Scruton's new book -
It is a lovely read. Mr Scruton is an accomplished stylist and his vignettes of rural life are sparklingly written, affectionate without being cloying. He starts with the history of the land, shaped by centuries of cultivation; then he describes the people, with their quirks, talents, feuds and (sometimes) failings. Next come the animals, such as the beloved, disciplined working dogs, a world away from the useless pampered pets of city life. He rails against the bureaucratisation of livestock farming: lists, registers, rules and artificial standards, all of which waste time and money, and increase both human and animal suffering.