By Sigrun Buckley
Sigrun Buckley has revealed the cover of her new memoir. I Once Had a Farm in Ireland tells the story of how a couple from Germany ended up on a farm in Ireland in the early 1990s, and all the work they had to do to transform themselves from professionals to farmers. And I’m proud to be associated with this book as editor.
From the acknowledgements:
I’m grateful to my marvelous editor, Scott Bury, who also straightened out my collection of anecdotes as they cascaded from my memories and helped me bring them into a storyline.
About the book
A wheelbarrow, a cable drum, gardening tools and a pickaxe are unusual items on a wedding registry. They’re what Mac and Siggy, a German professional couple, need to fulfil their dream of organic gardening. But Siggy doesn’t know that Mac is harbouring secret dreams of full scale farming and emigrating to seek a healthier and simpler life in an unspoiled country: Ireland.
After two babies and the Chernobyl meltdown in 1987, they are scared enough to make big changes. They buy a farm in Tipperary and give up their jobs, friends and home to raise their children in an unpolluted environment.
More than just fleeing the nuclear threats, they want to blaze a new path to wholesome, sustainable living. A period of intense learning follows: how to raise chickens, pluck geese, breed cattle and sheep, and how to grow all kinds of vegetables.
I Once Had a Farm in Ireland is a modern woman’s journey from a sophisticated, hectic urban life in western Germany seemingly back in time to a lifestyle that may be rustic, so different but just as complex as a modern European professional’s. It’s the story of a woman who sacrifices her own dreams for the sake of her family until she discovers her own path.
Detailed descriptions of gardening and farming activities, combines with recipes make I Once Had a Farm in Ireland a useful “hot to” book for grew-minded consumers and environmentally conscious readers who are toying with the idea of producing their own food.
About the author
A former English teacher, Siggy Buckley’s other books include a series of travelogues, Secrets to Successful Home Swapping and Next Time Lucky: How to Find Your Mr. Right. She has also written a number of short stories, including “There is No Going Back,” the story of German refugees exiled from land conquered by the USSR at the end of World War Two.
She now lives in Florida and is a member of the National League of American Pen Women.
Visit her website, Siggy’s Omnibus.