I Can Hear the Cuckoo: Life in the Wilds of Wales

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I enjoyed reading this book,I am a slow reader,but with the chapters being short,it was easy to dip in and out at my own pace and perfect for a break.The book starts with some pictures,which entice you in and help you relate to the book as you go along.I found this book a nice surprise, it is not a bells and whistles book ,it is about living in the country ,it has depth,humour,and an honesty that you don’t often hear,that weaves it way through the book. Grafham Water SSSI - Loaded with spring delights, including the melodic song of the nightingale and the spring chorus of the garden warbler and nightcap. Also making use of the reservoir includes the common sandpiper, greenshank and the rare red-throated diver. With nine miles of shoreline, and around 170 species of bird recorded each year, there is always something to see. The song ends in a sad verse about emigration. There is a fine recording of this song from Luke Kelly of The Dubliners.

It is a brave write and heartbreaking to read, the emotions stifled in the heavy air which cloaked the hospital room. I found myself following the illustrated map at the beginning of the book so I could picture Kiran on her daily walking route, visiting the neighbouring farms and landmarks as she did. It is both heart wrenching and primal to read, and it captures me from the start. Though the content is deep, the pace flows easily throughout.It started off well, the author's mother dies and she moves away from London to the Welsh hills to flee her toxic constrained family. And so we get lovely descriptions of the Welsh countryside, the lovely Welsh people, lovely Welsh kindness, the lovely Welsh animals, the lovely Welsh seasons (do you see a pattern here?!) And yet it's not enough. It's difficult to tell at first whether Kiran is living in Wales properly as she initially mentions spending only weekends there. Presumably then she moves there full time, who knows? The pain of her mother's death is terrible and she can't stop ruminating on her mother's illness, death and her family's treatment of her after her mum's death. Without wanting to sound heartless, we get it! Death is shit, losing a parent is shit, grieving is shit, families are shit. Writing a book that sounds whiny, whimsical and childishly naive is shit! Hudson, Arthur Palmer (June 1926). "Ballads and Songs from Mississippi". The Journal of American Folklore. 39 (152): 149. doi: 10.2307/535202. JSTOR 535202. Max Hunter recorded Olivia Hauser of Fayetteville, Arkansas, singing False Hearted Lover in 1961. [21] Hamish Henderson recorded Willie Mathieson from Ellon, Aberdeenshire, singing The Evening Meeting in 1952. [19] Then I found myself Google Mapping the area on Satellite mode (I live in Carmarthen, which in fact is not far, and I do find maps fascinating to explore). This is how much Kiran drew me into her place.

Kiran sidhu is clearly an accomplished and skilled writer,who gives poetic and insightful thoughts,letting you into her life and what it is like to live and breath in the country.For me this is a book that gives hope,it casts acceptance we’re there is dark and like a breeze in any season,the story whaffs over you in subtle and meaningful ways,and brings new thoughts to life,thoughts and feelings that have simmered over time, come to the surface. I read this book when I was on a “micro sabbatical” from work. I couldn’t decide whether to buy the book or not, but something inside me told me that I should. I wouldn’t regret it. Autumn brings with it a melancholy feeling which pervades into the depths of winter and leaves Kiran with such a sense of loss. It is an evocative, well written account of Kieran’s journey of grief. It is divided into the seasons; spring, when she and her husband moved to West Wales, summer, autumn and winter. Kiran Sidhu describes her natural environment in vivid detail and the human connections she forms. Her life and person gradually opens like a flower.” Integrated into the narrative is her bereavement journey.a b Sullivan, Steve (2017). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings. Vol.3 and 4. Rowman and Littlefield. pp.61–62. ISBN 978-1-4422-5449-7. One woman's journey to the Welsh Valley, and how she heals a fractured past and discovers a sense of belonging through the community she finds there

This is a community of neighbours who rally together, show kindness, and each of them give something to Kiran’s healing that is special and unique. The people make the place and the place makes the people.

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She chooses to watch a pig slaughter, swims for the first time in a cold Welsh sea, clips a goat’s hooves, feeds an orphaned lamb, partakes in the rescuing of a red kite. From the writer of The New Yorker short film, Heart Valley - WINNER OF 2023 BAFTA CYMRU AWARDS FOR BEST SHORT FILM It is a story of heartache and hope, of finding a sense of contentment in a life so far removed from anything she had experienced before. Her mother, Piari, grew weaker through December 2014, died on Christmas Eve and was buried over the new year. Through the last section of the book, Kiran evocatively brings to light the battle her mother and family faced. a b Palmer, Roy (1979). English Country Songbook. London. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)