Our Yorkshire Farm

[sniffingthewax]

Have watched this family for years and read her books. Age is really catching up on Clive, he can hardly bend over now, it is very apparent in this new series. I don't like how the programme is becoming more contrived, it's obvious a lot of it is staged for the camera.

[VictoriaBun]

I believe I read something about them giving their children their own decision about whether they want to have the cameras on them or not.
It's only really this series that we have seen a fair amount of Myles. no
Also you may notice you never really see upstairs/ childrens bedrooms, again for privacy .

[cautiouscovidity]

@LaBelleSauvage123

I love this programme but am curious about why the third youngest child, Annas, never features. All the others come in and out, but she’s rarely seen and never singled out by name.

She featured more in the earlier series, before she started school.

[Wolfgirrl]

I'm absolutely in awe of how they manage, I guess they just dont sweat the small stuff and their lifestyle means they only have 2 streams of work (farm and kids) - they probably dont have the usual pressures like kids parties, fitting in time to go to the gym, taking kids to soft play or baby groups, walking their dogs etc as it all sort of naturally happens on the farm!

The only thing that has made me a bit was when Amanda said she left her baby in SCBU and went home. In her book she says the doctors called in the night to sat he had had a bleed on the brain and she still didnt go to him. I found that a little heartless if I'm honest.

[peonia]

Yeah I found that really strange in the book, especially as they seem to be very loving and dedicated parents in other ways (and stay up all night during lambing and calving). She seemed to have a "nature will take its course" attitude to the baby which was very weird. Also tried to imply they couldn't spare her on the farm but Clive has at least one older son who worked with them and surely the wider farming community would help if needed?

[ChessieFL]

I enjoyed last night’s episode, all filmed by themselves. Following the comment upthread I noticed that Annas was in last night’s episode more than previous ones, so maybe she just doesn’t like being filmed by strangers?

[Animum2]

I really enjoyed watching this series, hope we get more in the future

[LaBelleSauvage123]

@ChessieFL I noticed that as well. In fact I thought this episode was much more focused on all the younger children equally, which makes me wonder if it’s the producers who home in on some of the children more than others when they’re filming instead of Amanda. The voiceover was still very much ‘Clemmie this, Clemmie that’ - I guess if you’re the youngest, confident and cute, it makes for better TV, but it’s a bit sad, IMO.

[shesellsseashells99]

Love this and have read all Amanda's books. They are seem lovely, polite, independent, well adjusted children.

One question and even DD10 pointed it out. Why does Amanda not sit down for dinner??

[purpleme12]

Yes we said that upthread. Very strange

[shesellsseashells99]

She must need to sit down!! She must be exhausted!!

[KayakingOnDown]

Lovely series and lovely family.

I have a question. Who lives on the other house near the farmhouse? It's often shown in the shots and it's clearly inhabited.

[Scrowy]

@KayakingOnDown

Lovely series and lovely family.

I have a question. Who lives on the other house near the farmhouse? It's often shown in the shots and it's clearly inhabited.

Without wishing to sound flippant....
Neighbours

You still get them in the middle of nowhere

[ChessieFL]

I was wondering that Kayaking. I wondered if the family lives split over both houses, or whether it’s other farm workers who live there who don’t appear on screen. Clive has two sons from a previous marriage so maybe one of them lives there? I would be quite surprised if it’s just ‘neighbours’ with no connection to the farm as both the books and the TV programme talk about how the family is completely isolated which wouldn’t be quite true if they have neighbours right next door (although I am obviously aware that books and TV don’t always tell the exact truth for dramatic purposes!)

[shesellsseashells99]

I was thinking it's more of an out house?

[ChessieFL]

It does look like a proper house with cars parked next to it.

[KayakingOnDown]

It's not an outhouse. There is often smoke coming out of the chimney and two cars parked.

On a previous thread I remember a mumsnetter saying Amanda rents out an Airbnb - unless it's that??

[mateysmum]

I think she says in one of her books that the other house is lived in by one of the estate managers. The Owen's don't own their farm, they're tenants.

The reason there was so much of the younger kids in the final self filmed episode may be because Amanda filmed it as she went about her day, so the younger kids were with her whilst the older ones were busy doing school or farm work.

[ChessieFL]

Kayaking they own a separate house further away that they rent out. It’s definitely not the one right next to the farmhouse they live in (which they don’t own as mateysmum says).

[shepherdessbush]

I agree @Wolfgirrl that Amanda seemed slightly detached from that situation and seemed to view her baby like a farmer would one of the lambs. Maybe that is a farmer thing though? I also remember one episode where the oldest girl was definitely giving her mum the side eye over Amanda wearing her clothes, it was weird and there was obvious resentment. I think she has had to take on a lot of responsibility for the younger children whilst the parents were out in the fields.

[KayakingOnDown]

It's also a large family thing. With so many kids, often the parents can be more detached from the younger kids. I noticed that one of the little girls said the highlight of her year was when Raven came home.

Clemmie seems to be a favourite of Amanda's and I wonder if the others are a little left out.

[shepherdessbush]

With so many kids, often the parents can be more detached from the younger kids

Yes a bit less attentive is understandable when you have a larger family, but come on, being told your newborn has had a brain bleed and not going to see it because you think you are needed on the farm? That would viewed very badly by social services I would have thought.

[Herdwick]

That would viewed very badly by social services I would have thought

No it wouldn't. Leaving your baby in the care of specialist medical staff when you also have other children to look after at home would not be viewed as anything by social services because it wouldn't even be referred to social services.

[shepherdessbush]

Herdwick when you have a baby in SCBU staff make a record of how often mum visit. A mum who opted not to visit after being told of a potentially life threatening bleed would be very frowned upon by staff and potentially raise red flags. No, they probably wouldn't refer to social services off the back of this alone, but I'm making the point that it is considered very poor parenting as Amanda and Clive have repeatedly been described as amazing parents. I don't follow the programme but for that one decision she made I would beg to differ.

[Emeeno1]

We are privy to a tiny percentage of their lives and even less of their internal thoughts, why would anyone presume to know better about the choices they have made with so much more information?

I've only recently found this series and it is a breath of fresh air. Children who learn to swim in a river; what's not to like?

[peonia]

But she also chose to write about it in her book therefore it's in the public domain for people to discuss. I actually really like her and the programmes and books so just interesting that the event stood out as very uncharacteristic. I also think it was Reuben who was in hospital so she and Clive only had one older child at home to look after, not like when the younger ones were born.