nIts been another memorable year on Diddly Squat Farm - will the chickens finally come home to roost? nn n nFans of Prime TV series Clarksons Farm will enjoy this companion IRISH TIMES n n---- n nWelcome back to Clarksons Farm. n nSo, that went well . . . n nThe spring barley crop failed. nJust like the oil seed rape. nAnd the durum wheat. nThen the oats turned the colour of a hearing aid and the mushrooms went mouldy. nFarming sheep, pigs and cows was hardly more lucrative. Jeremy would be better off trying to breed ostriches. n nBut in the face of uncooperative weather, the relentless realities of the agricultural economy, bureaucracy, a truculent local planning department and the worlds persistent refusal to recognise his ingenuity and genius, our heros not beaten yet. Not while the farm shops still doing a roaring trade in candles that smell like his knacker hammock, he isnt. n nOn the face of it, the challenges of making a success of Diddly Squat are enough to have you weeping into your (Hawkstone) beer, but misery loves company and in girlfriend Lisa, Farm Manager Kaleb, Cheerful Charlie and Gerald his Head of Security Jeremy knows hes got the best. And its hard for a chap to feel too gloomy about things when theres a JCB telehandler, a crop-spraying hovercraft and a digger in the barn. n nBecause as a wise man* once said, theres no man alive who wouldnt have fun with a digger . . . n*Jeremy n n n---- n n nPraise for Clarksons Farm: n nThe best thing Clarksons done . . . It pains me to say this GUARDIAN n nShockingly hopeful INDEPENDENT n nEven the most committed Clarkson haters will find him likeable here TELEGRAPH n nQuite lovely THE TIMES n n n nNumber 1 Sunday Times bestseller, October 2024 nn