There is a saying that “You should never work with children or animals,” but Allison Lee did exactly that, and she lived to tell the tale.

After retiring as the owner of a small chain of children’s day nurseries, she swapped childcare for animal care when she and her husband bought a twelve-acre plot of land and a dilapidated barn ripe for conversion with a dream of starting a smallholding.

She found her idyllic lifestyle wasn’t everything she had hoped for when she had to take on the local authority in a heated fight for planning permission – a fight she took on with gusto and finally won!

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Follow Allison’s journey through the highs and lows of caring for animals, from pet pigs with a fetish for bedding to playful puppies with a shocking sense of taste and smell, and kamikaze goats who wake up every morning with new ideas of how to escape and wreak havoc on the countryside.

The first book in the series of an entertaining, amusing and honest account of life as a smallholding owner.

My Review

At first this sounded like my dream come true. All those animals to look after – pygmy goats, micro pigs, miniature ponies, dogs of course, chickens etc. I’d throw in (not literally) a couple of cats personally, to help get rid of any mice. I just wasn’t sure how they were going to make enough money to keep going. I’d want to open a cafe with a petting zoo to attract some income. Maybe I’d become the next Adam Henson! But then I probably know even less about having a smallholding than Allison did at the start. And I’m definitely more Margot than Barbara.

However, Allison’s ‘dream’ turned out to be far more complicated than how to care for pigs and chickens. The perfect ‘barn conversion’ wasn’t quite so perfect, in fact no-one had managed to get planning permission so far. And was it even in the right location? Had they made a terrible mistake?

Allison’s long-suffering husband Mark seemed to just go along with her ideas. I don’t think my husband would be so patient and just leave me to get on with it. It would have to be an equal partnership, with me choosing the animals and him making sure I didn’t let my ambitions run away with me. Allison buys things all the time that turn out to be unusable (like the blankets) and doesn’t seem to give the cost a second thought. Nice to be able to do that in these uncertain times.

But there are lots of funny stories about life with the animals. They are all different. the pigs, the ponies and the goats all have different needs and every one of them has a different personality. You soon learn who not to stand behind, especially with your back turned, who is an ‘escape artist’ and who likes a cuddle. And of course which animals can be housed together, and which can’t.

It’s all very entertaining and at times hilarious. But then I love animals, just not so much mud and cleaning out poo.

Many thanks to @ZooloosBT  for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Allison Lee first started writing education and non-fiction books in 2006 based on her
profession at the time in the Early Years. Having always harboured a passion for writing a novel, she got her ideas for her debut book when she and her husband bought a remote cottage set in the heart of Snowdonia, where they escape for holidays and weekends, allowing Allison to indulge her passion for writing.

Allison and her husband have two sons and two beautiful granddaughters. They live on a small holding in Yorkshire with their four dogs and animals, including sheep, pigs, goats, donkeys, ponies and chickens. Allison’s hobbies, besides caring for her beloved animals, are growing fruit and vegetables and supporting wildlife.

Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allison.lee.754703
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisonlee1967
Website: https://allisonlee.co.uk

Blossom Spring Publishing’s Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100059899875258
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlossomSpring3
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blossom.spring.publishing/
Website: https://www.blossomspringpublishing.com/

Book Links
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214960028-all-the-gear-no-idea
Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/allthegear-zbt