Linda Watson

Life with the Ladies of Low Arvie: Continuing the Farming Dream Linda Watson

Publisher Marketing: 'Life with the Ladies of Low Arvie' is the sequel to Linda Watson's first book 'The Ladies of Low Arvie' and continues the story of her farming life in Dumfries and Galloway, South West Scotland. 'The Ladies' are the herd of Black Galloway cows bought by Linda and her partner, Richard, to inhabit their 120 acres of wet and boggy land. Their life, though exciting, is full of twists and turns and the couple have met many challenges to be overcome along the road to creating their successful business. They have struggled with these challenges at times but have always won through, aided in no small part by the kindness of new friends and farming neighbours. The farm is set in the most beautiful of Scottish settings and they count ourselves truly fortunate to have spent the autumn of their lives in such peace and tranquility. The problems that they have faced and overcome through these years have always been tempered by the quiet beauty that surrounds them in their home. The hardships are many but the rewards are great and the sight of a batch of new calves gamboling around their mothers in their fields each autumn repays them a hundred fold for their efforts and makes the work load an easy one to bear. Alongside farming life, Linda has found the time to fulfil a second lifelong dream to gain a University degree and the story of her four years of study, whilst also fulfilling her filial duties to her 90 year old mother, is interwoven into the tales of agricultural life. 'The Ladies of Low Arvie' was well received by a wide cross section of society and many readers requested this sequel to update the story and to hear of the way that life has continued at Low Arvie. Contributor Bio:  Watson, Linda As a former pastoral and supportive care professional, Linda Watson found herself drawn, again and again, to work with the dying and the bereaved. With degrees from the University of Calgary, McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, and the University of Toronto, Linda worked in parish ministry and later as the Peer Support and Supportive Care Coordinator of a breast cancer resource centre in Winnipeg, MB. Where others sometimes kept their distance, Linda moved in close and became a trusted companion of the dying and their loved ones on many occasions. She learned at least some of the questions to ask, some of the silences to leave hanging, and some of the words to offer when it was time. Her counseling and theological training, plus the experiences life provided her, combined to assist her in being a positive presence at bedsides and elsewhere with those facing death. It was an event in her personal life, however, that moved her to put some of the wisdom she had gained in the context of these experiences down on paper. Her sister, who had been battling cancer for a few years, was suddenly given 6 weeks to live and Linda was too far distant to be there in the ways she desired. Writing down kernels of wisdom and quotations she knew would be helpful to her sister led eventually to the compilation in this volume, one that has been tested now by others and evaluated favorably by other professionals in the field of end of life care.