Books

The Quiet Vet – Into the Sunset

A beautiful July summer’s night as the sun starts to set over the River Severn. That promised retirement party as Rod and friends, farmers and former staff travel on this waterway for the evening.

A time for further reflection of Rod’s career as a farm vet, spanning over forty years. A memorable night to recall, and to share with the kingfishers and great acquaintances.

The Quiet Vet

In The Quiet Vet, Rod moves away from his experiences climbing mountains in Africa to describe his career working in Devon, Gloucestershire, and finally, for over thirty years in Shropshire as a farm animal vet.

Rod qualified from Bristol University right at the time James Herriot was garnering attention in both book form and on the small screen. In his own style, Rod describes his early days from gaining his degree and starting out as a new vet – his first experience as a farm vet. Throughout the book, Rod describes his personal experiences while examining the changing face of livestock farming and how the veterinary profession adjusts to these changes.

Covering changes in medicine, advancing technology and improved surgical techniques, Rod also sheds light on the personal relationships he built with his clients. A mixture of light-hearted anecdotes of his career and more serious issues, The Quiet Vet offers a view of the changing face of farming and associated farm vet practice.

For anyone interested in life after Herriot, the English countryside, and food production, The Quiet Vet, written in Rod’s inimitable style, gives an insight into the changing life of a farm vet.

Kenya – A Mountain to Climb

In Kenya: A Mountain to Climb we join Rod five years later, after overcoming depression, on a second life-changing adventure to Kenya – a journey which would change him more profoundly than he’d ever imagined.

Thoughtfully written in Rod’s inimitable style, this book recounts his travels through this stunningly beautiful yet troubled country, his encounters with the magnificent Kenyan wildlife, and his attempt to climb Mount Kenya. Along the way, Rod discovers that the mountain pales in comparison to the political and environmental obstacles the country itself must overcome, and this gives him the perspective to recognise the things that really matter.

This book teaches us that climbing mountains is not a depression cure, but that doing the things you aspire to do, even if you don’t succeed, can be one of the best natural ways to treat depression and help you to rediscover the things in life that make you truly happy.

A perfect read for trekkers, outdoor enthusiasts and those with their own mountains to climb…

Fishing the Net (with Jane Reeves)

Gill Finn, fifty-something and twice divorced, has just returned to the town where she grew up after enjoying life on the other side of the world. But unfortunately for her, her home town has changed; old friends have gone, new buildings have been erected and her favourite haunts refurbished. Alone and in an alien place that should feel familiar, Gill wants nothing more than to meet new people, find new love, and settle down to spend the rest of her life exactly how she imagined.

But not feeling confident enough to walk into pubs, clubs or restaurants by herself, Gill instead decides to take to the internet to seek out companionship. Primed mainly with the knowledge of her past interest in fishing that brought her joy and happiness for many years, Gill combines her hobby with her online profile in an attempt to catch herself a man on the net.

In a hilariously heartfelt new novel, the trials, tribulations and awkward moments that come with online dating are brilliantly captured over Gill’s incredibly personal romantic exploration. Full of anecdotal stories taken from her repeated (and sometimes successful) attempts at online dating throughout the years, Fishing The Net promises to be a hopelessly romantic yet embarrassingly honest account of what it’s like to find love in the 21st century.

Recounting both the tales of her and her like-minded friends’ attempts to find love, Gill’s encounters with everything from married men, handsome rogues and conning scammers are all brought to life within the pages of Fishing the Net.

Kilimanjaro – My Story

Everyone has that one dream, planted as a seed when they were a child, that they’ve all but given up on after realising the hardships and responsibilities that come with growing up and starting a family. Always lingering in the back of your mind, only a few people have the courage and the will to follow through with such lofty ambitions.

For author Rod Wood, that dream was to climb the beautifully daunting Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately, life and depression hit Rod like an oncoming truck. Dissatisfied with his day to day living and unable to put a finger on why he embarked on a journey of self-discovery to recapture the very same whimsy and joy he felt while learning about this legendary continent as a child. Not content to let his life-long desire pass him by a second time, Rod begins to etch out the plans that would change his life forever.

With new-found confidence and commitment to discovery, Rod sets out on the adventure we’ve all dreamed of: to fulfil our childhood ambitions. Engaging in conversations about life, love and the world, Rod’s thought-provoking tale takes him on a series of adventures, coming across people and places that would define his later years. Chronicling the real-life tale of one man’s journey to the “roof” of Africa, Kilimanjaro My Story, spins a heart-warming and relatable memoir into a powerful and engaging personal study.