SUNDAY morning conversations with his dad inspired a Tillicoultry man to take to the keyboard and portray life on the farms decades ago.

David Smith always wanted to write a book and as a keen non-fiction enthusiast he was inspired by the story of his father Jim as he penned The Farmer Wants a Life.

From his young schooling days through a life as a farm labourer, the book is full of details and anecdotes from the life of late Jim, who passed away last September just two weeks short of his 91st birthday.

One of 11 siblings, Jim was born in a three-room cottage on a farm just outside Meigle in Strathmore and was but 14 when he started working the land, eventually retiring in 1991 to a life of gardening and bingo.

David said: “I always wanted to write a book and used to sit with dad every Sunday morning and conversation always went back to our life on the farms, dad would come out with names, dates and stories of life before I was born, and I thought there is my book.”

In particular, David enjoyed finding out about Jim’s days in the Home Guard and as the book developed he added that: “I realised that I was putting my own memories it there as well, which I enjoyed, I often wish I had carried on after dad died, but felt no reason after he passed away.

“You never know, that might be another story.”

The book is available from the Coffee Bothy at Blairmains Farm at Blairlogie by the kind permission of owner John Logan.