A Time From The World
(Rowena Farre)
An account of the author of Seal Morning?s time spent living with Gypsies.
The author takes the reader back to the travelling lifestyle immediately post second world war. She describes her habit of taking time out from ?the slavery? of regular city life: commuting, office work/college and living in one room bed sits, to roam the countryside, living and working amongst Romany gypsies.
The book introduces the reader to the various travelling groups of the time, not only Romanys but the tinkers of Scotland and the despised ?mumpers? or tramps, blamed by the traditional travellers for their bad reputation.
Farre neatly captures a snapshot of gypsy life at a time of change. She describes family life and the rhythm of the gypsy year as groups split and converged, meeting up to work at hop and fruit picking at various farms, whilst hawking in the towns. Most importantly, she describes in eloquent, simple terms, the pleasure to be had from enjoying nature, evoking the sense of peace and uncluttered fulfilment she enjoyed on her forays out of the modern, settled world
This world out of the world under threat and on the cusp of change: the horse drawn vardo being superseded by the motorised trailer, and modern life in general challenging the gypsy way of life. It is a moment now probably gone, but preserved in this very readable snapshot of a bygone time. Highly recommended for anyone interested in reading of the last vestiges of traditional gypsy life.
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