The Diary Found at Oak Cottage

We welcome back to Puhoi for summer Athalie, aka Christine, and René Ducrotoy of Fiddlers Hill.

Athalie has undertaken an exciting venture, publication of her late mother Renee Rawlings's diary of her years in Puhoi. It is entitled, The Diary Found at Oak Cottage – a Tale of Self Sufficiency in the Village of Puhoi, 1958-2006, by Athalie Ducrotoy.

The book details the life of Renee and Jim Rawlings, who bought land in Puhoi in 1958 and built their own house with the intention of not only being self-sufficient but of running the land and market garden without the use of chemicals, where possible, and of recycling. It is based on Athalie's mother's diaries, in which she mentions quite a few of the local villagers, weather reports, when the Puhoi river flooded, recipes and such things.

A4 size, perfect bound, soft covered, with 375 pages, seven colour pages, and other small colour pictures within the book, there are 50 chapters.

For more information:

• write to Athalie at PO Box 404081, Puhoi