It's springtime in this part of the world. Blossom on the trees, daffodils in the orchard, calves and lambs in the paddocks (although not in ours; our sheep live a celibate lifestyle).
Calving was (and is) an important time of year on a dairy farm. Here's a snippet from my work-in-progress:
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Winton Baby-Farmer
On 12 August 1895 Minnie Dean was hanged; the only woman ever executed in New Zealand.
Dean was a "baby-farmer", a role that grew out of Victorian attitudes to illegitimacy. Having a child out of wedlock was seen as ruining the life of a respectable girl, blighting any chance of a good marriage. A baby-farmer could make the problem discreetly disappear, by taking the child off its mother's hands.
Dean was a "baby-farmer", a role that grew out of Victorian attitudes to illegitimacy. Having a child out of wedlock was seen as ruining the life of a respectable girl, blighting any chance of a good marriage. A baby-farmer could make the problem discreetly disappear, by taking the child off its mother's hands.
Friday, August 6, 2010
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