Looking Towards the Tamar

A Third Dose of Witty Reflections on Modern Life from a Grumpy Old Westcountry Man

Whether considering great issues related to the state of the world or simply the choice between a bath or shower, we can be sure that Ted Sherrell’s unique observations on life always include a good deal of common sense and plenty of humour.

Although being a self-confessed grumpy old cynic, he is not one to believe everything from the past is better; far from it, he revels in the comforts of modern life – so long as he can list them with a Biro and not a keyboard!

Easy to dip into at anytime, these 60 articles are chosen from Ted’s original columns published in newspapers across Devon and East Cornwall.

ISBN: 9781852002077

Size: 212x135m

Illustrated with cartoons

Binding: Paperback

Length: 221pp

With his knowledgeable and humorous approach in telling these stories from a westcountry council chamber, Ted Sherrell provides a wry insight into the workings of local government and what it is that councillors actually do – or perhaps that should read ‘don’t do’.

At the meetings councillors are faced with the most unlikely proposals and subject matter. They could be dealing with trees that are in the way or dropping their fruits on people, or dogs that leave their droppings in public places, or unreachable flagpoles, decrepit bridges or even the need to set up committees under government policy that never actually do anything!

The problem with all the discussions and decisions is that each of the councillors have their own strong individual personalities and quirks, and these can quickly make them appear either outrageous or extremely inflexible. Whilst democracy is obviously essential, there are other considerations – can they afford the proposal, which proposal will close the meeting quickest to allow them to go home, and will the outcome affect their chances of re-election?

When we consider that many of those who eventually reach the hallowed halls of Westminster start out as elected councillors, it is perhaps not surprising that the one true principle that can be seen running through our democratic system, just as occurs in this book, is that of procrastination – and perhaps it’s just as well!

ISBN: 9781852001919 

Size: 217x140mm 

Binding: hardback 

Length: 204pp

Totally Ted! More witty Reflections on Modern Life from a Grumpy Old Westcountry Man

Well-known Devon author and self-confessed grumpy old cynic Ted Sherrell shares even more of his many and varied opinions and conclusions about modern life in Totally Ted! 2

As a complete technophobe, anything from using a pressure-washer to fixing the toilet seat can become a major incident, and the ever increasing amount of junk mail, or the vexed complications of buying a new broom, are likely to drive Ted to the edge of despair. However, once again Ted’s columns, which first appeared in newspapers across West Devon and East Cornwall, are also imbued with excellent humour and increasingly more wisdom.

ISBN: 9781852001889 

Size: 212x135m 

Illustrated with cartoons 

Binding: Paperback

Length: 212pp

Totally Ted! Witty Reflections on Modern Life from a Grumpy Old Westcountry Man

The Totally Ted! columns are written by well-known Devon author Ted Sherrell. First appearing in newspapers across West Devon and East Cornwall, they give voice to Ted’s many thoughts about modern life. 

Whether Ted is writing about his phobia of technology, his idea for a ‘colander’ list instead of a ‘bucket’ list, the perils of shopping, or his dislike of television reality shows, the one thing guaranteed is that he is always a self-confessed grumpy old cynic. Nevertheless, these contemplations on day-to-day life contain a large dose of humour and a great deal of wisdom.

From the Banks of the Tamar: Stories of Country Characters from the 1950s

We meet 'Deadeye' Dawkins with his antics to beat his brother in the local produce show, Jim Burnham the village dodgy dealer, farmer Pym Harper, poacher Cuthbert Wells, postman Alfie Spooner, the Reverend Luke Maxwell, and Ronald Penrose, chemist and local film entrepreneur, and together with the other country folk who meander within their individual tales, these characters reflect the heart of the community that existed in 1950s' rural Devon. With the slow improvement of the economy and the ending of rationing it is a period of great hope and much anticipation for a brighter and more prosperous future.

Brought up himself on the banks of the River Tamar, Ted Sherrell is able to utilise his intimate knowledge of the people and places of the area to bring his stories to life, depicting them with an entertaining mixture of humour, sadness, love and occasional despair, but always with a sense of belonging within a close and caring village community.

Size: 212x135mm 

ISBN: Paperback: 9781852001773 / Hardback: 9781852001766

Length: 200pp

Back to the Tamar: Country Tales from Early Post-War Days

Following the success of his present-day stories in Looking Towards the Tamar, in this new anthology Ted Sherrell looks back to the early post-war years. He captures the period of the 1950s brilliantly, with inspired stories of country folk, some of whom he has loosely based on characters he remembers from his childhood. 

There is still considerable austerity, with wartime rationing only just being phased out, and people’s lives still affected by the previous decade’s hostilities. Yet, as the new decade progresses, there awakens a sense of exciting beginnings and a chance for modernisation and a better life. It is from this background that these country tales evolve, with the old farmer on the brink of embracing the combustion engine, a taxi driver talking to his car as if it were his old horse and rarely moving faster than the animal would, and the firemen who need to update their drill from that of dealing with the Blitz.

Always drawing his inspiration from real life, Ted Sherrell brings a mixture of humour, idiosyncrasy and occasional tragedy within these tales, once again reflecting his great knowledge of the Tamar area and the humanity of the many characters that have evolved from it.

Size: 212x135mm 

ISBN: Paperback: 9781852001681 / Hardback: 9781852001636

Length: 225pp

Looking Towards the Tamar: More Tales of Devonshire Life

Following the huge success of the hardback edition of this book United Writers now offer a paperback edition.

These present-day stories are set in the community and environment of the county of Devon. They draw inspiration from both country and urban areas which are well-known to author Ted Sherrell.

The stories embrace an interesting variety of characters and tales, ranging from the humour and madness of the local council meetings, where ‘risk assessments’ become a matter of embarrassment for one particular councillor, to the thoughtful reminiscences of an old man seeing again the fecund Tamar Valley with all its fruit, flowers and vegetables grown to be sent ‘up country’, until the day that Mr Beeching cut the trains which carried the produce. 

Ted Sherrell draws inspiration from his own knowledge and experiences of Devonshire life. His childhood was spent in the Tamar Valley, and his later observations as both a councillor and magistrate have helped him understand the strengths and frailties of human character.

Size: 212x135mm 

ISBN: Paperback: 9781852001582 / Hardback: 9781852001513

Length: 206pp

The Cutting of Mary Park: And Other Devonshire Tales

Set in the most scenic and rural county of Devon, these stories by author Ted Sherrell reflect both the farming and village community life of the area.

Many of the stories are told with a good slice of humour, as with the title story where ‘newcomers’ appear to outwit the local inhabitants, or when the recalcitrant Arthur Bowman meets head-on with the health inspector in The ’At. Others are thought-provoking and sometimes just occasionally sad, portraying the more vulnerable side of human life; these would include The Rocks Below, the Sky Above, where Frank discovers just how perplexing an over-bearing wife can become and how ready people are to assume his guilt.

Within this wide range of Devonshire tales the author draws from his own experiences extending from early days in farming to becoming a local councillor and magistrate; all good sources to appreciate the vagaries of human nature and behaviour. 

ISBN: 9781852001285 

Size: 217x140mm 

Binding: hardback 

Length: 184pp

When the burning pyres of a foot and mouth epidemic hit the West Devon farm of Moorview Barton, home to the Dawson family for 150 years, there follow some traumatic times; first for Jack and Sarah, then their son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Moira.

They meet difficulties running the farm against an austere financial climate, with BSE and foot and mouth having taken their toll on the farming community. Then there is also family tragedy and turmoil, and the continuing problem of inheritance and how to gain complete ownership over the 300 acres.

Just as Mark and Moira begin to feel settled and in control of their destiny, once again the tragedy of foot and mouth returns, due specifically to the selfish exploits of one particular cattle trader.

Against this background, can the Dawson family have the courage and vision to rise, once again, from the literal ashes left from the disaster to the phoenix of success and security?

ISBN: 9781852001127 

Size: 217x140mm 

Binding: hardback 

Length: 248pp

A story of love, tragedy and courage, set on a remote Devon farm in the foothills of Dartmoor . . . 

George Tennant is a middle-aged man and a widower. He is a Londoner now retired and living in a large house on the edge of Dartmoor. Heather Maunder, a farmer’s daughter, is 25 years his junior – and very much of a different generation. We learn of their meeting, their mutual love, their subsequent marriage and then their life together. 

It is a life strewn with struggle as George joins his young wife on her family’s farm located in the foothills of the Moor, with much of their livestock grazing on the rugged Moor itself. 

We follow George’s valiant, though not always successful, efforts to master the diverse problems which come the way of a Devonshire hill farmer – and his reliance, ever increasing, on the tenacity, positivity and sheer courage of his remarkable wife throughout all the family problems that such a relationship encounters. 

It is a story of triumph over adversity and fickle fate and, ultimately, over the tragedies which Dartmoor, in particular, chooses to thrust upon them.

ISBN: 9781852000943 

Size: 217x140mm 

Binding: hardback 

Length: 212pp