When the Winds Blow

The Minack Chronicles

by Derek Tangye

Derek Tangye continues the enchanting chronicles of Minack, the flower farm on the beautiful Cornish coast, where he and his wife Jeannie live. In this latest book, he answers the question most often put to them by visitors -- 'Why did you stay when things went so badly in your early days?' and 'What's it like here in the winter?' He also describes the arrival of Fred's new companions: a delightful and high-spirited young donkey called Mingoose Merlin.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

During WWII, Derek Tangye worked for MI5 (the U.K.'s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency) and, after the war, he worked as a newspaper columnist. His wife, Jeannie Nicol Tangye, was a hotel PR executive. They both left their jobs in the city to move to a simple cottage on a flower farm in Cornwall.

Reviews

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

"happiness is based on corny virtues. That is it's weakness. It is too simple for this complicated world...and it provokes giggles. Some people are always ready to giggle at simplicity."

I enjoyed reading the true animal stories in this book, the tiny real life adventures of a man, his wife, several cats, two donkeys plus numerous wild birds that live on a flower farm in Cornwall. The human couple, Derek Tangye and his wife Jeannie, got tired of the hectic city life so they moved to the Cornish coast to live their dreams. Where life was simple and more old fashioned. Running a flower farm on the wind swept coast wasn't exactly easy and there were many a disasters with windstorms and greenhouses but it makes a great story.

The parts I liked the best in this book were about Fred and Mingoose Merlin, the two donkeys. I love horses and I actually know two mini donkeys, so I was most interested to see what these two had been up to. And Merlin is quite the naughty one! He's very curious and gets away with some really wild stuff! And I never knew that donkeys could or would eat mincemeat pie! Fred has some very odd tastes for a donkey!

Then there's the cats: orange Ambrose and black Oliver. Great tales about them in here too. Enough stories to delight any cat lover. Lama an earlier cat is also mentioned.

The end was a bit bittersweet.

I also loved how the author and his wife went out of their way to help the local wildlife.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a fond nostalgia for any books by Derek Tangye and his wife, Jeanie as my father used to read them when he was in hospital before he passed away and I inherited a few of them. I always enjoy reading their true life animal tales and their adventures on their Cornish flower farm. There are several books of their real life adventures (a series called The Minnack Chronicles) and whenever I pick one up in a charity shop I love to read it, especially so if I can take it on holiday to Cornwall with me. They are obviously showing their age a bit now and some of the places mentioned are not as accessible as they were at the time of writing but it’s lovely to read about the simple old fashioned way of living and there is just something so heartwarming about all these stories. This ones main focus is on a storm that took out most of their precious greenhouses and the animal adventures of their two donkeys, Fred and Mingoose Merlin. It also chronicles the lives of some of their cats and as a cat mum that always appeals to my heartstrings.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Minack Chronicles. They have a quiet charm. The animals and the farm are characters unto themselves. If you like true-life stories about city people starting a daffodil farm in the middle of nowhere, then Derek Tangye is your man.