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    A Wander in Vetland
    Pizzles in Paradise
    Ebook series2 titles

    An English Vet's Life in New Zealand Series

    By John Hicks

    ()

    About this series

    John Hicks is an English trained vet who has spent much of his working life in rural New Zealand. On one level A Wander in Vetland is an insider’s look at his changing profession. Hicks's entertaining anecdotes mark a fond farewell to “Herriotism”: the dated public image of life as a rural vet, so lovingly depicted in the novels of James Herriot.
    But this memoir has a far broader scope. In a lively, literary style John Hicks links his tales with some of the more curious aspects of history - particularly veterinary and medical history. Hemlock poisoning leads to a discourse on Socrates’ death; brain surgery on a ram poses the question of how Neolithic man performed similar operations. There are insights into the nature of bladder stones in animals and how these relate to the suffering of Samuel Pepys in the seventeenth century; and if you ever wondered how Italian women seduced their lovers or about the use of goose quills by eunuchs in Eastern seraglios, the answers are here.
    A Wander in Vetland also tackles serious issues such as a personal account of facing cancer. It is at turns fascinating, hilarious, and sobering or - as in an expose of how Noah collected animals for his ark - riotously satirical. An unusual and highly entertaining read.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJohn Hicks
    Release dateMar 6, 2012
    A Wander in Vetland
    Pizzles in Paradise

    Titles in the series (2)

    • 1

      Pizzles in Paradise
      Pizzles in Paradise

      Pizzles in Paradise

      John Hicks
      0 ratings
      0 ratings

      Pizzles in Paradise is well-known Southland vet John Hicks's collection of anecdotes from more than 30 years of tending to bird, beast and pet-owner. It ranges from the wilds of New Zealand to the Yorkshire Dales, from the Scottish Highlands to the fjords of Norway. Whether abseilling off a cliff to perform a post-mortem on a horse or contending with hysterical owners of pets in a city surgery, John's stories are lively and good-humoured, occasionally poignant and often hilarious. He also tells stories of childhood pranks, the trials of adolescence and courtship, the pains and rewards of emigration and the sobering experience of dealing with cancer.

      Pizzles in Paradise is well-known Southland vet John Hicks's collection of anecdotes from more than 30 years of tending to bird, beast and pet-owner. It ranges from the wilds of New Zealand to the Yorkshire Dales, from the Scottish Highlands to the fjords of Norway. Whether abseilling off a cliff to perform a post-mortem on a horse or contending with hysterical owners of pets in a city surgery, John's stories are lively and good-humoured, occasionally poignant and often hilarious. He also tells stories of childhood pranks, the trials of adolescence and courtship, the pains and rewards of emigration and the sobering experience of dealing with cancer.

    • 2

      A Wander in Vetland
      A Wander in Vetland

      A Wander in Vetland

      John Hicks
      0 ratings
      0 ratings

      John Hicks is an English trained vet who has spent much of his working life in rural New Zealand. On one level A Wander in Vetland is an insider’s look at his changing profession. Hicks's entertaining anecdotes mark a fond farewell to “Herriotism”: the dated public image of life as a rural vet, so lovingly depicted in the novels of James Herriot. But this memoir has a far broader scope. In a lively, literary style John Hicks links his tales with some of the more curious aspects of history - particularly veterinary and medical history. Hemlock poisoning leads to a discourse on Socrates’ death; brain surgery on a ram poses the question of how Neolithic man performed similar operations. There are insights into the nature of bladder stones in animals and how these relate to the suffering of Samuel Pepys in the seventeenth century; and if you ever wondered how Italian women seduced their lovers or about the use of goose quills by eunuchs in Eastern seraglios, the answers are here. A Wander in Vetland also tackles serious issues such as a personal account of facing cancer. It is at turns fascinating, hilarious, and sobering or - as in an expose of how Noah collected animals for his ark - riotously satirical. An unusual and highly entertaining read.

      John Hicks is an English trained vet who has spent much of his working life in rural New Zealand. On one level A Wander in Vetland is an insider’s look at his changing profession. Hicks's entertaining anecdotes mark a fond farewell to “Herriotism”: the dated public image of life as a rural vet, so lovingly depicted in the novels of James Herriot. But this memoir has a far broader scope. In a lively, literary style John Hicks links his tales with some of the more curious aspects of history - particularly veterinary and medical history. Hemlock poisoning leads to a discourse on Socrates’ death; brain surgery on a ram poses the question of how Neolithic man performed similar operations. There are insights into the nature of bladder stones in animals and how these relate to the suffering of Samuel Pepys in the seventeenth century; and if you ever wondered how Italian women seduced their lovers or about the use of goose quills by eunuchs in Eastern seraglios, the answers are here. A Wander in Vetland also tackles serious issues such as a personal account of facing cancer. It is at turns fascinating, hilarious, and sobering or - as in an expose of how Noah collected animals for his ark - riotously satirical. An unusual and highly entertaining read.

    Author

    John Hicks

    I am a retired veterinarian. My wife and I emigrated to New Zealand in the early 1970s. Apart from a brief stint in a dog and cat practice in Yorkshire, I spent most of my working life in various parts of rural New Zealand enjoying the challenge of mixed practice with sheep, deer, dairy and beef cattle, horses, working dogs and pets.For my two veterinary memoirs I have drawn as much on my formative years in England as my subsequent experiences in New Zealand. Emigration brings with it a questing interest in origins and roots and this is also a theme in my writing.I was the 'Vet Talk' columnist for The Southland Times for several years and have contributed articles to scientific journals and various magazines. My columns were usually of a quirky, or satirical nature - in similar style to that I have used in 'Pizzles in Paradise', which was first published by Hazard Press in New Zealand in 2005 and reprinted in 2007.The new edition of 'Pizzles in Paradise', and its recently completed sequel, 'A Wander in Vetland', were my first ventures in epublishing.I have always been drawn to literary fiction and 'She Bid Me Take Love Easy' is my first work in this genre. It is a coming-of-age novel that draws heavily on my own experiences of boarding at a strict single-sex English public school and the subsequent shock of release into university life during the “swinging” ’60s: the confusing years when society's attitudes towards sex were being redefined. I have used a parallel true story - an account of a disastrous love affair in the Indian Army in Victorian times - to delve into themes of obsession, love, jealousy and sexual morality.

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