My happiest day would be simple, one where it was totally free, no meetings or a plumber coming over, it wouldn’t be filled with a lot of stuff. I’d get up early and my four kids would be asleep. I’d make a crispy bacon sandwich and sit outside in the sun and watch the birds. At lunchtime I’d walk to the pub with the children and later have a barbecue with friends. It’s really important having a few key friends who can make you laugh. It’s important to live in the moment, otherwise you can spend too long being bitter or worrying.
My dad recently died and he’d often say: ‘You’re a long time dead.’ That always stuck with me. You can spend life hesitating or you can get on and do it. I’ve always been a bit more gung ho, free and easy than my father, more, ‘Do you know what, let’s just do it.’ You can’t always be scared of the unknown, but you have to go for it and trust in your instincts.
It was a big decision to get into what I’m doing now - buying the farm and running it. I was going to go into science - I did a PhD in entomology. What’s important is having a passion for something, that and a certain amount of naivety. I was naive to the potential stresses and strains but I wouldn’t have done all this if I’d known.
I do feel stress: it can be as simple as an animal getting out or more complicated, like trying to get a loan to build a new cow house.
I try to build in a release valve, like don’t read that email before you go to bed, or try to look at the bigger picture, what’s the worst thing that can happen here? I also make lists about everything: writing things down helps me to see problems more clearly, like untangling a big plate of spaghetti.
Jimmy’s Festival returns to Jimmy’s Farm, Ipswich on 21 and 22 July. For tickets see jimmysfestival.co.uk
