Chloe Hadjimatheou

Bill rushes out and grabs himself a copy and devours it in a day.

And what he reads throws him completely.

Next door to Hay Farm, Ruth is going through similar emotions.

But almost as soon as she's put it aside, Bill messages her.

So Ruth reopens the book.

She reads about the walk that spans almost the entire length of the British Isles.

And then she gets to the last few chapters when they're back home and they go for a check-up with the doctor.

And this is after their long walk.

And it's rejuvenated his brain.

The last Bill and Ruth had heard, Moth was dying.

He might not even make it past Christmas.

And yet here was Raina Wynne telling the world about a brain scan that defies science.

Ruth calls Bill back and they discuss what they've just read and realise that they both feel exactly the same.

Utter confusion.

When I spoke to him about all this, Bill told me that at first his reaction to the book was just horror.

That perhaps the demands of the farm had left Moth in the state described at the start of the book, where he's lying in his own urine.

Bill couldn't bear the idea that Moth might feel obliged to take on more than he can cope with, so he decided to take action.

He brought in a young couple who could take over the cider making while living on the farm in a caravan.

That way Moth and Raina could continue to live on the farm and focus on Moth's health.

Raina gave Bill her tacit agreement to this, but when he arrives at Hay Farm with the young cider makers, Moth is furious.