OPEN the pages of Full Circle and you step into a long-gone world vividly rekindled by Natalie Allen.

Born in St Dominick 67 years ago she has been drawn back to her roots by pleasant memories and a desire to record the past for posterity.

The result is a splendid anecdotal picture of the fascinating minutia of a rural community at work and at play.

'When I hit 50 I got nostalgic and started thinking about the good old days,' says Natalie.

'It was a nice peaceful life and I enjoyed it. I often wish my grandchildren had the childhood that I did. Children are missing out a lot these days sitting in front of the television. We loved the seasons and we loved helping out on the farm.'

Full Circle is her second and most challenging book on the St Dominick area.

Her first, 'A Stitch in Time' was written in 1984 and, following a reprint, is once again available in St Dominick and St Mellion post offices, Callington Museum and Book Stop in Tavistock.

The inspiration for Full Circle came from entries seen in a small pocket diary written by Joseph Snell who spent his whole life working a market garden in the Tamar Valley at St Dominick.

'The entry for January 20, 1936 immediately caught my attention,' says Natalie.

It read: A Jope lost 100 chicken and cows got in his front garden and George fell off his bike and the King died . . .

Natalie was intrigued by the entries and felt privileged to have the opportunity to go back in time and share these experiences.

'Although lack of space only allowed a few words for any particular day, the life story of the whole village over a period of a quarter of a century was condensed into these meticulously kept records.'

She found it interesting that the most important thing that happened in Joe's life on January 20, 1936 was that his pal A Jope had suffered such bad luck on his farm, George had had a mishap and the final noteworthy news on that day was the death of the King of England!

His niece gave Natalie permission to print excerpts from the diaries and to use them as part of her research into the families from the parish of St Dominick.

Examples from the diary enhance the fascinating chapters about the area and the people who lived in it.

Here are some snippets from Joe's diary on 1916: March 6 — Went to Liskeard in a snowstorm to appeal against Army service; May 11 — picked 1st gooseberries 52 pounds; May 12 — Menagerie at Callington; July 1: Raised Jack's wages to £1; July 5 — Picked first cherries.

With the diary as springboard for much research the author has been able to conjure images of a way of life so rural and reliant on the land and seasons that it is as if the reader enters another world. As well as her own chapters she has invited other people to write about their families and way of life in the Tamar Valley.

There were the mills, farms and the market gardens with their vast output of produce from daffodils to strawberries which were packed and distributed far and wide.

'I love the countryside and the harvest times that I can remember as a child. I had a wonderful childhood. But everything is changing, there is no doubt about that. My mum used to go up a 40-bar ladder to cherry pick — she loved it!'

Natalie says although people still work long hours it is an entirely different sort of lifestyle.

'As a child I never had a holiday. A holiday was just to be home from school and help with the harvest.'

What makes this book a cut above many such endeavours is the excellent and compelling atmosphere conjured between its covers.

The writing takes you to the heart of the community enveloping you in its characters and their way of life.

'I like talking to people with a story to tell — and they usually like talking about the old days.

'The people of St Dominick are delighted they are in the book,' says Natalie.

There is also a superb selection of fine photographs — both in colour and black and white — showing the people at their work and play.

Full Circle celebrates an era now gone for ever. So much of the past has been reclaimed by brambles.

Images from the days of Joe Snell's diary seem light years from the present day.

Even pictures of women picking daffodils as recently as the sixties show how much times have changed in the Tamar Valley.

Full Circle, priced £9.50 is available at Book Stop, Tavistock and various other outlets in the Tamar Valley.