When we first moved to this house in Devon, the garden was, for me, of huge importance. The bedrooms, living rooms, kitchen and bathrooms were obviously critical in choosing this particular house, but deep down, the garden was what really got me excited. It’s only tiny, but it’s sheltered, hidden from view behind the house, and it had a potting shed! It didn’t take long to realise that if I planted it carefully, I could have something to photograph outside the back door, at any time of the year, without having to drive anywhere! Without getting too grandiose, I would have an ‘outdoor studio’. Over time, the garden plans got exaggerated and I ended up writing and photographing a book about the process of building the garden (‘A New Cottage Garden’ now published by Pimpernel Press), but on a day like today, when my diary is empty, it’s so amazing just being able to stumble out of the door in to a garden that I know so well, to take some snaps before breakfast!