We have lived in our own house for nearly three years now, but I still walk around it sometimes in a daze of delight, unable to believe that this beautiful place really belongs to us. I love everything about it, from the garden to the verandah to the living room to the desk in our bedroom. I love getting up in the morning and making tea in the kitchen, I love opening the curtains, I even love doing the dishes (there’s a view of the pansies and the phlox at the moment).

With the garden in full bloom, I have the luxury of putting little bouquets all over the house – on the dining table and the mantelpiece, of course, but also by each person’s bed and in the bathrooms. . . what a beautiful world some of us get to live in. How sweet it would be if it were like this for everyone.