My house

Even when it's untidy, like today, I love my house.

When we moved here about four years ago, we'd come from a small terraced house amongst a regiment of other rows of terraced houses and the first thing I noticed was how much sky I could see. I could see all of it. The second thing I noticed was the peace. We'd been used to being woken by rowdy groups making their drunken way home at 2 am. Now we're in a cul-de-sac with open fields behind and often can't even hear any traffic.

I never tire of the view from the back garden and the first thing I want to do each morning is open the curtains and look out of the window. The view is ever changing. Whether it's the horses in the fields or the weather or the beautiful sunsets, no view is the same twice.

Standing outside and smelling the air is wonderful, especially late at night when the scent of the trees and grass is particularly strong. I also like standing in the twilight whilst the bats whizz around my head catching the gnats that are rising from the damp grass and shrubs.

I've tried writing when I'm sat outside on a warm day but I get distracted too easily by the wildlife - birds, butterflies, frogs and toads. We don't have a pond but seem to get lots of frogs and toads each year, flopping about under the plants. I never dreamt that I could just sit and stare at plants and the sky for so long.