When I was a child my parents had a copy of Len Howard’s ‘Birds as Individuals’ and I remember being fascinated by the photos of the great tits living freely within her home. The beautiful bedroom at the other side of the hall has two sets of double doors encouraging you to make the most of the idyllic location and a smart ‘Jack and Jill’ bathroom sits between the hall and bedroom. Len is stubbornly independent, but the book reminds us of the position of women in the early 20th century, at the mercy of men’s whims. A perfect place for a good night’s sleep, this spacious and elegant double aspect room has a super king zip and link bed so you can be set up as a twin on request.

Aus meiner Sicht ist ihr das gut gelungen, da sich alles ganz natürlich zusammenfügt und man der Protagonistin bereits in jüngeren Jahren anmerkt, dass ihr die Gesellschaft von Menschen wenig gibt. Das wird während ihrer Zeit in London besonders deutlich, da sie die Gesellschaft der Vögel in der Großstadt schmerzlich vermisst.Len Howard was forty years old when she decided to leave her London life and loves behind, retire to the English countryside and devote the rest of her days to her one true passion: birds. She knew what she was doing and why, even though this went against what was seen as acceptable for women in her time. The language starkly shifts through the emotional registers, sometimes plain, and sometimes evocative.

The structure of the novel reminds us of the difficulty discerning meaning and making sense out of life.There are many contrasting landscapes in the North of England, from the unspoilt mountains in the Lake District to the vast rolling countryside of Yorkshire. In an interview she observes that “brick by brick my answers build a wall around me, all neatly mortared”.