Readers will also meet Star, Howard’s favourite Great Tit, who learns to count and is generally very intelligent; Jane, who sings better than the males; Inkey; Smoke; Monocle; and of course Baldhead, who taught all his children to trust Howard, and came to see her every day, until his very last. She lived through two world wars and showed a level of compassion and consideration to British garden birds that’s unparalleled, even in this day and age. She named it Bird Cottage, and opened it – literally, she kept the windows open – to the birds who lived in the area. Given that the subject of the book, Gwendolen “Len” Howard, died in 1973, I hope the delay will be forgiven.

Upon entry, you are greeted by a downstairs separate WC on the left, as well as a cosy but perfectly placed dining room to enjoy your evening meal. The village centre surrounds a wonderful green with a network of paths and roadways, some crossing the river via fords and bridges.Howard was a remarkable character, a formidable defender of her beloved birds, whose writing found a hugely appreciative audience.

A stable door opens to the south-facing deck – ideal for dining in the fresh air in the summer months.

Firstly, I assumed it would be a biography: of Len Howard, who left everything behind in London to pursue a life dedicated to studying the behaviour of garden birds. This gorgeous novel tells the story of Len Howard, the incredible woman who defied convention and chose to dedicate much of her life to her studies at Bird Cottage, where she forms fascinating interspecies bonds with the local avians. We then move back and forth through time; Len in the present day attempts to stop the birds' habitat from being destroyed, and remembers many instances from her past which include her two greatest passions - birds, and music. It’s a striking way of illustrating the bond which forms between the two through Howard’s patience and the intelligent, trusting response it elicts. And for those who fret about these things (as I do), the translation of the novel into English is wonderfully done.