It’s been one of the hottest days of the year so far. The evening’s just moving in and I can feel the air beginning to cool.

I’m sitting in the garden at the castle with Poppy. We’re both barefooted and we both have a gin and tonic in hand.

The castle used to be a pub and being on the ground floor the massive garden is ours too.

Last summer I spent many days and evenings exactly like this one, stuck inside my old lair, unable to get up and down the six flights of stairs.

As dusk creeps in I feel very thankful to be living here with Poppy.

The heat is ebbing away from the paving stones, and I can feel the stresses of the day ebbing away from me.