The meadow opposite our house on Pigeon House Lane, Freeland, Oxfordshire has not (so far!) been built on, and is not down to a crop or grazed. This has allowed it to grow naturally and is full of grasses and wildflowers, which in turn attracts a huge number of insects, birds and mammals. We have seen foxes and muntjacs, we know hedgehogs lives there and in the summer, with the windows open we hear tawny owls. The mature and tangled hedgerows and tree lines are home to numerous bird species including woodpeckers.

No wonder our cats, Officer Dibble and Skipper, love to head over to the field. They sometimes even bring home some of the voles, shrews and mice that live there.