Star Letter

A high-end home

When our daughter-in-law asked my husband to make her a new hen house, he did not realise quite what she had in mind. However, it turned out very well and is much admired. The hens are delighted with their new five-star accommodation.

Diana Barrett, Suffolk

Colours and textures of the coast

I picked up my first copy of LandScape magazine while visiting my mother, and fell in love with it: so many inspirational ideas; from cooking and crafting to gardens and places to visit.

I love to paint, draw, sew and create, inspired by the beautiful North Devon coastline and beaches. I have made many things while being at home. Caron Hone, Devon

Open for guests from the garden

After seeing a photograph in the August issue, of the bug house Pam Woodall had created in her beautiful Dorset garden, I decided to build my own bug hotel. It is furnished with pine cones, old crocks, small logs and twigs, air bricks, cane tunnels and wool from my Herdwick sheep. Let us hope it soon has multiple occupants.

Michele de Vaal, North Yorkshire

Creations across the generations

LandScape magazine has brought us so much joy over the past few weeks. My 10-year-old daughter has started reading it and has independently been crafting, while my husband and I are working from home. A couple of weeks ago, she made this beautiful flower wreath, and this week has been making salt dough decorations, which she will be painting soon. Thank you for inspiring people of all ages to get creative.

Sarah Kilb, Bristol

I really enjoy your magazine, and I drew the Eurasian eagle owl that I saw in July’s LandScape, and painted a watercolour of one of the lilies that was in the same issue. I really enjoy drawing and painting different things, and owls are one of my favourite subjects. Your magazine is very inspirational to me: I have mental health issues, and drawing and painting are the things I get great inspiration from. I enjoy brightening up the day with some watercolours.

Munro Cross, Sutherland

Time to indulge in decorative art

I thought you might like to see my husband Colin’s ‘lockdown tapestry’. He took the inspiration from William and May Morris, and designed it himself. A friend edged it, and it now hangs on the stairs. Elizabeth Wilson, Aberdeenshire

Gardener’s towering glory

This is a photo of the echiums my friend Molly has growing in her garden in Rutland. They have been measured at 14ft 9in (4.5m), so are certainly taller than those featured in the June issue of LandScape. Do any readers know if this is a record? Sue Thomas, Rutland

Spreading new roots

I wanted to tell you the story of my children’s book, The

Country Tales with Rodderick &

Mabel Rat and their Allotment

Friends, which I created when I took on an allotment plot. It has given me so much pleasure in so many ways, from the fruits of my labour to new friends and a ratty tale. I have never published a book before, so, like my allotment plot, it was a journey. I am pleased to say there was beginning to be interest in my book before lockdown, and I started to visit schools to talk about allotments, food and where it comes from, the environment and the human impact which my tale takes into account. Lynn Carter, by email

Chairs get a new look from old

I am 77, and my husband has Alzheimer’s. I have not been able to visit him in his care home, so I needed something to lift my spirits and keep me occupied. I started off by re-covering the seat pads on our rather elderly garden seat. I improvised by reconstructing the old cushions, taking a pattern and reusing the zips and piping cord. I am my mother’s daughter: I keep a ‘piece box’. I found an unused curtain from a caravan awning and a duvet cover. The fabric for the piping was left over from a previous project. I was so delighted with the result, I made soft cushions for the backs with leftover fabric, so the covers cost me nothing.

I then realised the seat needed a revamp too. I sanded it down with my husband’s power sander and gave it a coat of primer and two coats of garden paint. I am really pleased with the result: I spend more time sitting in the garden. My only sadness is that my husband is not here to sit in the other seat. Now, what next? The shed perhaps? Gill Betts, Bedfordshire

STAR LETTER PRIZE

This issue’s Star Letter winner will receive a No: 2. English Rose Reed Room Diffuser, worth £29, for the home. The diffuser has a romantic rose geranium fragrance and is made with high-quality aromatic oils, blended with pure essential oil in a natural vegetable-based fluid, which is glycol and alcohol free. For more natural beauty products and luxurious toiletries, visit: www. quintessentiallyenglish.co.uk