Well, it’s been quite a year! We had to say goodbye to three beloved hens: Mariette, Winnie and Ella, but got to say hello to our Springer spaniel puppy Hattie.

The Rose Girls made it into Amazon’s Top 100 in both the UK and the US and was picked as one of Amazon’s Best Books of 2015, and I launched the first book in my new series, The Book Lovers.

Our garden at Mulberry Cottage continued to do us proud with the addition of an enclosed area for raised beds in which we grew beans, peas, sunflowers, potatoes and squashes. One of my Turks Turban squashes even went on to win me second prize at our village show!

And I managed to publish five new books – one down on last year. You can blame the arrival of Hattie for that – she is a very big distraction!

I hope this year has been full of fun and adventures for you too, and that you’ve also managed to find time for yourself – to just sit and think – because that’s so important in our busy world! Happy New Year, everyone!