It’s here! Tales of Crafty Dog Gardens is now available to buy in the webshop — just in time for Christmas. After plenty of preparation and encouragement from friends and supporters, I can’t wait for you to meet the gang in print!

Welcome to Crafty Dog Towers, an eccentric estate near Aberclydach in the wilds of fictional Swanseashire. The characters from the Crafty Dog Gardens Blog are back, more fully fleshed out and caught up in even more hilarious scrapes and adventures.

The estate’s gloriously unreliable history takes in medieval feuds, Civil War ghosts and a one-lance regiment. Ancient seams of jam and chutney lie beneath the hills, fortunes lurk underground, escaped llamas roam and even the ghosts struggle to stay together. Here, the simplest country-house routine can become an elaborate disaster.

Leading the chaos are long-suffering Head Gardener Mr Grout; Pendle, his ingenious but suspiciously idle Gardener’s Lad; and Cook — whose name, Marguerite de Boudin, is revealed for the very first time! A formidable former Foreign Legionnaire, she rules the kitchen with a wooden spoon and nerves of steel.

Add eccentric servants, dignified greyhounds and wayward wildlife, and the stage is set for illicit greenhouse gin, wheelbarrow races, sherry-soaked trifles and tin-bath naval expeditions. Horticulture and order don’t stand a chance.

Warm, whimsical and gloriously absurd, Tales of Crafty Dog Gardens celebrates friendship, eccentricity and the comfort of knowing that, however the day unravels, someone will put the kettle on.

Ready to join the fun? Head to the webshop and grab your copy!

Sensible footwear advised — not always sufficient.

More to follow – keep looking out, and feel free to share!