Flicking off the side lamp, I checked the doors were locked and headed up to bed. No light filtered from under Jack’s door and there was no sound of movement from within. He’d looked exhausted, so I hoped that a combination of tiredness, relief and alcohol would enable him to get a good sleep.

I was a little surprised the next morning to see Jack’s door ajar and no sign of the man in question throughout the entire house. Taking my herbal tea, I wandered around towards the garage and saw that my old car was gone. I hadn’t expected him to have such an early start today, being a Sunday, and with what must have been some form of hangover, even if it wasn’t a bad one. Still, he was free to come and go as he pleased. That was the deal and, so long as he felt relaxed and happy enough to do so, that made me happy too.

I ambled back towards the main part of the garden, feeling the delight and calm that it had brought me from the first moment I saw it. The feeling had only increased since Jack had been working on it and, even though he hadn’t been here long, the corralling of the most overgrown areas had already begun to make a vast difference to the overall form of the garden.

Looking up into the clear blue sky, I pondered on what to do with myself today. I had thought about some baking, but it was such a beautiful day it seemed a shame to stay inside. Although I’d forced myself out the night before, that didn’t mean I was about to launch myself into a round of social engagements, but I did feel an urge to be outside, in nature and, unusually, further than my garden. I headed back inside and began looking at the map.

‘There you go, love.’ The cheery waitress put down a delicious-looking full English breakfast in front of me. I’d decided to head out for a walk and had found a trail on a hiking app that looked doable, not too far to drive to, remote enough to be peaceful but not completely isolated, from a safety point of view. This little café had caught my eye as I was driving and, on a whim, I turned the car into the car park before heading inside and settling myself at a corner table with my Kindle propped up for company. The staff were friendly, but not intrusive, the teapot was huge and the food was home cooked and delicious. Having finished almost an entire pot of tea on my own, I made a quick trip to a delightfully clean bathroom just in case, before I left to go and park up for my walk.

‘Thanks, love,’ the lady called as she picked up my payment and the large tip I’d left. ‘See you again.’