Bird Cottage

Product Information

The Dutch author Dutch author Eva Meijer has created a fictional life for Howard based on the little that is known.

The windows and doors are kept open to allow Great Tits and Robins easy access; she recognises and names individuals, and follows their lives over several years: their battles for food and mates, their constant struggle to maintain territory and, almost unbelievably, her attempts to teach them to count. She became more reclusive as she got older because she was so focused on not changing things in the birds’ environment. Len’s love of birds is fostered by her charismatic poet father, a man unable to see an injured bird without rescuing and nurturing it. I’d not heard of Len Howard before reading Meijer’s delightful novel but as you’ll notice this is a translated work: in her time Howard’s books – Birds as Individuals and Living with Birds – were well known, themselves translated into many languages. Well known for its rugged coastline and traditional English countryside, the West Country offers a diverse array of breathtaking landscapes.The book will break your heart a bit, multiple times throughout the narrative and particularly at the end, but it’s well worth it for the compelling insight into Howard, her avian companions, and the enthralling ways in which they interact and communicate with one another.

Towards the end there is a poignant but not oversentimental reminder of the frailty of human bodies, and human projects. On the first floor, there is one king-size bedroom, one twin bedroom, and a stylish and cleverly built bathroom benefiting from a separate bath and shower. Come and enjoy this characterful seaside cottage, centrally located in the coastal village of Weybourne, and enjoy a peaceful retreat. Roosting boxes all over the house, birds (great tits more often than not) flying about and settling on her as she does her daily chores.In the end all the puzzling, hard work of the translation process vanishes into the ether, and only the text remains: words that weave a story beyond both Dutch and English. In haar vogelhuis bestudeert ze de vogels in hun natuurlijke habitat en ze publiceert zelfs 2 boeken. With a window always open for the birds to fly in and out, she dedicated her life to studying their behaviour in a natural, rather than controlled laboratory environment. She becomes something of a recluse, even denying the postman access to her garden, where she lets the birds pick thread off her socks to line their nests. The beautiful bedroom at the other side of the hall has two sets of double doors encouraging you to make the most of the idyllic location and a smart ‘Jack and Jill’ bathroom sits between the hall and bedroom.

Not only that but Scotland is swathed in historic castles, stately homes and attractions to suit just about anyone. At that time, behaviourism was the accepted way of studying non-human animal behaviour, which meant conducting experiments in laboratories. A compelling story about a real-life naturalist, Gwendolen, or Len, Howard, born in 1894, who at the age of 40 gave up her life in London as a successful violinist and hid herself away in a cottage in the English countryside, devoting the rest of her life to the study of birds. Een geromantiseerde biografie over het leven van Gwendolen Howard , een vrouw die haar tijd ver vooruit is, zowel in haar visie op relaties als door haar grote mate van zelfstandigheid en ambitie.

As she grows older and spends less time with people (“there are always things that take precedence”), Len becomes increasingly eccentric. It's the story of a real life 'birdwoman', Len Howard, who wrote a couple of books on her interactions with birds (which I'm now desperate to read! You can imagine spending many happy hours here enjoying each other’s company and relaxing into your holiday. From her new home, she found the peace, and the avian subjects, which she needed to author two bestselling bird books. Even at an early age she is reluctant to let others get too close, but the first World War brings trauma when her beloved brother Kingsley goes missing.

She grew up in a bird-loving, artistic family–her father was a poet and dramatist–and became a violist with an orchestra in London. The birds learned to trust her, would fly in and out of her house and even roost in her house in nesting boxes.Die Tatsache, dass sie keine einschlägige Ausbildung in dem Bereich vorweisen konnte, erschwerte ihr Bemühen zusätzlich. The story gives a glimpse of her rich family, mother who is occupied with organizing the soirees and managing everyone. Das Buch macht außerdem deutlich wie wenig Anerkennung Len Howard für ihre ornithologischen Studien erhielt. The stunning coastline offers 750 miles of flawless beaches and hidden coves, and Cardiff offers a vibrant atmosphere and plenty of cultural discoveries. In an interview she observes that “brick by brick my answers build a wall around me, all neatly mortared”.