When it came to matchmaking, our beagles took the lead

Birds can transport us to another time and place entirely,

SARAH DITUM

When I helped out a bird in distress, I had no idea what would happen next.

How love at first sniff led to holy muttrimony at my doggy daycare

From a milliner inspired by topiary to a model-turned-ecological gardener and a couple who swapped jobs in telecommunications for growing vegetables, Sir David Beckham’s rural heroes tell Julie Harding why craft and the countryside are key