A fun room for a 14-year-old, but those sparkly hot pink stripes might be a little distracting while I’m trying to write the Great American Novel. Photo by LauraP

Five coats of paint later, my new office is more ‘me’. Photo by LauraP

Nope, that’s not just a reflection. The water really is green. It’s also inhabited by hundreds of tadpoles at all stages of development, plus a yellow-bellied water snake. We’ve been calling it Nessie. Any tips for relocating a snake? Photo by LauraP