Elspeth Thompson

I made a quick search yesterday for more railway carriage houses and came across the beautiful home crafted by writer, gardener and all-round amazing lady, Elspeth Thompson. It was created on the Sussex coast from two dilapidated Victorian railway carriages and her ambition was to turn it into an eco-home, complete with a sedum roof, greywater recycling and solar panels. It truly has been a labour of love, and is more beautiful for its green credentials.

Sadly, however, I discovered on her blog that she passed away less than two weeks ago, having suffered from severe depression which resulted in her taking her own life. I really don't know how to express what this made me think - that life isn't about having the most amazing home, or an apparently enviable lifestyle. Thompson wrote beautifully and lived her life with such honesty and joy, and goodness - it makes me quite sad to think how it must have been blighted in the end by her illness, despite outer appearances. It makes me grateful for my own health and what I have, which is a wonderful husband and a beautiful home, exciting possibilities on my horizon and a lifetime ahead of me, I hope. I would love to conduct my life with as much grace as she did.

Read her obituary in The Telegraph here.