Jilly Cooper has kept a diary about life on Putney Common. Noting the effects of the changing seasons and writing about her encounters with dogs and humans, Cooper creates an affectionate and enthralling portrait of her everyday life.

Cooper writes lyrically about the natural world, tellingly about the sorrows and joys of caring for dogs and children and outrageously about the gossip, illicit romances and jealousies of small community life.