Tim Dowling: I’m all for ‘letting the outdoors in’ – but I draw the line at pigeons

Opening up the back doors means we have a few uninvited guests in the house, giving my wife the opportunity to practise her tea towel bird-catching technique Our kitchen extension is typical of the area: a single-storey box with a big skylight, a picture window and glass double doors leading to the garden. It’s the sort of arrangement that advocates say brings the outdoors indoors. What they don’t say is: birds will get in. It’s largely a summer problem, when the double doors are flung open a...

By Tim Dowling