Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2025

This privacy policy explains what information I collect when you visit
The Garden of Cosmic Speculation, how I use it, and the steps I take to protect it.
I believe in being straightforward about these things — no fine print designed to confuse,
no sharing of data for reasons I wouldn’t feel comfortable with myself.

If you have questions after reading this, you can reach me at
[email protected]. I mean that. I read every email.

Who I am

I’m Eleanor Vane, the writer and photographer behind this site.
The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is a personal publication — not a company, not a media group,
just one person documenting landscapes, gardens, and private homes where architecture
and outdoor space come together thoughtfully.

What information I collect

I keep this simple. Here’s what the site may collect:

• Email addresses — if you choose to subscribe to the newsletter or contact me directly.
  I use these only to send you the content you signed up for or to reply to your message.
  Nothing else.
• Comments and names — if you leave a comment on a post, the name you provide
  and your comment will be visible on the site. Your email address (if required by the commenting system)
  is never shown publicly.
• Basic analytics data — things like which pages are visited, how readers find the site,
  and what country visitors are browsing from. This is anonymised. I look at it to understand
  what people are interested in, not to track individuals.

I do not collect payment information, physical addresses, phone numbers, or any sensitive personal data.
This site doesn’t sell anything directly, and I don’t run a membership programme.

Cookies

Like most websites, this one uses cookies — small files stored in your browser that help the site
function properly and give me a rough sense of how people move through it. These include:

• Essential cookies that keep the site working (like remembering your cookie preferences).
• Analytics cookies that tell me which articles resonate and how readers discover the site.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time. The site will still work;
I’ll just have less visibility into what people enjoy reading. That’s a trade-off I respect.

Third-party services

I use a small number of trusted services to run this site. Each has its own privacy practices,
and I’ve chosen them carefully:

• Analytics — I use a privacy-focused analytics tool that anonymises visitor data
  and doesn’t track behaviour across other sites. No advertising profiles, no cross-site tracking.
• Email newsletter — if you subscribe, your email is stored with a reputable
  email platform. You can unsubscribe at any time with one click, and I’ll never share
  or sell that list. It exists so I can send you what you asked for, period.
• Hosting — the site is hosted on a secure server. Standard server logs exist
  (as they do everywhere) but I don’t mine them for anything beyond basic security
  and performance monitoring.

I don’t run ads, I don’t use retargeting pixels, and I don’t embed tracking from social media platforms.
If I feature an image or embed something from an external source, I’ll note it where relevant.

How long I keep data

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely.
This is so follow-up comments can be recognised and approved without delay,
rather than getting caught in moderation.

If you subscribe to the newsletter, your email stays on the list until you unsubscribe.
I don’t purge inactive subscribers on an arbitrary schedule — but I also won’t keep emailing you
if you’ve stopped opening them. That feels like shouting into a void, and it’s not why I write.

Analytics data is retained in aggregate. Individual session data ages out and is not stored long-term.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have legal rights regarding your personal data —
including the right to access it, correct it, request its deletion, or object to its processing.
I honour these rights regardless of jurisdiction. If you want to know what data I hold about you,
or if you want it removed, just email me. I’ll handle it promptly and confirm when it’s done.

Children’s privacy

This site is not directed at children under 13, and I don’t knowingly collect information
from anyone in that age group. The content here — essays on residential architecture,
garden design, landscape photography — is written for adults. If you believe a child
has provided personal information through this site, please let me know and I’ll remove it.

Links to other sites

Occasionally I link to books, articles, designers’ portfolios, or other resources I think
readers will find valuable. I can’t control what happens when you leave this site and visit
somewhere else. Each of those destinations has its own privacy practices, and I encourage you
to check them if you’re concerned.

Changes to this policy

If anything changes about how I handle visitor data — new services, new features,
a different approach — I’ll update this page and note the date at the top.
If the change is significant, I’ll mention it in the newsletter or on the site itself
so you’re not caught off guard.

Contact

I keep this policy as short and readable as I can, but I know these things can still
raise questions. If something isn’t clear, or if you want to exercise any of the rights
described above, write to me:

Eleanor Vane
[email protected]

I’ll get back to you. It may take a day or two if I’m out photographing a garden somewhere
with no signal — but I will reply.