A garden gnome stolen from a woman in England has finally made its way home after a seven-month world tour, British media reported Tuesday.

Grandmother Eve Stuart-Kelso recently found the gnome, called Murphy, back in her garden in the western English county of Gloucestershire with a photo album showing him in 10 countries.

The stunt is similar to the plot of the 2001 French film Amelie in which a garden gnome belonging to lead character Amelie's father sends back postcards from a trip around the world.

The 48 photos that Stuart-Kelso found show Murphy climbing mountains in New Zealand, swimming in Thailand, visiting temples in Cambodia and riding a motorbike.

Murphy also collected a number of official entry stamps from various countries including South Africa, Swaziland, Australia and Vietnam.

A letter supposedly from Murphy blamed wanderlust for his sudden disappearance.

"I came to the conclusion that the world is a big place and there is more to life than watching the daily commuter traffic, and allowing passing cats to urinate on you.

"There have been high points, low points and positively terrifying points. But I have survived," the letter read.

Stuart-Kelso told the British media that she had forgotten about the gnome as he had gone missing so long ago. It was a shock to find him back in her garden.

She said she was wary of the package next to the gnome at first, but her curiosity got the better of her and she opened it.

"It makes me smile to see all the people he met on his travels. It was a wonderful surprise and of course it's so nice to get some good news.

"The story really is unbelievable. It was a beautifully written letter. The intriguing thing is that someone had gone to such trouble to do this for a complete stranger," The Observer quoted her as saying.

Gloucestershire police did not think the prank was funny and said they would be treating the theft as a crime.