Visiting England in a Recliner

Blogger and I are friends again! I know I should relax and let things take their course; I can do that for a short while. But at day four I was getting irritated and cranky! ATT does the same thing to me. Right in the middle of a busy day, the Outlook won’t work or pages won’t turn or sites won’t appear. If I wait, things usually straighten out. Then there is the printer that makes me unplug/re-plug once in a while before the machine agrees to work like a charm. Sometimes I feel that technology likes to give me little tests every now and then!

The older I get, the less adaptable I seem to be. I guess this is normal in life’s process. Lots of things in my life lately have been ruffling my edges like the hem on a wind-whipped flag. Yesterday I ran to the post office (to mail knives to Cutco and sadly NOT sending manuscripts). It was farmer’s market day, but I did not intend to stop. But there were lovely blueberries sitting out, and the vendor came down on price when I took three quarts.

I had parked in front of a favorite flea market, and I ventured inside unexpectedly for a spell. Walking among all the old things, I felt better with my day. Was it the old, familiar things of my youth? It felt that way. I found some nice 1950 vintage tablecloths, and they begged to come home with me. I use them daily despite spills and DH’s tea spoon’s shadow left on the fibers. Loved things show their service and importance with use.

I returned home to reading in a most soothing of books titled A Fine Romance by Susan Branch. I had heard about this book, thought it probably a nice read, but I had too much other reading to do. It is written in journal style, includes photos and watercolors of Susan’s Branch trip to England. Whoa, then I had bumped into it again a few days earlier on someone’s website with a rave review. I buckled and had it sent to my door.

I am sorry, but I forget who led me to www.susanbranch.com, but it turned out to be one beautiful blog. The day I dropped in to visit her page, Ms. Branch was writing about a trip to the home of Gladys Taber! Oh, she had me hooked! Taber, an author from the 1950s and 1960s wrote homespun books about gardening and raising dogs and the country life. I love reading her but that is another story. However, I did find a link to a newsletter about the author and Stillmeadow life, which was Taber’s home. I signed up and got my first copies today. Super stuff! If you are a Taber fan, check this out!

Meanwhile, A Fine Romance arrived at the door and I read it in two days. Oh, it was a lovely, soothing read! I felt like I had just taken a wonderful trip to England with Branch and her husband for the whole two months they were there. They took country walks, visited historic sites, and ate in tea rooms, stayed in lovely cottages and more. It was a beautiful trip and among other places, they visited homes of Jane Austen, William Wordsworth, Rudyard Kipling, James Herriot, and best of all, Hill Top, home of Beatrix Potter!!!

If you need a trip away and love old homes, stone walls, castles, tea cups and such, you will want this book. I wish I could send each and every one of you a copy, but the best I can do it point you in the right direction for a lovely read.