It’s a beautiful summer day on Martha’s Vineyard when I’m writing this; bees are floating through the lavender, beach towels are flapping on the line, a gentle harbor breeze is softly rustling the trees. But so quiet ~ it’s perfect beach weather ~ that’s where everyone must be. There are no cars on the road, a rare thing for summer on this island. All I can hear through my open windows are birds. ♥
Soon I’ll show you more about what’s going on here but today, I think we need just one more visit to Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farm — our second visit in a week — you knew I would have to go back!
Remember how gorgeous the sky was on the first day we found our way to Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farm? It wasn’t like that the second time . . . here it was on June 7, over the Lake District, dark, rainy, and moody. Musica? Yes.
Before we left the Lake District, I needed one more look at Castle Cottage (the light beige house above) where Beatrix lived happily-ever-after with her husband Willie for thirty years. It’s privately owned so this is as close as I really wanted to get, but there it was, a sweet comfortable-looking little house just across the meadow from Hill Top.
It still felt funny that we could just drive here. Beatrix Potter has been so far away from me for so long, almost on another planet. But shockingly, like any other place, like any old McDonald’s on the corner, you can drive right up, put on your blinker, turn in, and park. Go through a little gate, walk up a path and there it is! Where it’s been for over a hundred years, with visitors just like me, coming and going.
I didn’t get a ticket to go into the house again because I have that vision permanently pressed into my heart. I will never forget looking at the view through the wavy old glass of her bedroom window, the same ripply view of hills and green and cottages she saw all those years ago. But there were a couple of things I needed to do before we left — I had unfinished business. As I was walking through the rainy garden for the last time I noticed little wet side-path I hadn’t seen before. At the end there was a green door in the garden wall. I went to investigate. I didn’t want to miss anything.
I pushed it open slowly, making sure I wasn’t going somewhere I shouldn’t — then ducked under the dripping lilac to go inside. It led to the walled vegetable patch in front of the house, and gave me a slightly different perspective on the house. I was inside the iron gate for the first time. All alone, in the rain, in Beatrix Potter’s garden. ♥
Of course, Peter Rabbit was bound to get in trouble in this neck of the woods! Such temptation; rhubarb and strawberries too.
There were little details I couldn’t see from the other side of the iron gate, like this recess in the rock wall. It’s called a “bee-bole” ~ it’s made for sheltering bee skeps like this charming white box hive that Beatrix had “fixed up” — she also painted it into The Tale of Jemima Puddle Duck — later I painted it into the journal I kept of this visit. (You would have enjoyed watching me juggle camera, umbrella, hood on rain coat, purse and tears while taking photos.)
I also came back to get the name of the roses climbing over the front of the house. I asked the person at the door but she didn’t know. Which surprised me . . . they must get asked that question two-hundred times a day because those roses smell like heaven. Don’t inquiring minds want to know? So they can grow them all over their barn? Or something? So I emailed the gardener, and guess what, he didn’t know either! My blog girlfriends thought maybe Zephirine Drouhin.
Here they are, up close. They also look a little David Austinish with so many petals, they smell like David Austin roses too, really strong, but the gardener only called them cabbage roses.
The other thing I had to do was to take a photo of my miniature Beatrix Potter book as it soaked up some local ambiance, so I could bring it back to the Peter Rabbit Room to spread the wealth (a little more magic never hurts). The little book is so proud in that room since we got home, its buttons almost pop, bragging around to the Beatrix Potter People of where it’s been and what it saw!
Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail hoist it on their shoulders like a returning hero.
But this is what I really came back to Hill Top for . . . I knew, the moment I left the first time, I had forgotten something. I must have been crazy to even think of coming all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to England, then to the Lake District, over the narrowest rock-lined roads you can imagine, on the wrong side of the road, risking life and limb, and then leaving this behind? I scare myself sometimes. I’d picked it up in the gift shop and then put it back, regretting it every moment since, dreaming about it!
It’s an exact copy of the first book Beatrix Potter (who, as you can read in my journal of this visit, A FINE ROMANCE, is not only an illustrator, but so much more. Most 
importantly, a conservationist savior of the Lake District, but also a respected natural scientist and regular person, despite being a genius, who was very proud of her prize-winning sheep) paid to have published herself, exactly the way she wanted it to be. For this special, first-time-ever reprint, they used the same cover she designed originally, but they also added a dust jacket taken from editions published in 1903 by Warne; in a charming calico pattern supplied by Edmund Potter and Company (Beatrix Potter’s family business, isn’t it adorable? Oh, for ten yards of that!). They put the book in a special little bag and the only place you can buy one is at the gift shop up the garden path at Hill Top Farm. ♥ I could not go home without it.
What makes them extra special is, except for the surviving original books, there are only 1000 copies like this. On earth. (At least that’s what they told me, and I choose to believe!) And they all have numbers written in them like this.
The book is written in her own handwriting; all the pen and ink drawings are in black and white, just as they were when she first published the book. Only after Norman Warne started publishing Beatrix’s books were they done in color. He believed in her.♥
I had (was forced by a power stronger than myself, therefore the court would surely rule me not responsible) to steal a flower from the garden to keep in the book. Stealthy, like a cat, despite the pouring rain, looking both ways and still seeing no one — into the dripping mock orange and climbing honeysuckle I went. Rain pattered my umbrella as I tucked the wet rosebud softly, ever so softly, into my raincoat pocket, and was out of there before anyone noticed, leaving only a trail of muddy footprints, a clue soon to be washed away by the deluge; because I needed to press a real Beatrix Potter flower into my book more than I cared if I went to the Far Sawrey town jail . . . in fact, I took two flowers . . . . the rose, and an Iris for my journal.
And then it was time to go. Other than going inside and asking to take a nap in her actual bed, I thought I had done it all. The rain was coming down hard, Joe was waiting on the other side of the little gate with the car running, reading his newspaper. I stopped and took that one last photo of Castle Cottage ~ nostalgic, recalling memories that weren’t even mine ~ across green Post Office Meadow. Nothing in the village of Near Sawrey has changed since Beatrix walked the narrow lanes with her border collie Kep at her side.
I hope you enjoyed our visit — I wrote more about this dream-come-true in our travel journal in case you also have a place in your heart for the life of Beatrix Potter . . .
How delightful to travel with you, I could almost feel the rain.
Hi.
I’ve really enjoyed seeing England through your eyes. You even make the cloudy, rainy days bright! We’ve had so much rain here lately that I’ve kept looking back on your blog whenever I’ve needed cheering up. You are a real blessing. I keep praying for more of your ‘happy gene’!
Love Jane, Manchester, England.
Susan,
This is such a wonderful surprise! Can’t wait to see if I am the lucky winner. 🙂 I have a real bunny of my own, so this would be a very special treat!
Karen
Now I’m wanting a bunny too . . . how do they like cats and vice versa, do you know?
About the same as you like snakes
Easy to get a babysitter for kitties when we go away, not so easy maybe? for a bunny, and not easy at all for snakes!
I have followed you through Willard since its beginning and the trip we have just been on together has been a joy. Your pictures are beautiful, love and joy come through straight to our hearts. You are a treasure! Thank you for taking the time to post your pictures for us to share!
My pleasure Karen, thank you for being here!
I would imagine a kitty would think a little baby bunny would be a nice treat: Yummy-in-the-tummy!!! Gulp… 🙂 At least I know what either one of our schnauzers would do with a bunny–in fact, didn’t you see what Alice did with her stuffed bunny toy at Rachel and Paul’s house??? 🙂
Husband gave me a bunny for Christmas, along with the sweetest bunny chalet, that sits in the shade of the big hackberry tree out back. She is named Violet, and I was compelled to transplant wild violets in front of her chalet. I wanted to have her as a house pet, but husband declared tiny Yorkie, Scout, would be eaten up with jealousy. Violet is quite the home body (chalet body, to be exact) and loves when I feed her fresh leaves of Flashy Trout Back lettuce from the garden. You MUST have a rabbit, Dear Sue…they add such joy and it would seal your connection to dear Beatrix, don’t you think?? My sister in law has one and even has a harness leash to take her ‘Mr. Bud Wilson’ for a walk:) Tell me you’ll find a way:))
…when my husband goes out early in the morning to put out the bird seed…he says Violet brings her food bowl down the ramp (her chalet is two story, of course;) and drags it back and forth until he brings her food..
She pops up, stands on her hind feet to greet us when we come home. I’m telling you, you will love a pet bunny-bun!
I can almost smell those roses. They are lovely. Love the photo with the fog and mists, too. By the way, my name is spelled…K-a-t-h-y! 🙂
:-)!
I do think my name would look so perfect on the front page of the Beatrix Potter book! Can’t you see it?? Kathryn Phenix I do hope my dream comes true.
Who ever wins will be thrilled to have it and thank you again for sharing your wonderful trip with all of us. (I’m finally getting my legs to straighten out after so many days in a suitcase!) Kathy in Florida
Thank you for taking us along with you on your wonderful holiday! I’ve always wanted to go and see Beatrix’s house (as well as Jane Austen’s) for myself…. now I had a chance to see it through your beautiful pictures and inspiring written words. Thank you as well for the giveaway, isn’t Peter Rabbit just darling?
Have enjoyed reading all about your adventures and your visit to Beatrix Potter’s house. Love Peter Rabbit and would love to win the book. Thank you for the chance.
Wow – this is a long way down on the comments list – but understandable with all your devoted followers! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful trip to England with all of us. I will probably never see the English shoreline but a holding that exquisite copy of Peter Rabbit will bring me alittle closer. Thank you for the opportunity to enter your give-away. Now I am off to find a ripe peach:o)
What a lovely gift for one of us – so special and unique! Thanks for taking me along on your trip!
It was so much fun seeing things through your eyes Susan. To win this book would be so awesome! Thank you for thinking of us and bringing this book home.
Well what a fantastic surprise and please pick me!! Loved the trip we all enjoyed with you to England and thank you for sharing.
I would love the wonderful Beatrix Potter Book. And I believe the roses you inquired about are “Moss Roses” and when they take off, watch them grow..up and over and around everything! Doesn’t take much..just a bit of a root and a little love. <3 We used to have them here..what a dandy fence they made..that is until out over-zealous neighbor had some work done and came over on our side with a backhoe! 🙁 Some clumps still survived! Our senior citizens, Lucy and Gizmo send kitty kisses to Girl Kitty and Jack. Gizmo has suffered a stroke and is now blind but there's nothing wrong with his pucker! He's being given extra goodies to regain his strength and lots and lots of love. At the ripe old age of 18(cat years)/126 (human years) it's ok if he acts a bit like Oscar the Grouch.
so loved following your trip…a long time ago I bravely boarded a plane to England alone!! Taking daily adventures through London and the countryside…I am hoping to do it again someday…..
Susan 🙂
Dear Susan,
How absolutely wonderful of you to add this little book to your giveaway program of delightful things!
I am a longtime BP fan, have some Royal Doulton Beatrix Potter pieces from 1975 when Michael Doulton visited Bulllocks in Los Angeles where I worked at the time. He signed each one so carefully!
When my oldest daughter was born in 1980, all our announcements and her baby book were themed Beatrix Potter. One of her (my) favorite outfits had Peter Rabbit on the chest, and I crosstitched a pinafore for her with one of the characters. She even had a stuffed Peter Rabbit!
She is gone now, having passed away in 2001. I still keep all those little Beatrix Potter items from her childhood in a special place where I can reflect on all the misadventures of Peter, and Mrs. Tiggywinkles washing.. and someday, Lord willing, I hope to visit Hilltop.
In the meantime, I’ d love to be included in the drawing, for my children’s sake! I am a schoolteacher, and each class learns about Beatrix Potter and the misadventures of her marvelous creatures!
Thanks!
My heart goes out to you!
Hi Susan! Isn’t it so inspiring to think that all of us, with ordinary lives can see the magic in our surroundings? And then we are so blessed to see that magic through your eyes! I could just sing like a happy little wren when I read your posts. My heart swells with grattitude-THANK YOU from the bottom of my happy heart!
Your trip looked like pure magic. I’m hoping to visit England in the next several years, partly to explore my English roots and partly to visit places like Hill Top Farm and Jane Austen’s home. Thank you for letting us walk through the garden with you.
Ok I know there are 501 lovely ladies ahead of me in this drawing but really and truly your computer generator will only know my number because I really need that book. After all its a great treasure of our trip to England together! I thank you so much for sharing such a memorable journey. I stared at each picture taking in all the wonderfulness of England. I thank you so very much for the trip, I only wish this computer had smell o vision too….
I loved it all…each story & photo was so beautiful! I will never see it in person, but feel as though I was there with you & enjoyed every bit of it. What a trip! The hardest part must have been leaving your adorable kittens behind for so long….I’ll bet they were soooo happy to have you home. Thanks for taking us along…hugs from N. California!
Hi Susan,
Your post today had me sitting here in tears experiencing your joy right along with you. I felt like I was right there “helping” you snitch the rose. Sounds like you could have used a couple more hands. Imagine having a rose from Beatrix Potter’s garden! Does it get any better than that? I will treasure the book forever if I should be so lucky to receive it.
Thank you for the continual joy you bring into my life.
I was raised on the fabulous Beatrix Potter. What an amazing talent. I loved seeing her home through your eyes. I’m glad you poached a rose bud!
Keep up the beautiful work you do. Thank you so much.
What an inspirational trip!!! Thanks for taking us along. Such beauty and splendor
that it was overwhelming in a special way. You say dreams DO come true. I have been dreaming of visiting New England and your island since 2003 and it is going to happen in one and half weeks. Soooo excited!!! Being chosen to receive the special book, would be great, too.
thank you again for letting us all go along…….
Thank you Susan for letting me tag along on this great adventure. If I would possibly win this amazing treasure I would probably give it to one of my Granddaughters after I had soaked it all in for a few years. Thank you for all your wonderful books, artwork and all you do.
Oh, Susan, you are just too sweet! Such a generous and thoughtful gift for one of the girlfriends…I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Thank you so much!
Susan…this post is going to go viral… I can’t imagine how many will want a chance at a gift like this! To think you kept it a secret all this time. I have always loved the Peter Rabbit books. Thanks for thinking of us.
I wanted it to be a surprise!
I am glad you had a wonderful trip and I must say you are always so thoughtful…I LOVE Beatrix Potter and I LOVE reading your blog and looking at your pictures. In fact, your pictures of Martha’s Vineyard inspired my husband and I to visit…we were there last week! I loved it! I asked about you in one of the shops, Sanctuary, to see if I could purchase some of your stickers and things…no luck. Thank you for the inspiration! Love, Mary
would love to win this of course…….but alas have never won anything ever that i’ve entered. will for sure be buying a copy of your diary though and am really looking forward to it 🙂
Books are my hobby; actually books are my passion…ever since I was a little girl. I’m so happy my folks engrained the love of books in me. And what a beautiful treasure you have brought back. Thank you for your generosity in thinking of all your girlfriends, Miz Sue. My hat is in the ring!
I have always loved books too. I honestly remember the thrill of learning to read.
When we emigrated from Europe I was only five years old and eager to go to school despite the fact that my English was less than adequate. In order to determine my fluency, a teacher read me Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit story. I can still see myself desperately trying to understand the story…..it was apparently about a rabbit, but what the heck was a “cottontail”? I ended up having to wait another few months before I could get through the doors of the school as a student.
Since that time the stories of Beatrix Potter have held a special place in my heart – all of my nieces have a full collection and I have jealously held on to one set all for myself! I would love to be able to add this collector’s item to my poor, dog-eared set.
Pick me, pick me…Every other day I check to see if you have posted anything new.
I was so excited to see your post and to see the darling little book. You are so absolutely wonderful. I have loved everything you share. Thank you.
This whole travelogue has been wonderful! I was reading this blog and thinking how glad I was that you had gone back for that book when in the next sentence you told about the giveaway! I have hoped to win in the past but this time EVERYTHING that can be crossed is!!!! Thanks for such a generous gesture and welcome home!!
Oh my gosh there are already 500 responses to your post!! Egad. I am very glad you did not get sent to Far Sawry Gaol, or Near Sawry for that matter. Having this incredible book would be the dream of a lifetime for those of us who adore Beatrix Potter and admire the woman she was: scientist, artist, businesswoman, farmer, sheep raiser, incredible for her time!! Thank you for the beautiful images from Hill Top. Can’t wait for your England Diary to be available!! Hugs from New York (syracuse area). Robin
You describe everything so beautifully it’s like we were right there with you. I can smell the roses and feel the raindrops.
It was so wonderful going back to the Potter house!!! How eerie the area looked with the fog and mist. Thank you for thinking of us all with such a special gift forthcoming — what a treasure! I’m fascinated by Ms. Potter’s handwriting. Loved your description of your day — I’d never heard/seen the word “squidgy” used before — I’d have loved to have used that with my fifth-graders, back in the day!
Have to tell you — Lucy and I spent the afternoon at a neighbor’s house making blueberry muffins and bumbleberry pie. I’m sure you know what that is, but I did not, and had it explained to me: use all sorts of berries! We used blue, rasp, straw, and wild black. Made mini-pies and I even marked one with an “M” and put it in the oven for grand-daughter Maryn and me, whom I get to go visit tomorrow! Life’s blessings abound — a day with friends, treats for the kids, and coming home to find your blog! (Still praying for rain, though, here in Indiana.) Hugs, Ethel 🙂
How wonderfully you write of your experience, it is almost as good as being there myself. But not quite. Someday…………maybe.
Loved traveling to England with you! Especially the trip to Hill Top Farm.
I love everything Beatrix POTTER! I have a small collection of her figurines
and books and my dream is to visit Hill Top Farm one day. Needless to
say I would love, love to have such a special book. Thanks!!
Hi Susan,
Great giveaway, no…awesome giveaway!! I never knew about bee- boles for sheltering bee skeps. I keep mine in my front entryway so it won’t be ruined by the weather. I’d really like to keep it in the Herb garden, though! I have heard roses are Herbs as well, but I don’t know for sure! I am so happy you had such a wonderful time, as did we, your stowaway girlfriends!
Bees in lavender, cabbage roses, raindrops on umbrellas, hidden doors in stone walls and Peter Rabbit’s Garden. Surely one post CAN NOT get any better!!!!! I was gasping and holding my breath as you confessed taking, not 1, but 2 flowers from THE garden of all…..and then you did it! You, Susan Branch, must be the most clever elf of all! You surprised us with a HOPE of winning such a coveted treasure! (I heard my mini Peter Rabbit book sigh with envy)……oh my. I dream of such a prize! I hope I am sitting under a lucky star when that name is drawn!!!
OH MY! This is the most wonderful dearest treasure of a give away there ever was. Thank you so much for even a chance at this. Oh how I wish I would win!!!!!!!
I would have taken a flower, too! 😉 And I’ve also heard those roses referred to as “cabbage roses.” My mother has them in her yard and I’ve never heard them called anything else!
Oh, Susan! If I win this book, I will give it to my niece, Julia, who turns 9 on July 31st. She is an avid reader, and I just know she would treasure this book dearly! Fingers crossed!!!
The picture of the pressed rose is absolutely beautiful. It looks too perfect to be real.
I’ve so enjoyed seeing England through your eyes. You have a way of making everything so interesting and dream-like. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. And please keep them coming. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that we just can’t get enough of Jolly Ole England. 🙂
Oh my goodness! What a treasure – both you and the book!! No wonder Jack was beside himself with excitement!
🙂
oooh, i would love to own this charming book! my mom read all the beatrix potter books to my brother and me when we were little. my very very favorite has always been mrs. tiggy winkle 🙂
What a lovely trip you’ve had! Thank you so very much for letting us experience each sight, sound, and scent (oh, those roses!) of beautiful England…
You lived my dream in England! Thank you so much for taking us along for the ride!
We are a family of readers, and the very first books we read to each of our four children were Beatrix Potter’s stories (next was Winnie-the-Pooh, of course :). Even though my youngest is 11yo we still pull out Peter Rabbit to read every spring. This would be a beautiful addition to our family library (where an entire bookshelf is dedicated to beautiful picture books)!
Susan, Oh my goodness!!!!! You are so kind and generous, what a fabulous gift. Thanks for this amazing opportunity. Fingers crossed. I can just see my name in your handwriting now. This has been the most-wonderful past couple of months spent with you on this miraculous journey. Lots of love and bunny hugs!!! xoox. Jeanette
Thank you, Susan, for all that you do and share with all of us girlfriends. I once lived in Salem, Massachusetts when I was in my 20’s and after my job fizzled out, I thought the only thing to do was to move home to California. Just think – I could have been living in Massachusetts (maybe Martha’s Vineyard) all these years. I hope, I hope, I hope that the Beatrix Potter book finds a lovely home with me. One day I shall visit Martha’s Vineyard to see it for myself. Until then, I will visit on your blog 🙂
Dear Susan,
Pink cabbage roses, bees in lavender, muddy boots, raindrops — your creativity is boundless, along with your generosity of spirit! I’ve loved every minute of this trip. Thank you!
Susan, thank you so very much for sharing your very special holiday to England. I have enjoyed following you and would love to be able to enjoy doing and seeing all of this someday!
p.s. Received your 2013 calendar the other day. I love it as I have all of the others.
Oh thank you Jane!
Oh. My. Goodness. I’ve loved Beatrix Potter my whole life, but the pinnacle was Mrs. Duffin’s 3rd grade classroom; she brought her BP stuffed animals to class and allowed them to take turns sitting on our desks! THIS is quite the giveaway! You are too good – just like Mrs. Mary Duffin of DeWitt, NY. xoxo
What an absolutely delightful and special gift this would be!!! And so very very thoughtful of you!
I discovered and fell in love with Beatrix Potter just after I was married in 1998 early one Sunday morning. I was awake unusually early and turned the telly on and watched the tale of Jemima Puddleduck. After that I set the alarm early every Sunday morning to watch my new favourite show . I had never seen or heard of Beatrix Potter before that morning as I had only owned one book growing up. What originally grabbed my attention was seeing Beatrix Potter’s collection of Spode “Blue Italian” china which was my very favourite pattern and still is today. I wonder if her Spode collection is still displayed in her house. I instantly fell in love with all things Beatrix Potter and set about collecting her books. Beatrix Potter also led me to your blog which I am a regular reader of because of the beautiful figurines that you have displayed around your house and your goegeous Peter Rabbit room. I know that the lucky person who wins this beautiful book will cherish it forever – I know I would.
Yes, her blue Spode is still there, beautifully displayed!
Susan, it was so special to read, hear and watch your (and Joe’s) trip abroad. I was soo excited that you commented on my reply about Matthew Rice. (I wasn’t familiar with his artist mother, Pat Albeck, until you wrote about her however since then I’ve seen a couple of references about her.) I’m eager to venture down those same country roads one day with your guidebook in hand. Happy summer on the island!
Ooooo – pick me! pick me! Thank you Susan – what a wonderful giveaway. I hope your computer doesn’t crash from all the comments! How sweet Beatrix Potter was – so ahead of her time. Thanks again for sharing her with all of us 🙂
I have so enjoyed your England trip. I’m off to England myself in September. I won’t be going to the lake district so I would so love to win the book!
These has been the best vacation susan! Thank you so much for letting us tag along. And this sweet book..well it comes to live with me I will cherish it.
Such a charming post… And an amazing give-away… You make my heart sing!
What a wonderful gift you brought home!! Someone is going to be so lucky to win that beautiful book. Thank you for thinking of your groupies 🙂
Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! How incredibly delightful! I’m such a fan of Beatrix Potter!
You are just the sweetest…almost like a funny, little fairy godmother. Glad you are home safe and sound.
I am not much of a traveler so I have enjoyed traveling vicariously with you.
Iam so glad you an Joe ARE HOME but will miss everyday reading where you have been, re-read these days all the time and everyday am as thrill as I was the first time. Iam coming to the Cape[ and maybe Martha’s] next week I will take in everything as you do,it will be great. Thank-You for a wonderfull trip.
Thank you, Susan, for sharing your magical journey throughout England with us! I always look forward to your delightful posts and pictures that capture my heart! You are a generous spirit and blessing to us all!
Loved following you around beautiful England! My oldest son turns 35 this summer and all those years ago, I bought for him – a Beatrix Potter baby book, which I still have to this day. LOVE that darling baby memory book…. oh, and the baby who is now 35! 🙂
My precious baby girl (age 30) just arrived with her precious one month old. After showing her your blog, up to the crawl space we went in search of her set of (well used) Beatrix Potter books along with her stuffed Beatrix Potter family of friends. Such amazing memories indeed. I am forever thankful to have kept all these collectibles and to have traveled along with you on your magical vacation.
PS A good friend came by today and I showed her the baby quilt I had just finished with the beautiful Susan Branch diaper pin fabric as the backing. So, so precious.
The pure unadulterated joy I have known “whilst” joining you, Joe and the girlfriends on the trip through Albion is beyond measure. May your Joy always be unconfined and heaps of gratitude for sharing it with so many!
What a wonderful gesture. Thank you for taking us along on your trip.
Thanks for the great post. It made it very easy to imagine you standing in the rain, totally enjoying the moment!
Ohhhh such a special treat ! Finding a wonderful post and then a wonderful surprise give away to one of your wonderful friends. One of life’s simple pleasures is reading a blog from you. Your pictures put me right there in Beatrix Potters garden and I swear I smelled those roses and felt that wonderful rain ! Thank-you from my heart to yours !!! OOXX
I’ve been sharing your journey with my 10 year old daughter, Sophie. Now we want to go to England! When I finished reading this post, I truly thought it was chilly and damp outside 🙂 Thanks for sharing all this wonderful-ness with so many!
Oh, Susan to touch the book and feel like I had really been on the trip with and I’m not just a blog follower. You are a dear for thinking of all of us sitting at home and vicariously experiencing your English journey. I must get out to the countryside on my next trip to England.
Oh my!!! This is very exciting. It was so nice re-visiting Hill Top Farm – but such a book to give away is the cherry on top! And I have to agree with the previous post by Pam – this is going to break some records! Thank you.
How exciting!!! Thank you for taking all of us on your trip. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for the chance to win the book! I would *LOVE* to see my name written inside of it!
Wow. Nice book 🙂 Hope I win 🙂
It was lovely following you on your English adventure. My father’s family was originally from England, 16 generations ago that we have traced. What a generous soul you are. All the best!
What a sweet, perfect little book! I would adore it! Thank you for a chance to win it… fingers crossed! ::Jill
Susan, I only just recently found your blog. It was when you first arrived in England. I just wanted to thank you so much for allowing us to come along. 🙂 What a blessing! Our family had decided to study British history this year in our homeschool. Your entries, beautiful pictures, and videos actually made us feel that we were there, and greatly enhanced our study of England.
Checking your blog is such a treat! Thank you for sharing this adventure, as well as your joy with us.
What a lovely surprise! I would never have guessed! You are so thoughtful Susan! I love re-reading your blogs from England and reliving the trip we took. I am hoping my husband and I can take a trip next year to visit my parents. Their home is fairly near Bath, Stratford on Avon, Stonehenge, etc, cannot wait, hope we get to go. I just borrowed Beatrix Potter’s book “The Tale of Samuel Whiskers” the roly-poly pudding. The rats capture and tie up Tom Kitten and cover him in dough and get ready to “bake” him! He gets saved before they can do that of course, but this used to be one of my very favorite Beatrix books as a child!! Hope I am lucky!! Bless you for all that you do!
Going to England is a distant dream for me, it would be lovely to have a treasure from there that was brought back out of thoughtfulness.
Her illustrations make me daydream.
Susan,
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to tell you how synchronistic your visit to Beatrix Potter’s home is for me. My long-time friend,Betty Ochs died a little while ago at age 92. She shared her love of Beatrix with me when I was a young adult. Before she died, perhaps a couple of years ago, she sent me all of her books, some that may not be in print any longer – about Beatrix, her life, her work, her little books.
As I was grieving for her, I was reading your blog which made it even more meaningful.
I have a Lion’s head bunny as I think I’ve told you before. He is a dear little friend who just turned 6 and also just had surgery for stones in his urinary track. So, if you get a bunny here’s a tip: they LOVE clover…and clover has too much calcium in it for them to eat regularly or in large amounts. This is my 2nd bunny. My 1st one was named Clover because of her love of it from the time she was a baby. I’d recommend that if you get a bunny to live w/ the kitties that you get a larger one, perhaps a standard Rex.
Again, thanks for all you share, the way you share it, and for adding so much joy to your reader’s lives.
My best,
June Fisher
Vermont
What a wonderful surprize ! Susan this would be the most chariest book .One would want to write a lovely letter of how you took us on your vacation & leave it in the book for generations to read & how they were picked to have this treasure. Wow! Good Luck to all the girlfriends.
Oh my goodness! What a special, special gift! I collect bunnies and this would be a wonderful addition! Plus, I’d have another little piece of the trip I so enjoyed reading about. Thanks for doing this, Susan. Someone will be very, very blessed!
What a wonderful giveaway! I am so happy to have discovered your blog and to have followed vicariously on your trip to England! I think I was born an anglophile – even as a small child I dreamed of a thatched-roof cottage in England. I watch more British TV than American, though of course I do love the good old USA and am proud to be an American! Thanks for the chance to win this!
Oh, Susan!!! Whoever gets this wonderful book will truly have something priceless that will become a family treasure for years & years. I can only wish that I might be so blessed!! Your blogs always touch me in a special way……along with all the wonderful photographs. I have always said if I could travel anywhere it would be Sweden, but England is a close second!! Thanks for sharing <3
Oh my, this is exciting! How I would love such a special Peter Rabbit book… I have enjoyed reading your blogs from England so much – I really did feel as though I was a stowaway on your trip! But I must tell you I was secretly very relieved to read your blog when you got home and find that you were happy to be home… I feared we were going to lose you to England!
Wow what an amazing giveaway! And a amazing trip. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. I’ll most likely never get there myself and love B.P. Have most of her books from my childhood complete with smudges and dirt, just makes them all the more dear. Cant wait for your new book about your trip! Enjoy the rest of the summer at home. Best wishes, Kate
Your blog is delightful. I’ve visited England all the way from Kansas. I’ve been to Hill Top, Yew Tree Farm, and Beatrix Potters World of Attraction. What a fantastic giveway! Thanks so much for sharing, it’s a been a great joy.
Oh, Susan, how your trip has brought every joy of Britain to so many of your faithful readers! After your Austen home tour post, I decided to pick up “Persuasion” and then devoured it as a free audiobook, which I highly recommend! The immensely talented volunteer reader Karen Savage does the BEST version (number 4) for free on LibriVox! I then savored “Sense and Sensibility”, and now I am truly binging on dear Jane Austen by jumping right into “Mansfield Park” while cross stitching some of the best lines of Austen, like, “You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Please tell me not that I am too late.” Captain Wentworth, swoon!!! Thanks for putting me in the mood, and also for this generous giveaway! Cheers, Rina
Swoon! Pierce my heart! ooooo.
Your stories bring back so many memories of my own trip to the Lake District with my mother. Such joy!
That rose looks suspiciously like the one that grew at my nana’s house and she didn’t know the name of it either. Did a lot of growing up at the house, we did. Big old rambling house on Puget Sound in West Seattle. Nana lived to be 98, and then the house had to be sold, as things like that happen. Sold to a famous musician whose name starts with “V” and ends in “edder”. I hope he smells the roses and climbs the Madrona tree like we did…
Very tricky with the spelling! The house sounds like a kid’s dream come true!
and we know he can afford to keep up the house and maintain it! I am a fan of his 🙂
Oh my goodness! That’s a lot of comments!
Oh how wonderful, the little book!
You’re so extra-sweet to share all the passion and love for England with all of us. I just watched Miss Potter the other day AGAIN. Ha ha! We can’t get enough of Beatrix!
I hope I’m not disqualified for sending a second post, but there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you that I keep forgetting. So since I just remembered it, I thought I better do it now. There is a lovely tea shop in Colorado Springs called Bernideens. She has a blog called bernideensteatimeblog which always has lovely music and pictures, and connects to many other tea loving blogs. But the reason I think of you when I look at it is that she has a Beatrix Potter tea garden, with statues of Peter Rabbit and Jeremy Fisher et al. Bernideen’s shop is so lovely. They don’t serve tea there, but have tea, tea pots, cups and saucers, accessories, jams, cookbooks, Beatrix Potter, Jane Austen, and Tasha Tudor books, and so much more. Last Christmas I did a lot of my shopping there, and she had everything beautifully wrapped for me before I even finished shopping. Just thought you might want to see her small but lovely garden.
Thank you for taking me along on your wonderful, inspiring trip. I truly relished every delight you shared.
Oh, I hope I win! What a lovely, lovely book. Thank you for sharing your adventures. I’m sure I’m not the only one ready to hop back into your suitcase for another trip!
If I don’t win this myself, I will be so delighted for whoever does win. What a treasure!
Hello friend! I am “Auntie N” in my family. A nod to Auntie Em in “The Wizard of Oz.”
Nice to meet a kindred spirit!
Dear Susan–I have 11 Grands and love reading to them when they spend the night. We get comfy in my bed and read. I would love to read your new “Peter Rabbit” to them, a treat for all.
Love the book and your drawing makes it more special! What a fantastic souvenir from a trip of a lifetime. Can’t thank you (& Joe) enough for letting us tag along! So excited we got to go to Beatrix Potter’s home twice and loved taking the Queen Mary to and from England.
Cheers, Natalie
Thank you thank you for going back and doing that. I have the little books from my children’s childhood and now my grandchildren are reading them. I must say I have to constantly slap my self from getting those ceramic characters from her book. I don’t really need them right?
No, you really DO need them! I have them lining the shelf over my kitchen sink, they’ve been in my kitchen since I was in my 20’s and I never get tired of them!!! You do need them, you just don’t know it yet! 🙂
I’ve had three bunnies as pets but don’t know for certain how they would do with cats. I would think no so well 🙂 But they are sweet and loving. Thanks for all the beautiful pics and stories! I really enjoyed reading them as you travelled about!
Oh, my goodness!! I would love a chance to be picked for this gracious giveaway!!
The very first book I owned, indeed, the very first book that was read to me, was The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Such gorgeous photos. Thank you so much for sharing them with us. It would be a dream-come-true to visit there someday.
This spring I did one of our guest bedrooms as a Peter Rabbit room thanks to your inspirations. It is very cute and that book would go very well in there. ha! Thanks so much for all you did to take us along on your vacation. Enjoyed it very much! Blessings to you.