REMEMBRANCE

Hi Everyone! Would you like to be in England for Remembrance Day? You came to the right place!  MUSICA

I want to show you this wonderful thing that happens in England the second Sunday of November which Joe and I discovered a little bit by accident when we were visiting. 🍂 

It’s actually a lovely tradition that started in America in 1920 when the Poppy flower was proclaimed by the United States to be our national emblem of Remembrance.  For Armistice Day, for never forgetting, and for the prayer of peace.  See Joe?  See that red poppy on his jacket?

Here he is, walking home from shopping at Blenheim Castle in Woodstock Oxfordshire, with a poppy on his jacket. Because, in November, all over the United Kingdom (Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, too) . . .

. . . you rarely see anyone who isn’t wearing a poppy at this time of year. For some reason the tradition didn’t catch on for America’s Veterans Day, but it is huge over there. I wish I’d taken a photo in a train station, so you could see how popular it is, these little splashes of red hurrying hither and yon. You get used to it, then you start to fall in love with it, and especially the idea behind it.

This is Joe and Paul ( Rachel’s adorable husband, English man extraordinaire, one of your funnier and more charming humans on the earth), both of them poppy-decked of course.

We went to a dinner, and everyone was wearing a poppy . . .

Me too . . .

And Rachel too.

For a donation to the Royal British Legion ~ a pound for a poppy, you can pin one of these to your coat. The appeal raises millions for the care of British Veterans and their dependents, and by the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the whole country is decked in solidarity-red for Remembrance.

We read the paper and learned the significance of the Poppy.

As the years went by, other wars and more loss, “between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place…” to what was the war to end all wars, the first world war. Flanders Fields were the battlefields in France where so many were lost,  the “western front”. . . is now covered in poppies for remembrance. And a beautiful heartbreaking poem was written:

The first Poppy Day was celebrated in England in 1921, and has continued every year since.

There will be no forgetting . . . the whole country shows their gratitude and old men wear their uniforms on the street with pride. I think maybe because when bombs literally fall on your house and your neighbor’s house, on your church, in your garden, you have a different relationship to war than others who were mercifully spared that experience.You turn on the radio, and there’s Vera Lynn singing We’ll Meet Again back in the day with the voices of servicemen and their sweethearts singing along, and you can feel the heart in the moment, and your own connection to it . . .

Poppies are everywhere, including pillows and sachets in the Blenheim Castle gift shop.

And we ended up with a bouquet of them for our kitchen counter.

You would find them on the street in simple little places . . .

And in the cities too . . . these are part of the Field of Remembrance, a small graveyard set up each year next to Westminster Abbey in London.

And there are remembrances in every small town . . .

This particular Remembrance Day found us in downtown Woodstock where we were staying, a small town in Oxfordshire with a population of 3,000, which is just around the corner from Blenheim Castle where Winston Churchill was born. Now Winston Churchill has a special place in my heart, for more reasons than one. The marriage between his American great grandmother Aurora Murray to Isaac Jerome produced a granddaughter, Winston’s mother, Jennie Jerome. That’s her in this picture. My grandmother is Irene Murray, and through her lineage I discovered that Winston Churchill is my 8th cousin! (If you go sideways far enough back, you’ll find everyone is related to everyone!)

XOXO

We came upon this solemn scene by happy accident. We were just walking back to the High Street after visiting Blenheim Castle (we stayed at the Bear Hotel ~ some parts of it 900 years old, you can see it in the video on the right), and didn’t know what was going on when we saw a crowd had gathered, families, babies, and dogs, people of all ages, clergy and soldiers too.  It was 11 am on Remembrance Sunday, and the village had stopped to honor Armistice Day as they had done for 95 years, for all those who served and died in war ~  we learned that this quiet remembrance happened in every small and big town in England at this same moment every year, the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. MUSICA.

Tradition is such a beautiful thing. Honoring the people who built the world, who came before us is such a right thing to do. Afterwards we discovered that Winston Churchill was buried nearby, in a tiny churchyard in a small village called Bladon. So off we went through the golden air of the English Countryside with this music playing in our car to find Churchill’s grave. 🍂

When we found the tiny village of Bladon, we fretted about leaving our car parked halfway in the narrow street, only a bit more than one car wide, but it was the best we could do and still be in the town. How they could have had a state burial for one of the most famous people in the world in this teeny place with zero parking is a mystery.  But look at that beautiful stone house.  See the roof line, all curvy and crunchy from age? I always stop to marvel that they kept the beauty and history of what came before as times changed and such things as bathrooms and electricity were invented ~ how they did it is beyond me, but they did!

Nothing in the town had changed since the day the Prime Minister was laid to rest, except the people. The generations have turned over more than once.

We walked through the quiet, echoing streets of the village looking for the church listening to the birds singing . . .

 . . . enjoying cottages and curtains . . .

. . . and people who brought nature inside.

We peeked in the windows at the far end of this house with the amazing vine . . .

. . . and saw these in the little panes of glass! It was the Studio of a sculptor . . . ohhh, I wanted to go in so bad!

But it wasn’t to be . . . “Open Daily 10-6” said the card in the window, but another sign said, “Closed!” Travel is all about the serendipity!

I was perfectly happy wandering the lanes, taking pictures of the stone houses with names on them . . .

and of course, the little charmers out for a walk . . .

And there it was, the flag flying over St Martin’s Church . . . where the bells had just rung for Armistice Day.

A small, rather austere church . . . an unassuming village church like so many others wherever you go.

with lovely details

And a sweet peaceful graveyard, these being my favorite, family gravestones held in nature’s embrace.

Next to Churchill’s grave were simple elegant memorials, and benches for sitting.

with rather an amazing drain in the stone path ~ I had to take a photo of it!

Churchill’s grave sort of broke our hearts. Everything so real. I couldn’t help but think of my dad who had fought in WWII and had died a few months earlier. 😢 We’d been to Churchill’s wonderful house called Chartwell and learned about him and his fascinating wife Clementine ~ and here they were, buried together. History of the world,  just waiting for us to find and remember and learn.

It’s actually his family burial ground, his mother, Jennie Jerome, Lady Randolph Churchill is buried in the center grave surrounded by the hedge.

Sure and certain hope.

Afterward we stopped at a nearby pub to read our paper and eat “Sunday Roast” ~ another wonderful old tradition, served in most British pubs every Sunday,

. . . a glorious menu consisting of your choice of beautifully cooked roast beef, roast chicken or roast pork ~ with Yorkshire Pudding, stuffing, roasted carrots, parsnips, and potatoes with gravy.

And poppies on the mantle . . .

After lunch we drove to Oxford to see Carrie and Stuart, who took us on a tour ~ here we are in one of the churches.

Then back to Carrie’s kitchen which was in full-remembrance mode. We had a wonderful visit with them . . . but when we got back to our rental house, I noticed I had lost the poppy from my jacket. wah. I know, I had another four in my poppy bouquet, but I hated losing even one.

We spent more weeks in England, taking long walks under blowing leaves, enjoying the fall, and did not return to America until late November ~ celebrating Thanksgiving on the ship, going home the old way, past the statue of liberty into New York harbor, dreaming our memories in the rocking of the boat.

And finally home, where Jack was waiting, and H❤️ME was waiting, and of course we brought our poppies home with us. A few days later, a surprise arrived in the mail from England.

It was a book-gift from Carrie, along with the poppy I’d dropped at her house! She found it and sent it back to me! Total perfection!And that’s my story for today, Girlfriends . . . Celebrate  November 11 … Remember our Veterans. Study history, see how we got here. With life’s vagaries it’s a pure miracle we are!

Here is my kitchen this morning, sparkling with light from the sunrise…It’s our time now . . . and one of the gifts of remembering is the gift of knowing the real and important things of life, and passing  them to the ones we love . . . 

Clothespin caught a leaf, and I got to make a wish.  So I think we can all make a wish!Ah yes, time for tea! Hope you enjoyed our trip to England! Have a wonderful day! XOXO

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2,908 Responses to REMEMBRANCE

  1. Kristi says:

    Oh yes, please!!!!🍁🍂🍁

  2. CAROL K says:

    Yikes! I hope I’m not too late to enter that fab drawing of yours. I love all those cups and plates and all the other things in your shop. It drives me nutz that I can’t have them all. But I can dream can’t I…….

  3. Please enter me, Susan. My condo could use some girly things! 🙂

  4. Lisa McKay says:

    Remember to enter me into your amazing drawing! (okay, bad joke-hubby has finally rubbed off on me after 32 years of marriage.:)

    Wonderful article about Remembrance Day and the Flanders Poppy. I did not know about this, so Thank you for sharing what you discovered. Never forget!

    Happy Autumn!

  5. Donna H says:

    Thank you for your uplifting blog posts ! Your descriptions of all the poppies in England makes me want to travel there in the best season of all … Fall 🍁!

    • Leathea Drello says:

      Thanks for your post on England and the poppies. Many years ago Americans still sold poppies and wore them on their lapels and collars.
      Your description of Oxfordshire and surrounds takes me back to our trip several years ago. Lovely area. When I taught high school English I assigned memorizing “In Flanders Fields.” I believe the author was actually Canadian, if I remember correctly. Thanks for showing us again how to remember past conflicts…a lesson we might apply today to current and past wars. God bless.

  6. Mary Monseur says:

    Thanks for telling us about the poppies. I always buy them from Veterans who sell them on the corner’s when I’m driving, I seem to run across them every year. This year I will have a new appreciation for them.

  7. Janet says:

    Thank you, Susan, for being you and bringing ‘the happy gene’ to my computer. It is so important to read good quotes, create happy memories, and think happy thoughts. You are a dear.
    Janet

  8. Lynn S in Kansas City says:

    PLEASE GIVE MY NAME TO VANA

  9. Karen Davidson says:

    You are a blessing to us all. You help to keep our spirits up. I click on you every morning. I feel as though we are starting our days together. Love to you and love all your new goodies you are making for us. I have already shared a mug with a dear friend of 20plus years… of course she was thrilled. I feel as though you and I have been best friends for over 30 years. Thanks for everything and for sharing all your love with us.

  10. Linda says:

    Thank you for putting me in your drawing for your charming new products. What a treat. Loved another tradition shared from England. Poppy day day is such a lovely way to honor our soldiers.

  11. Cynthia Strauss says:

    I love reading your blog. Thank you for the beauty you bring and the drawing for the lovely dishes.

  12. Denni in MN says:

    First snow arrived and the place to be is in front of the fire, reading Willard and your blog, Susan. My viewing choices have been Penelope Keith’s Villages episodes and, a favorite, Miss Potter. I’m looking forward to your next travel adventures to see the beauty you discover. Thanks for your great views!

  13. Allison Maahs says:

    Love all the new products!

  14. Kathleen says:

    Oooo–your new treasures look lovely. Are they bone china like your mugs? Thanks for the give-a-way!!!

  15. Jeanine Perdue Ward says:

    I always love reading your blog. It has kept me company for several years.

  16. Shelley S says:

    Susan,
    Thank you for your wonderful stories. I recently found a poppy given to me by a veteran last year, in my coat pocket. I will wear it proudly.

    Xoxo

  17. Patricia Thibeault-Ram says:

    Morning Susan always enjoy reading your blogs, your daily tweets and of course your books!!! I find all up lifting in these troubling times. You make smile and remind me of how important the little “things” are. Don’t ever change – stay true to yourself – you are my guiding light!!!

  18. 'Arden says:

    Lovely message…….thanks!

  19. Carole says:

    Always enjoy your posts. Looking forward to following you through your next trip to England.

  20. Jen says:

    Yes enter me please! The dishes are so so very lovely!! Oh and thank you! 🌺 I love reading your Willard 😊

  21. Marcy Maddox says:

    It’s so hard to describe how uplifted and happy I feel each time I read Willard or your blog. It inspires me even more to cultivate a life that values the seemingly little things in life. Happy Autumn, indeed. P.S. Making those Molasses Cookies for my guy.

  22. Sherrie Fehring says:

    How lovely, and special your memories are ! Thank you so very much for sharing you life with us…I would love to enjoy your special giveaway items. Wishing you the best Fall ever, Susan !

  23. Elaine Pappas says:

    Love receiving Willard and reading your website. It is wonderful. Keep up the good work.

  24. Nina From England says:

    Good morning Susan from a very sunny Autumnal day here in England!
    I just wanted to ask a question about your new mugs. Will they be coming to Nursery Thyme in England ? I do hope so! xxxx

  25. Susan says:

    Love and enjoy all of your work!

  26. Pam says:

    Entering and dreaming of winning

  27. Susanb says:

    Yay, Fall weather is here, soon back go the clocks. I love all the new items you are creating. :). My to buy list is growing, the new stuff will make great Christmas gifts. The heart dishes are so adorable, and my favorite saying about flowers and friends😀 is on the heart dish! Have a fun filled Halloween! Those lucky little trick-or-treaters.

  28. Deb Blackmore says:

    Thank you, Susan, for a lovely walk down those English streets. And for reminding us about the small joys in our worlds we should not overlook…like a leaf caught in a clothespin! Cheers and best wishes…deb

  29. Isabel Simpson says:

    Oh! Would so love to win this and share with family and friends. Thanks for the chance xx

  30. Candy says:

    What a beautiful story and a beautiful place. I love the old churches and cottages! And I already have my Poppy!

  31. Mary Kasavich says:

    I always enjoy your blog – your drawings are beautiful!

  32. Ashley Pickrell says:

    I remember growing up as an Air Force daughter, there would be poppies for sale on the base but I never knew the depths of its meaning until much later. And I had no idea that it was a huge thing in England, how beautiful! I really wish America would make Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day more solemn rather than what they have become (sale sale sale, buy buy buy!). It would do our country good for EVERYONE to take a few minutes on those days and remember those who died and those who protect our country. Anyways, I would love to win those dishes. All of them are so beautiful and yes, they would make wonderful Christmas gifts. Score one for easy shopping! 😉

    • sbranch says:

      I know, sale sale sale, buy buy buy. And then there’s “black Friday” my least favorite of all. Where did all of this come from?!

  33. Cathy M. says:

    Beautiful dishes! I love the quotes you use in your work. Just finished reading Willard with a cup of coffee this morning, just a great way to start my day, thank you.

  34. Cynthia Orlowski says:

    Such a lovely blog this morning; left me with a lump in my throat. Thanks for the poppies and what they commemorate; appreciate the reminder and will look for one for my own lapel next month.

  35. Linda T. from Maine. says:

    So, I guess the question of the day is.. Do you think You and Joe will move to England ever? You love it so much. Has it ever crossed your mines? I love the facts we got about the poppies. I had no idea about this and now I will never forget this. Love it. Happy Fall. Are you going to make a poppy cup now? Love all the new things coming out. Wish I had not missed the Santa cup. Wanted one so bad. Have a nice day . Keep up the great work.

    • sbranch says:

      I don’t think we will … it looks very complicated, for one thing, and of course, we would miss our beloveds so much. Thank you Linda.

  36. Anne says:

    Thank you for the wonderful history lesson Susan! I never knew where Churchill was buried. And, the poppies! I love reading your blog on Sunday mornings in my jammies 😍 I’m ready for my week now! Happy Halloween 🎃😘

  37. Frances Pullen says:

    Thank you, Susan, for this post which I found so moving. I grew up in England, experienced WW2 first hand as a child living in London, and remember the poppies and all their significance. And oh yes — Winston Churchill’s speeches and Vera Lyn’s WW2 songs over the radio, which bound us together. I’ve lived in USA for a long time, but on a subsequent visit to England was thrilled to find the name of my mother’s young soldier cousin included on a WW1 memorial plaque in his parish church. And thanks to Ancestry.com I have also been able to identify (at last!) the 19 year old soldier in a previously-anonymous photo — my father’s cousin who died in WW1 and is buried with most of his regiment in the Jerusalem War Cemetery. “Lest we forget!”

  38. Maire Dhu Lemley says:

    Hi Susan,
    It is Sunday morning, I hadn’t dropped in to see you for quite some time, and the moment seemed right just now, so I did. My eyes, now are filled with lovely nostalgic tears, just to the point of making things blurry. Your love and art and words have a way of pulling me back to the simple, small, and most important things in my life, and my soul is fed one more time. I dance with joy, and marvel at our Fall colors on my favorite neighborhood trees, the tiny mushroom in the lawn, and the hope of great things about to happen. For this, I thank you, as you demonstrate time and again, that it is OK and rather important, to love where we are, what we are, and spread joy whenever possible. Again, thank you Susan, from the bottom of my heart. Well, from the whole of my heart if truth be told.

  39. Kathy Gudgel says:

    Oh how I would love to win, please enter me

  40. Chris B says:

    Dear Susan, I’m just reading a book by Elizabeth Berg. Do you know her? Have you ever met? Because I think you two could be good friends. When I’m reading her I think it’s you. So “real”, tangible, earthy. Know what I mean? Love you, Chris

  41. I am pumpkin carving today with girlfriends and we are doing stars in honor of you while watching Hocus Pocus! It’s finally getting cold in Alabama, can you believe it? Love the blog post and the poppy tradition is absolutely charming! Also, I adore that little dog! Thank you for sharing and Happy Halloween!

  42. Sharyn says:

    Thank you for your posts, they’re such an escape I always feel like I’ve taken a vacation! Your new items are stunning works of art just as everything you create. Thank you for sharing your talents and yourself with this world, mine is better because of you.

  43. Kathy says:

    Love reading your Willard. Happy Fall!

  44. Carol says:

    Yes, please!

  45. Kay says:

    Love your stories of England. Haven’t been back there since 1982.

  46. Maura Moorman says:

    Love Autumn and all it brings. Your new line of dishes look fantastic! I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

  47. Deborah says:

    Entering this one for sure! Love the quote plates and I already have my 2018 mini calander!

  48. Janet Grausam says:

    Very excited about the new winter cup!!! I love my autumn cup so much! I grew up with 4 seasons in Michigan and now live in CA! I sure miss the beautiful fall color! Your pictures help so much!!!!

  49. Barb McD. ;-) ;-) says:

    The birds are singing, a roadrunner (funny looking little bird) just walked across my yard, and it is beautifully peaceful. I just poured my second cup of coffee and am reading more blog comments. It’s a beautiful morning here in Arizona. Please tell Vanna I said hello…. hugs and sunshine to all.

  50. Christina says:

    This was a very warming post. Thank you <3

  51. Sheri Bodi says:

    Susan, I am loving Autumn and all it brings:) I also have my 2018 mini calalder-I love this size for the desk at work! I love all of your new dishes/cups and quote plates-I am trying to decide on something for my sister’s (who saw you at your book signing in MA-I was sooo jealous) birthday. So hard to choose:)

  52. Mary Ann, Southbury CT says:

    Thank you for a beautiful post!

  53. Nancy Weatherford says:

    Love love, love this post! I will look for poppies on November 11th! ( also my grandson’s birthday! ) Happy fall!

  54. Patricia Edde says:

    Such beauty to see. Thank you, as always, for your shares. What a life affirming moment to see the large gatherings of people for Armistice Day, to honor the brave men who gave their lives so that England could be free. I wish we showed our veterans the same honor and turn-out on Veteran’s Day. We do in some places but it doesn’t seem to be consistent. What is the difference, would you say, in the people of England and us Americans. I would imagine it would be different in large cities like London, but the smaller towns seem to be so much more connected to each other than we do here. Do you think I am idealizing England too much? I have never been so I am making that assumption from things that I’ve seen, read and heard. If what you see when you visit seems to agree with my imagining, what do you think it would take for us to get there? One thing, I think, is that we keep tearing down many of the things that made us more human: our architecture, our treatment and inclusion of all people, our love of turning the pages of real books, our communal celebrations of important holidays, our taking time to enjoy beautiful days and our families without rushing through them to get more work done. Isn’t it hard for you and Joe to leave England when it’s time to return home (except for coming back to Jack)?
    I guess I’m feeling a bit nostalgic for the days of my childhood when neighbors really knew each other and children knew the ultimate joy of playing outdoors in groups (not sitting home alone with their computer games).
    I am also dealing with the short time I have left with my sweet Sam before it is his time to leave me. He is my beloved 17 year old chihuahua. I have had him for 15 of those years when I saw him at Pet Adoption in Canoga Park, California and took him home with me. Since then he has been true to his breed and assumed the roll of alpha dog in our family of 2 from the beginning. I will miss his stubbornness and lack of kisses (unless I had food on my face) when he is gone,but I will always be grateful for the time we had together. All I can hope for is a bit more time before I have to say good-bye. I am sure that you and all other animal lovers can identify with these feelings. May God bless all animals for I truly feel that they are the best of us and may God bless all of us through these turbulent times.

    • sbranch says:

      I agree, I think being surrounded with, and aware of, your history, your ancestors, and what they went through, really makes a difference. Holding tight to tradition is more important than we might think.

  55. Patricia Edde says:

    PS,I forgot to add that my favorite coffee mixture is Peet’s coffee with a tablespoon of Salted Caramel Cocoa Mix from Cost Plus World Market, 2 tsp of Splenda and a pour of CoffeeMates Natural Bliss Salted Caramel Coffee Creamer (as Rachel Ray would say, “YUMMO”).

  56. Lori Hamilton says:

    “Remembrance” ~ what a lovely thing……… sweet and bittersweet ~
    Love the blog! Love the new dishes!

  57. Merci says:

    Susan,
    Loved your story on Remembrance Day! So important to understand what has gone before us and wishing we could learn from the past. As you posted quoting from Gladys Taber – “Believing there is hope for the world is a way to move toward it.” I continue to believe!

  58. Pam C. says:

    Please consider doing some products with Jack and his sister on it! I am a cat lover and enjoy seeing and hearing about the them.

  59. Carol Jolly says:

    Autumn is my favorite time of year! I love to take “armchair” adventures with you and Joe in England. And I think I read somewhere that your coming adventures may lead you beyond to Ireland…

    Please take plenty of pictures for all of us. And Bon Voyage…..

  60. Sarah in Tucson says:

    Dear Susan, thank you for the wonderful blog post and Willard. My Mom, daughter, and I always look forward to reading them. You spread sunshine and inspiration to all of us Girlfriends around the world. Hope you and Joe are having a lovely weekend! 🤗 P.S. Thank you for the Poldark recommendation. I had to catch up and I couldn’t stop watching! ❤️

  61. Rosemary says:

    Just returned from Cornwall. Saw a lot of poppies in windows. Gettong set early?

  62. Julie Sharp says:

    Please enter me!

  63. Susie Rodgers says:

    Thank you so much for all you share with us!! 💕

  64. Mary Ann Potter says:

    Lovely as can be! There’s a line from a poem that includes the phrase “the secret anniversaries of the heart.” Another way of remembrance.

  65. Barbara Sanford says:

    Hi Susan! Thank you for the telling us about the poppies! I love how the English have such traditions. Love the poppies! I wanted to tell you if you ever go over to England in March, they do something similar with daffodils. It’s for the Marie Curie Cancer Organization, which helps cancers patients. I love,love,love daffodils!

  66. Peggy says:

    I was born and raised in the city that the poetDr. Who wrote in Flanders Field
    It has been put to musicis beautiful

  67. Kitty says:

    What a wonderful giveaway! Thanks for the opportunity. Please enter me!

  68. LuAnn says:

    Thank you for sharing……..such a lovely story ❤️

  69. Alison says:

    Love your blog posts. They take me to a lovely beautiful world!

  70. Martha Genig says:

    Love your new dishes and especially the cups…..oh how wonderful a cup of tea is in the late afternoon cold of Michigan!

  71. Marion Clark says:

    I hope I’m not too late to be entered into your wonderful giveaway.

  72. Sherrie Collins says:

    Please enter me in the contest! 🙂

  73. Karen Haulenbeek says:

    Oh my, Susan, I do not know where to begin! Another wonderful Willard, preceded by your blog. It was pleasant to re-visit your trip of last year, the photos are simply charming. Looking forward to ‘traveling’ along with you next year, if only by laptop. And then, there are your new products! Bravo Dear Lady, thank you seems so inadequate, though the best I can do. Bountiful blessing to you and Joe.

  74. Charlotte Bates says:

    I only recently discovered you, Susan, and fell in love instantly as I, too, am a lover of all things English. The WW I museum in Kansas City is a wonderful museum. As you enter, you see fields of poppies around you. Lovely! Please enter me in your drawing.

  75. lSuzanne Capolingua says:

    so very many comments…I remember buying poppies here in the states growing up as a child. Men in the streets with a fistful of poppies…and hope for an America that had it priorities right! I hope to enter your current contest and enjoy the treats like I enjoy my bluebird mug! Love from Las Vegas! Suzanne

  76. Jana says:

    The well of sweetness is surely the place from which this story came, the sweet well of your heart. Just the ticket for a chilly Sunday afternoon. Glad I saved it for today. And now, tea.

  77. Stephanie C says:

    Nice! Please pick me!

  78. Terry says:

    Hi Susan!

    I always buy a poppy from our veterans who sell them in front of our local grocery store this time every year. I would love to see a poppy on everyone. What a lovely idea!

    Terry

  79. Dottie says:

    Susan,
    Thanks for reminding me of the poppies. I remember them as a young girl but don’t see them much anymore, but then again I don’t get out as much.
    Think I will make some of my own and display them in a small vase.

    Your little heart dishes are so cute and would like to own one. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

  80. Maureen says:

    please enter me!

  81. Karen Buszinski says:

    Happy Fall!! 🍁

  82. Sue Hasson says:

    Thank you for the great lesson I can teach to my students!

  83. Joanne says:

    Beautiful story

  84. Christine from Willow Glen, CA says:

    I was reading your Willard…..and came across a quote you posted and wondered if you wrote it as there was no name after it. I LOVE IT SO MUCH! I copied it and put it in my craft room…”The Grand Essentials of Happiness are: Something to Do, Something to Love, Something to Give, and Something to Hope for.

  85. Sue Hasson says:

    Thank you for the interesting lesson about Veteran’s Day!

  86. Jean says:

    Lovely depiction of Remembrance Day in England! We purchase poppies on Memorial Day during our hometown parade! The Brits know how to honor their war dead with these red poppies everywhere and a countrywide moment of silence!

    Thank you so much Susan for sharing! You are so much appreciated!

  87. Rebecca says:

    Such a beautiful and thoughtful piece on remembrance, poppies, Armistice Day, Winston Churchill and love. I think Clementine Churchill is a fascinating woman, as well! Thank you for the beautiful words, illustrations and photographs!

  88. Mariah says:

    Thank you for a wonderful giveaway! Enter me, please!

  89. Mary-Agnes from Long Island says:

    Enjoying drinking my Earl Grey tea out of my Autumn mug every day! Have a wonderful Halloween!

  90. Joyce says:

    Susan,
    Thank you for your beautiful blog, for Willard, and for reminding me once again of all of the little things in the world to be grateful for.

  91. Becky in Burbank says:

    Bless you, Sue, for all that you share… a window on the beauty in the world and in your home oasis…. and hope… and remembrance. You help us all carry on with grace amidst all the unpeaceful noise.

  92. Tamah says:

    One of my favorite flowers! Thanks for sharing!

  93. Nan Rodormer says:

    Susan, your heart permeates all of your writing, and we are the recipients of your warmth! You have shared such an important part of English culture! We thank you very much. Nan

  94. Erin says:

    Loved the Willard! Xoxo

  95. Yvonne Harvey in North Carolina says:

    What a lovely history lesson about the significance of the poppy. I too hope I can find a poppy to wear on our Veteran’s day.

  96. Linda H says:

    Love your new beautiful pieces! Vanna, please pick me!

  97. Jeanie H says:

    It would be lovely to win.❤️

  98. Nancy says:

    I love the idea of Remembrance Day! What a wonderful way to honor our heroes. How clever to use the monies made, to support the veterans! We should adopt that tradition here in the USA. My father, Winston, was at the Battle of the Bulge and went off to war and came home from the war on The Queen Mary.

  99. Laura Ann in Vermont says:

    My husband and I found out about Remembrance Day by accident in 1988 when we were visiting the village of Bodmin. We stumbled upon a parade, people wearing poppies, and madly ringing church bells. It made quite an impression on us. Everyone observed two minutes of silence at 11 am. We were told that years ago, cars used to stop in the middle of the road for that two minutes.

  100. Kathy Thurman says:

    Such lovely pictures and remembrances. I love those cute little dishes too. Thank you for the opportunity to win!

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