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
Hi Susan!
Just “unwound” (is that a word?!) by reading the new Willard and this new blog post 🙂 I still enjoy reading about your early morning routine as it mirrors mine: feed the cats, pour the coffee, head to the desk. It truly is a cozy, sacred part of my day and it’s fun to think of you doing the same. Enjoy this beautiful autumn that has got to be the mildest we’ve ever seen!
Kelly
I love autumn. Thank you for sharing the story about the poppies.
Lori
Oh Susan – what a wonderful post & wonderful trip. It brought tears to my eyes. My husband always buys Poppies from the Vets around Veteran’s day. We live in a very Patriotic town & every Vererans day there is a parade & ceremonies! Thank you for your wonderful pictures and text.
I thought you’d find this bit of history (from Wikipedia) interesting: “In Flanders Fields” is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres. According to legend, fellow soldiers retrieved the poem after McCrae, initially dissatisfied with his work, discarded it. “In Flanders Fields” was first published on December 8 of that year in the London magazine Punch.
It is one of the most popular and most quoted poems from the war… Its references to the red poppies that grew over the graves of fallen soldiers resulted in the remembrance poppy becoming one of the world’s most recognized memorial symbols for soldiers who have died in conflict. The poem and poppy are prominent Remembrance Day symbols throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, particularly in Canada, where “In Flanders Fields” is one of the nation’s best-known literary works. The poem is also widely known in the United States, where it is associated with Memorial Day.
Thank you Susan, as always for a lovely blog entry. thanks so much for all you do for us.
Have you seen the video of Jeff Flake’s speech?
nbcnews.com/politics/congress/arizona-republican-sen-jeff-flake-won-t-seek-reelection-dismayed-n813841
I just turned on the TV, he’s being interviewed right now…
Loved your story & the pictures!
Dear Susan,
You make everyday brighter with your exuberance and joy. Thank you.
You made my day!!
What an awesome memory with the poppies. The dishes sure are cute and I would love to win them to use for gifts.
Your blog is heart warming. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.
Susan, what a wonderful thing you have given us today. Such pleasure reading your newsy letter. I have a gift certificate for your shop and I have spent it fifty ways. Now, I know exactly what I am going to buy.
Just a thought for you. Have you read any of the Maisy Dobbs mysteries. They take place right after world war II. Very good reading. They are written by Jacqueline Winspear. You will like them. Word is they are making the books into a series on BBC. I hope it finds its way here.
I shall wear a poppy on November 11 . . . to remember those who so bravely fought for freedom in both World War I and II, including my own relatives. Thank you for this history lesson. I am a true Anglophile who loves all things British.
Thank you for explaining about the poppies! As a youngster I recall my grandfather wearing one near Veterans Day.
I purposely have decided to “keep Williard unread” until this Friday, when we are expected to have measurable snow here in CO. Have stocked groceries, especially soup making stuff and good bread. Will enjoy Willard in all it’s entirety soon, as I am warm inside, watching the first snows of the season. Thanks for sharing all you do with us…it warms our souls!!!
Sorry for two posts, but I thought you would really enjoy this:
brainpickings.org/2017/10/19/leave-me-alone-with-the-recipes-cipe-pineles-book/
Interesting to learn how the British celebrate Remembrance Day. We have always had poppies near that day, celebrated as Veteran’s Day here of course remembering Veterans of all wars. Our town has a small parade on the Saturday closest to November 11. Also celebrate my husband’s birthday on Nov. 11!
My husband served in the US Navy in the late 50s, thankfully not in wartime. He always bought a red poppy every year on November 11.
Dear Susan,
As usual your blog is inspiring, touching, heartfelt and beautiful. I feel better after reading it. Thank you❣️
Oh my, such a wonderful post from you (as always). Thanks for the reminder to honor our soldiers. My dad was a vet of WW II. My son is a soldier now. I remember when I was a child, there were always little crepe paper poppies for sale all over our town. I don’t think they do that any longer or I just don’t get out to see them being sold. 🙂 Regardless, this Nov. 11 I am going to wear a poppy, even if I have to make one myself. Thanks again, your emails make my day.
I was an eighth grade English teacher for thirty-four wonderful years, and each year before Veteran’s Day I would read “In Flanders Field” with my students so they would understand why they would see veterans selling poppies outside supermarkets. We also read a story about the doctor who penned this poem while taking a break from treating the wounded brought in from the battlefield.
I love your blog.
Thank you for doing that. xoxo
Loved today’s blog with all the wonderful rememberances of the past. Think I need to find myself a red poppy to wear on Nov. 11. Thank you for sharing your wonderful vacation!
HI FRIEND
YOU MAKE ME HAPPY ……YOU AND YOUR RED POPPIES , SO HAPPY
Thanks so much for the lovely post
Oh, you made my day to see Willard in my in box. Loved your trip. Would love to win – we need a boost here in Northern California. Cheers – enjoy autumn!
My dad was in Vietnam, 5 tours, back-to-back. We always try to do a little remembrance and I always buy a poppy!
Lovely and sad. The poppy tradition has sort of fallen away here in the States, wish it were more common to see those poppies!
When I was a child we always bought poppies from a street vendor to wear on what we used to call Armistice Day. No one in the States wears them anymore. I bought one on etsy to wear this year. I love how England keeps the tradition. Wish we still did.
Yes, there should be boxes on them on every shop counter! Who’s in charge? We need to make some phone calls!
Armistice Day together with poppies and one minute of silence at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month is traditionally observed here in Australia too. Lovely article, Susan. You express your emotions so well.
In sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, … Thanks for sharing the Churchill’s resting place, and the wonderful poppy tradition the British have. I like their poppies more than the few I see here in California, which are some sort of tissue, I believe. I think you’re right. “. . . maybe because when bombs literally fall on your house and your neighbors house, you have a different relationship to war than others that don’t.” We Americans have so much to be grateful for!
This post is pure sweetness, thank you Susan.
Thank you for reminding me of the poem In Flanders Fields. I once knew it by heart. Now I have a chance to relearn it.
Happy late October and November.
Patti G
As Veterans Day approaches, I’ll be wearing a poppy for all the armed forces, both here in the United States and Abroad. God Bless our Fallen Heros. Thank you for the reminishing today.
Hello Susan,
Once again, a lovely post. I really enjoyed learning about England’s Remembrance Day (and Canada’s, too!) and the poppies they wear to honor their soldiers. You’re right, I think; living through wars when they were literally on your doorstep as bombs has made a difference in how folks treat Armistice Day. The sweet video you included was wonderfully moving. Each fall I buy a poppy from a Veteran, to remember my father who flew with the Flying Tigers over the Hump in WWII, and was stationed briefly in Korea. This year, I’ll buy a poppy for him, and for my son and others like him, who thankfully returned from a war zone, but who nonetheless also served their country. And, how I want to return to England! This time to the countryside, the gardens, the wonderful homes, that you’ve so beautifully captured. Wicked good pictures, m’dear (yep, I’m a home-grown New Englander), and art and poetry and thoughts–both yours and others–and all. The trip is on my bucket list. Now waiting breathlessly for my Willard. I live for the relief of your posts and the Willard, they are the lighted candles in what at times seems such a dark world. Please keep writing, you are much needed shot of laughter and love, beauty, Real Talk (and we need that too) and joy. Say Hey to Joe and give Kitty a scratch for me. My little mini-schnauzer Lucky says, “Woof! Thanks for making my human smile!” xoxo, Rosemary
Thanks so much for transporting us to Merry Old England. We lived there for four years and now that we are retired we go back every year for a mont-long visit. I always look forward to your posts. They are always so entertaining. Best regards,
Colette
Thank you Susan for sharing so much beauty. I appreciate you so very much.
Lovely, meaningful post, brought me peace and quiet today. Love the story of the poppies. I am going to look for some too. Thanks for writing this.
Sonja
What a wonderful history lesson!
Oh how I love to receive your blog and your Willard’s!!! My fingers are crossed that my name will be chosen to win this wonderful surprise.
Hugs to you, Joe, and Jack. 🍀💚☘️
We also have Remembrance Day in Canada on Nov.11 where we remember the sacrifices that were made – we shall never forget. Poppies are worn and special ceremonies are held throughout the entire country. Thank you, Susan, for your story of Remembrance.
Dear old friend whom I have never met, thank you a million times for your blog of wonderfulness!! Life has been “challenging” these past months, but reading, rereading, and re-rereading your posts have supplied much needed escape! Thank you so much!! Vicki B
Just a beautiful and respect-filled post. If you search online there are lots of patterns to knit or crochet a remembrance poppy, if they are hard to find locally. My son’s school has a parade on Remembrance Day, with the Head Boy and Deputy Head Boy placing a poppy wreath to remember Old Boys and family members. The Old Boys alumni take part too. It is a lovely, moving occasion. Is that first illustration of In Flanders Fields a fabric picture, or a book illustration? It certainly is lovely! ( also, The Wise Robin, a childhood favourite 😉)
Loved this remembering! Thank you.
Go.Be.Love–The world needs you———–I LOVE that..
Thanks for the Willard
The VFW folks are always at our local grocery store around this time, handing out poppies and taking donations. Such an honor to shake their hands.
Love the new things in the store!
Thank you for a wonderful post…of my 8, 4 have served in our military (one of them currently stationed in South Korea) and my baby, my youngest, is deciding which branch he will join in a year or so. We brought them all up to respect, to honor and to never forget. It always makes me sad that so few pause to buy a poppy, ‘remember’ and support our veterans. Also, my son-in-law is British and a proud veteran of the RAF (Iraq and Afghanistan), can’t wait to share this post with him. What a lovely way you have of helping us all appreciate those who have gone before us.
Such a lovely post..the wonderful remembrance poppies brought
tears to my eyes. We are so blessed and so often we almost
forget how we got here.
I would love to be the winner (I collect hearts)
We are all winners because of the posts that you do just for us.
Thank you so much!!!
I thoroughly enjoy reading your stories. As a child, my father would give everyone a poppy to wear on Nov. 11. I was not aware that the tradition was of English origin but thought, since we were of Dutch heritage, that it was a Dutch tradition. I still continue to wear a poppy on Nov. 11 in memory of those lost in battle.
I am often the only person I see wearing a poppy on 11/11. My mom grew poppies in her garden.
As always a LuV-lee post! I always get a poppy when I see them.
I shudder to think where we might be without our veterans! My daddy, too, served in WWII and is now laid to rest. I will certainly be thinking of him on 11-11 (as I do every other day!). THANK YOU to any service-persons who might be reading this!
I share your love of the English countryside. I’m hoping that you had a chance to walk a bit on the Cotswold Way. My husband and I enjoyed every mile of our 67 mile walk last summer!
I’ve always thought the Flanders Field poem was so sad yet beautiful.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–your photos look like paintings. You definitely have an eye for beauty. 🙂
I’ve decided what is happening to me is the same as that roofline, all curvy and crunchy from age. 🙂
Well, there is worse. xoxo
Just viewed your lovely blog on a chilly, rainy day in Illinois—finished with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, remembering my Daddy (a native of Scotland) who served in the American Infantry in WWII, and Grandpa Bill who served in the Navy in WWI. How I would love to tell them “thank you,” just one more time. We always have veterans selling poppies for Veterans Day, in the middle of the street in our tiny little downtown or outside the local grocery stores, and I always buy from all of them. Thank you for sharing your beautifully illustrated story with us. It is my dream to visit Great Britain before I get too old to do it properly (lots of walking!)—but in the meantime I take great pleasure in visiting vicariously. . .:-)
Thank you, I loved your post very much. I have collected quotes since 1980 and sometimes find one you have posted that inspires and I don’t yet have it in my collection. I will be sure to tell my “Correspondence Art” class students about your site. I haven’t posted much on my blog… mostly do instagram these days.
Susan, Your blog always makes my day and touches my heart! Thank you, Peg
In times like these here in the States….I needed to be reminded about the goodness that does exist in the world and how we need to remember those that have gone before us and hope our generation will leave memories that someday will be honored as well. thanks Susan for taking us on this journey of remembrance
People are most generally good, and all want the same things, enough to live on, safety for their children. We should always think of that first when we think of other countries, no matter the color of skin, or religion. I would like that to be the legacy of this generation.
Loved reading again about your trip to England and seeing those wonderfull photo’s and awesome drawings you always put somewhere in between.
Here in the Netherlands we have remembrance day on the 4th of May and on the 5th we celebrate the liberation of our country.
And your country had a whole other experience for remembrance.
Such a lovely blog today for a beautiful fall day here in Colorado, while I enjoy tea in my very special Autumn mug! Thank you for the ‘Remembrance” thoughts- such a wonderful tradition- the poppies and verse and ‘musica’! We were in London when they had all the metal poppies around the tower- what a sight!
Blessings to you dear Susan- you are a joy to me.
I was saddened to see Churchill’s grave when we were in England this summer. It didn’t seem to be very well tended. Sad for such a great Statesman!
It was beautiful when we were there. Perhaps summer was dry?
Love your post today and I will make sure I get a poppy
this year as I always have for many years in the past.
Thank you for these meaningful memories. I, too, remember veterans with poppies at the grocery store years ago…a tradition that I wish would start again. My husband and I had a wonderful trip to England several years ago. On our last night there, after we toured Blenheim Palace, we sat on hay bales in a park on the grounds and watched a Shakespeare play. We had the traditional Sunday dinner in Thirsk after we toured James Herriot’s vet practice. I love reliving our trip through your stories. Keep ‘em coming, please!
If you want, I can send you some Canadian poppies too (although I have always loved the styling of the British ones better). I always found it strange that this tradition had never really caught on in the United States.
Crazy strange, we need it! Besides the huge thank you and respect, it could add to the coffers of the VA. So many would be proud to wear a poppy!
I feel like we are kindred spirits! I love, enjoy and treasure the simple pleasures as you do. I am a HUGE fan of Beatrix Potter, walks by the ocean in all seasons, teatime (we even have the same Rose Chintz dishes in our kitchen cupboard), baking, reading,etc. Thank you for reminding me how special these little moments truly are. You were hygge long before we ever heard the word. Please enter me in your drawing. Thanks!
Wonderful post – a time to pause and reflect. Thank you also for the photo of Churchill’s
gravesite-so historic and sobering.
Such a wnderful yearly celebration. So lucky to have been there when they do that. Memories sure keep us going!
Thanks, Karen
Carpenter
As always you have a beautiful blog – and the art and pictures and the people are super.
I wore my English Poppy on Sunday and will wear it until the end of November. We attended a wonderful remembrance service in York last year while on vacation in the Yorkshire Dales. We ended singing “Jerusalem” and I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing! As a child in England, remembrance Sunday was always so special. Thank you for explaining it to everyone Susan. xx
I almost put Jerusalem up for Musica on this blog, but after writing this, I could barely listen to it, so I let Vera Lynn tell the story. It is SUCH A beautiful song. After La Vie en Rose, it’s my favorite.
Hi Susan,
That was a wonderful story to hear and a nice little escape.
I live in the Chicsgo area and we do celebrate Poppy Day. Volunteers sell the poppy flower on street corners.
My dad served in the Navy in WWII and my husband was in the army. We are so proud of that little red poppy and all it represents.
Thank you for spreading peace.
Kathleen
I recall buying poppies in the US as a child. Lovely tradition. Thank you for the post.
Love reading your stories!!! My daughter’s Girl Scout troop passed out poppies at our neighborhood Wal Mart last year!
The question is where did they get them? Is there a central outlet for the poppies that you know of?
What a lovely tribute to WWI vets… and all vets. I feel that in this country that war has been given short shrift…and I think 2017 is the centennial for it…maybe so, maybe not…
Enjoy your upcoming trip. I still say that you and Joe should lead a trip to the UK. I would spend my daughters’ inheritance if it meant going with you two!
LOL, I won’t tell her you said that!
I just love the story of poppies!
I so enjoyed reading this post; it brought tears to my eyes because today I was reading about my Dad in WW II – I had forgotten about the poppies until I read this today. Thank you Susan for a wonderful post as always.
My husband is a Viet Nam Veteran and the only place they respect them is at the VA hospital. Otherwise, no one seems to care. It is sad and I sure wish things were the same here as they are done in England. They have so much tradition there. Thanks for this lovely story.
Everyone cares, never doubt it, but you can’t read minds. We need those red poppies to show what words don’t say.
Thanks, Susan, for your never ending kindness. That’s what I love about you. That and about a million other things!!!!
Fingers crossed!
xxoo
I love your poppy pictures… and when you take us to England or New-England… or to your kitchen or living room! And I love your story telling!
Last weekend, when visiting Quebec’s Eastern Townships (our little piece of New England here in Quebec!) and seeing antique stores and lovely home decor stores, I was thinking about you and Joe and how you would have stopped in all those places and taken pictures (while DH would run by so that I would not be tempted to ask him to stop and take a look, LOL!). Oh, the good times you would have had! 🙂
Thank you for the giveaway! Those are lovely new pieces you’ve added to your collection!
I enjoy each and every one of your postings. Your home is warm, cheerful, and I can tell, well loved! Thanks for sharing!
In Texas our older veterans (VFW) still sell poppies. Usually at a local grocery store or some larger grocery chains. It’s such an honor to buy from them and it’s also my birthday. Thanks for sharing your trip.
beautiful post .
Why is it called a Willard?
Go HERE, and scroll down until you see the handsome guy in the flyer hat. My grandfather, Willard, and the story of why this Newsletter is named for him.
The small town of Murphys still has poppies for sale on Veterans Day. But I so love the English way of wearing the poppy all month. I think we collectively should start a movement. Beards in November is a movement. Poppies would be so much more meaningful
I followed your trip last year. Fun remembering your travels! So the church you showed near Churchill’s grave looks very similar to one of my Dickens Village churches. Wonder if it was modeled from it? Do you have a Christmas village? Debby
Thank you for the tour. I enjoyed every bit.
I do wish we upheld the poppy tradition here in the U.S. as they do in England. I remember my mother wearing a poppy on her winter coat when I was young. What a lovely tradition.
All good things about it, and extra money for the VA which needs it!
I just got home from Cornwall and Wales. Kathy,our tour guide, got poppies and gave 1 to each of us. She said she always does this to remember the sacrifices and support the wounded veterans. We saw wreaths of poppies and people wearing them. I know you like the lake country but Cornwall is really beautiful and I highly recommend it for a great visit.
Thank you for an inspiring post. Your writing is equally as good as your drawings
Susan, I am looking forward to the arrival of Willard, always fun to read.
We will have our annual assembly at school on Veterans Day – children waving flags, wearing poppies and learning what it means to serve our country. Many of our parents serve in the Armed Forces and there is always someone to share their experiences to make Veterans Day real for our students. So grateful to part of this caring community~
Tell Joe he looks very handsome in his coat and tie!
As a child living in St. Louis, I remember getting Poppies every year to wear on our hearts. I seem to recall men on street corners and in front of stores giving the Poppies for a donation. I was quite young then, but remember telling a man once that we didn’t have enough money to give a donation ( Mom had just lost her husband, and had four children under the age of 10 to feed, with no job then) and he graciously gave my Mom and I a Poppy. I didn’t even know what they were for, just that they were to be proudly worn and saved. I later learned the men were with the VFW, and they had brought the tradition here from the English Tradition. Been a long time since I’ve seen a Poppy – wonder if they still do this here? My recollections are from the late ’50’s, early ’60’s, as my Dad passed in 1959, when I was just over 5 years old. Loved the video you shared, and the thought that all across England, everyone took the time to stop and remember. Thank You!
Oh my! I would love to add these lovely items to my Susan Branch collection! Thank-you for bringing joy and happiness into our lives!
Loved your story, read through teary eyes, thinking of my Dad who was a WWII Veteran.
Thank you!
I love the poppies. I think I will hook one so I will have it always to wear. Thank you, Susan
Thank you for this beautiful post and what an awesome tradition. Remembering is so important to treasuring life and the sacrifices made in the past to the present. The Red Poppy is so symbolic of suffering and sacrifice. I will make one from red paper, and wear it.
Please cancellation no time to read and enjoy
your travels brighten my day. I love turning on my computer and you are there to visit. Thanks for all you share of your talents and gifts.
Thank you Susan, for another wonderful post! I love poppies and can’t wait to receive my Willard.
I remember buying a poppy during my growing up years but I never really knew the true meaning of them. Thank you for telling this story. I will never pass by the chance to buy a poppy from those selling them again. They have so much more meaning now. Love your blogs and look forward to them. They make my day so much more brighter.
When I was growing up in Kentucky, I always looked forward each year to getting a new poppy made of red crepe paper; I believe they were sold by our local American Legion, and seemed to be available everywhere. I’m not sure I fully understood their meaning at the time. I haven’t seen them in years. Here in Alabama in 2015, I visited a display of 3000 ceramic poppies spread out over the grounds of a neighboring city park; it was a sight to behold. Here’s a link by a local blogger: leslieannetarabella.com/2015/07/pretty-poppies-in-fairhope.html/. Your new products are gorgeous; thanks for tossing my name in the enormous vat for Vanna to dive into! Happy Veteran’s Day!
I must give a shameless plug to the National World War I Museum in Kansas City. It is truly a remarkable remembrance and of course poppies figure very large on our own Memorial day.
I love poppies, they are so pretty. I wish they grew wild here. I always donate when i see a veteran with poppies.
thank you for an inspiring post. Your writing is equally as good as your drawing.
Thank you for the lovely post, Susan. How lucky we are to be able to remember and honor. I will look for the vets with the poppies.
I love reading about your adventures in Europe. Very interesting and the beautiful pictures almost speak for themselves! Thank you so much for sharing all of it with us.