A Literary Walk #15

 I had to retrace my steps a bit on this one,

as I mistakenly thought this area was 

further north, so back to south England

I went!

                                     

18 miles

 A walk around Kent 

 with Frances Hodgsen Burnett

 The picture above is of Great Maythem Hall,

the "real" Misselthwaite Manor of

the Secret Garden, where Frances H B

lived while she wrote the book.

These are pictures of the gardens there...

 Kent

Favorite Book

I don't remember how young I was when I first

encountered the cross little Mary of this book.

I believe my Mom read it aloud the first time,

so I must've been quite young as I began reading

for myself at 5.

No matter, it had a profound impact on my life

and reading it again was just as wonderful

now that I am older. I have probably read it

at least 20 times and it's magic

never gets stale.

Favorite Quote

"The seeds Dickon and Mary had planted 

grew as if fairies had tended them.

Satiny poppies of all tints danced in the breeze by the score,

gaily defying flowers who had lived in the garden for years

and which it might be confessed seemed rather to wonder how

such new people had got there.

And the roses--- the roses! Rising out of the grass,

tangled around the sundial

wreathing the tree trunks and hanging from their branches,

climbing up the walls and spreading over them

with long garlands falling in cascades---

they came alive day by day, hour by hour

fair fresh leaves and buds--- and buds---

tiny at first but swelling and working Magic

until they burst and uncurled in cups of scent

delicately spilling themselves over their brims

and filling the garden air."

Also on a serendipitous note, a dear old

lady passed away this past week who once

told us that her most favorite book

was this one...that was my first thought

when I remembered her life.