telling tales and talking tails

I am a huge fan of Susan Wittig Albert, a local Texas author. I was introduced to her literally and communicatively at the Master Gardener Conference a few years ago where she was a speaker. she is best known for a long series of books featuring heroine China Bayles and litany of fascinating herbs.

my adoration of this author is through her other writing venue ~ The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. ever since we lived in England and visited Hilltop, the country home of Ms. Potter and her pal Peter Rabbit, I have been charmed, almost haunted, by the beauty of the Lake Distict. ms. Albert tells the story of Beatrix and her life with its many trials and tribulations through the eyes of the animals that live in and around the little town of New Sawrey. she writes under the premise of intrigue and mystery as there is always something afoot in the village, but simply put the books are a delightful read. the characters are charming. the scenery blissful. and with a bit of poetic license the stories follow the true life of ms. Potter, which are heartwarming and heart wrenching.

so please excuse me as I take the next several hours and venture across the pond. there I will lose myself in a world where animals talk (in a language no humans understand); townfolk are friendly, giving and more than a little inquisitive; and love abounds.

'a book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counsellor, a multitude of counsellors.'