wrote Robert Browning in his poem 'Home Thoughts from Abroad' and looking around our garden on 1st April I can't agree more. The daffodils are still trumpeting and both the cherry and blossom trees are packed with feasting bees. Springtime in England is truly a season to make your heart sing.
Robert Browning famously courted the poet Elizabeth Barrett at her home at Wimpole Street and through many love letters. I loved the old 1934 film 'The Barretts of Wimpole Street", which dramatised their romance and elopement to Italy. They both lived on in Italy and continued writing poetry until their deaths. And now you can relive the romance by reading Robert Browning's love letters to Elizabeth online. The original letters and transcripts are available at Armstrong Browning Library and Wellesley College.
The indoor writer has had some recent success with letters too (ok, a tenuous link I know). Letters to Writing Magazine, Writers' Forum and What's On TV have all been published. Writing letters is good practice for writing to a strict word count and identifying exactly what a publication wants. They can also elicit some excellent rewards (either payment or prizes), resulting in a good return on any expenditure i.e. cost of magazine, stamps etc. (and most publications except emails these days).
Later today we're off to Kent, the garden of England, for a couple of days. Visiting Whistable, Cantebury and Howlett's Zoo. Looking forward to catching up with the gorillas and elephants - at the zoo of course - and hoping there will be plenty of spring babies to ogle.
It's been a really glorius spring day today!
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