Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Poohsticks Bridge in the Ashdown Forest

Our first night in the UK, we stayed near the Ashdown Forest, which is famous for its association with Winnie-the-Pooh. A.A. Milne was inspired by his son Christopher Robin and his son's toys, as well as the landscape of the Forest. Ashdown Forest is actually an area of open heathland, not a thickly wooded area, as its name would suggest.

Here is a portion of Chapter VI, "In Which Pooh Invents a New Game and Eeyore Joins In," from The House At Pooh Corner, and my photos to illustrate.

"There was a broad track, almost as broad as a road, leading from the Outland to the Forest, but before it could come to the forest it had to cross this river.









So, where it crossed, there was a wooden bridge, almost as broad as a road, with wooden rails on each side of it. Christopher Robin could just get his chin to the top rail, if he wanted to, but it was more fun to stand on the bottom rail, so that he could lean right over, and watch the river slipping slowly away beneath him. Pooh could get his chin on the bottom rail if he wanted to, but it was more fun to lie down and get his head under it, and watch the river slipping slowly away beneath him. And this was the only way in which Piglet and Roo could watch the river at all, because they were too small to reach the bottom rail. So they would lie down and watch it...and it slipped away very slowly, being in no hurry to get there."

















2 comments:

  1. Ooooh!!! Oooooh!!!!

    I've been there twice! We stayed at the farmhouse and then played Poohsticks with Mike Ridley, owner of Pooh Corner!

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  2. Mary Lee,

    Welcome back...belatedly. I hope you had a marvelous trip. My husband and I toured England and Scotland by car in 1972...and had the most wonderful experience.

    How I love the A. A. Milne books. I read them to my students every year.

    I haven't been reading blogs--or writing much for Wild Rose Reader lately. I was in New Mexico recently. I had never been to the Southwest before--and loved it. I find it's sometimes hard to "come down" from the "high" of a great vacation.

    I hope you and Franki have a relaxing summer.

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