Winnie the Pooh Day! A.A. Milne & More!

"What day is it?" 
"It's today," squeaked Piglet. 
"My favorite day," said Pooh.

Today is Winnie the Pooh Day, and I've posted a recipe on my other blog DyingforChocolate for Honey Chocolate Pie. The reason January 18 was designated as Winnie the Pooh Day is that today is the birthday of A.A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh, the "Bear of Very Little Brain,"who wrote Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. A.A. Milne studied mathematics at Cambridge, but began to write while still a student. After receiving his degree in 1903, he became a full-time writer, producing humorous pieces for Punch. He went on in 1906 to become assistant editor. He served in WWI, after which he became a successful playwright (original and adaptations), but he also wrote mysteries, perhaps the most famous, The Red House  Mystery (1922). Milne wrote 7 novels, 5 nonfiction books and 34 plays plus numerous stories and articles. His self-stated aim was to "write whatever he wished." In terms of children's books for which he is most remembered there were actually only two books that made up the Winnie the Pooh series, as well as two poetry collections: When We Were Young and Now We Are Six.

Here's one my favorite quotes from Winnie the Pooh:

"I'm scared," said Piglet.
"A story will help," said Pooh.
"How?"
"Don't you know? Stories make your heart grow."

Happy Winnie the Pooh Day!

The House on Pooh Corner for Sale!

I love when 'literary' homes go up for sale.  The House Where ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ Was Written Is Up for Sale

From Smithsonian:

The 9.5-acre estate was once home to Christopher Robin and A.A. Milne

Cotchford Farm, where Alan Alexander Milne lived with his family and penned Winnie-the-Pooh, The House on Pooh Corner and his other classics, is on the market in England. Featuring a renovated country house and 9.5 acres of property, the East Sussex estate is classically English—and even more so because of who once owned it.

Savills, the real estate firm selling the property, says that the house has six bedrooms and four reception rooms. It was originally built in the mid-16th century. The home played host to evacuated families during World War II, and it was later owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones who died there in 1969.

The estate includes an apple orchard, a summer house, a swimming pool, landscaped gardens and even a statue of Christopher Robin. That's fitting as the real Christopher Robin, Christopher Robin Milne, once resided in the home, and his stuffed animals served as fodder for his father's stories in the years after World War I.

Perhaps most intriguing is the house’s proximity to what Milne characterized as the “Hundred Acre Wood.” In real life, the fabled forest was based on Ashdown Forest, a one-time medieval deer hunting forest that is now protected land. The forest now promotes self-guided “Pooh Walks” for visitors that include jaunts to the “Pooh Sticks Bridge” where Winnie and Piglet threw sticks into the water. That bridge, where the real-life Christopher and his nanny played the game, is in close proximity to the property for sale.

Milne, who had built his literary career on plays and detective stories, soon found himself writing almost exclusively for children after what began as a short poem published in the magazine Punch soon became a phenomenon.

The asking price is $2.38 million. But for anyone who still dreams of heffalumps, woozles, Eeyore’s gloomy place or a pot of delicious honey, living in Milne’s magical abode might just be worth the whole honey pot.

Read more HERE.

A.A. Milne's House at Pooh Corner for Sale

Christopher Robin Milne, the son of Winnie the Pooh creator A.A. Milne, grew up in this quaint brick mansion in the English countryside. Christopher Robin inspired the young boy of the same name in Milne's iconic children's stories and, so too did the bucolic setting of the family home serve as the backdrop.

Known as Cotchford Farm, and on the market for the first time in more than 40 years, the Grade II listed estate spans 9.5 acres of lawns, forest, and streams. The six-bedroom main house, the quintessential English country house if there ever was one, is listed for $3.22M.

The listing for 9.5-acre Cotchford Farm notes that the house was bought by A.A Milne in 1925 as a country retreat for himself, his wife and son, Christopher Robin. "It was here, amidst the beautiful Sussex countryside and surrounding woodland where the wonderful stories of Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh came to life, now world famous childhood classics. The local area is now commonly referred to as 'Pooh Country' and places in the books such as the 500 acre wood, Galleons Lap, Poohsticks bridge and Pooh Corner are all based on nearby locations, where Christopher Robin used to visit with his bear 'Winnie The Pooh'."

A.A. Milne also wrote The Red House Mystery.

There's more to the Milne house than just Pooh, as it was also later owned by Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, who reportedly died on the property.

Hat Tip: Dani at Blogbooktours