It felt distinctly like autumn today in my New England town. The temperatures have settled into the neighborhood of the 60s. There was a light breeze gently tugging golden leaves off their branches, sending them skipping and swirling.
On these days, the word “blustery” comes to mind. It’s a blustery day, I’ll think. The word always invites Winnie-the-Pooh into my mental landscape, as much for A. A. Milne’s lovely books as for the Disney videos my son enjoyed when he was very small. We both enjoyed them, actually, as well as reading Milne’s books together.
When I was a little girl, I loved to imagine my dolls and stuffed animals enjoying adventures all their own, independent of me. Milne’s story has always appealed to me on that level. Beyond the story, I love the quirky characters. Each furry friend harbors his own endearing peccadilloes. None is perfect, but they work quite well together as a group. It rather calls to mind the human experience, doesn’t it?
As I was thinking about Pooh and blustery days and Milne today, I came across a Facebook post wishing the honey-loving bear a happy 90th birthday. I hadn’t know! In honor of his special day, here are three of my favorite beautiful, heartbreaking, warming moments courtesy of Pooh:
“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.”
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.”
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
It was also my great pleasure to discover this video of Milne reading from Winnie-the-Pooh
Happy birthday, Pooh and friends!
I also love Winnie the Pooh. It was my eldest daughters favourite, so much so that Piglet was her imaginary friend. I found the reading by AA Milne a few years ago and love that too. There was a stage when we had the wonderful audio recordings featuring Stephen Fry and Dame Judi Dench in my car. My daughter and I could pretty much recite the whole book! Love the quotes, that last chapter is so sad – there are so many I see that I’m sure are not genuine but then “you never can tell with bees”. We are on the edge of a huge storm here in Seattle, so the blustery day reference is very fitting.
Thank you, Rachel! I’m going to look up that audio recording – it sounds wonderful! I reread Winnie-the-Pooh this year and was awed all over again by its beauty and relevance.
What a lovely tribute! And how strange that you were thinking of Winnie the Pooh on this important date? I’ve had coincidences happen like that, too – cool and sort of spooky! It’s funny: I’ve never particularly been a fan of Winnie the Pooh. I have nothing against the stories/Disney adaptations, but of all the whimsical British children’s literature out there, they’ve never particularly moved me. And yet, the characters are indeed so iconic that I sometimes find myself comparing people to them, even so! Like my late father-in-law was definitely an Eeyore – lovable and kind but very pessimistic. Just goes to show what an immense influence Milne’s imagination has had on the world.
Thank you, Alysa! It wasn’t as coincidental as it sounds – I pretty much always think of Pooh on blustery, fall days. 🙂 The characters really are iconic. I reread Winnie-the-Pooh this year and was struck by how archetypal the characters are, something I certainly hadn’t thought about reading the story as a child!