A Fine Romance: Falling in Love With the English Countryside fell into my hands last week and I didn’t want to come up for air this weekend. From the story of how Susan Branch and her husband, Joe, met to the decision to take a return trip to England, I was enthralled. Imagine the luxury of a six-day trip on the Queen Mary II.  

The adventure of driving on British side roads squished between hedgerows and stone walls.

Visiting the homes and gardens of Vita Sackville-West, Jane Austen and Beatrix Potter. The amazing castles large and small, some updated and others nearly primitive in state. And the gardens, oh the gardens, in a country that may have been designed just for gardens. Following every adventure, there awaits a tea room or a pub. Branch shares lavishly the sites, sounds, tastes and experiences she and Joe had on their trip.

I’m booking an extended stay with the rest of this beautiful volume this weekend.

~Nancy