#jill barklem

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When the snows are lying deep,
When the field has gone to sleep,
When the blackthorn turns to white,
And frosty stars bejewel the night,
When summer streams are turned to ice,
A Snow Ball warms the heart of mice

Who knows what this means? Friends of Brambly Hedge, unite! Brambly Hedge, if you don’t know it, is the creation of Jill Barklem, who sadly died just a few weeks ago (which I only found out while writing this blog post, and I’m feeling pretty sad about it). The first four books, which I was given as a present when I was four and which I am using to write this post, were first published in 1980 – Spring Story,Summer Story,Autumn Story, and Winter Story. They covered a year in the life of the mice who lived in Brambly Hedge, and they are lovely little stories, brought magically to life in Barklem’s own illustrations. Every time I look at the interiors of the mice’s houses, I see a new detail that I never noticed before. Just take your time gazing at the picture below. I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting to turn my house into one of theirs, at least on the inside.

Brambly Hedge store stump
The Store Stump, in Brambly Hedge: Winter Story. Via Pinterest.

Today’s blog post is from the same book as the illustration above, Brambly Hedge: Winter Story. The poem which opened the post is the way in which the mice announce a traditional event in their lives, and the lives of their ancestors – the Snow Ball. It is an event which demands the work of all mice – well, all except Wilfred and Teasel, usually – either in the making of the venue (the Ice Hall) or in the making of the feast. Since starting this series of blog posts, I have been planning to feature the Snow Ball’s feast. Jill Barklem writes more about the preparation of the feast than the feast itself:

All the kitchens along Brambly Hedge were warm and busy. Hot soups, punches and puddings, bubbled, and in the ovens pies browned and sizzled. Clover and Catkin helped Mrs. Apple string crabapples to roast over the fire. The boys had to sit and watch because they ate too many.
“It’s not that I mind, dears, but we must have SOME left for the punch!”

Thereafter, we must content ourselves with brief mentions of little mice stealing cream cakes, pictures of a sumptuous dessert and of the feast itself in progress. But Barklem still succeeds in making the feast truly tempting; her artwork is wonderful.

The Snow Ball Feast, in Brambly Hedge: Winter Story (my photos)

I particularly enjoy the fact that the adults take all the wee mice home at midnight before returning to have a party fuelled by Basil’s hot blackberry punch. Mice; they’re just like us!

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The Snow Ball Feast, in Brambly Hedge: Winter Story (my photos)

It sounds like a really good party, and I would love to try my hand at making the food of Brambly Hedge one day. Having spent today making madeira cakes (which are too small, so a second batch is needed tomorrow) and trifle sponges, as well as getting the last Christmas decorations up, tomorrow I will be decorating Christmas cakes and wrapping presents, so there is no time on this side of Christmas to make soups and punches, much less to string crabapples. But who knows how the rest of the school holidays may go?

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My madeira cakes with candied lemon on the top (the latter suggested by the Glasgow Cookery Book – now serving my family for at least 3 generations), My photo.
23 December 2017: the Snow Ball feast When the snows are lying deep, When the field has gone to sleep, When the blackthorn turns to white,
Jill Barklem’s beautiful illustrations from Brambly Hedge, Summer Story.This really sums up the weatJill Barklem’s beautiful illustrations from Brambly Hedge, Summer Story.This really sums up the weat

Jill Barklem’s beautiful illustrations from Brambly Hedge, Summer Story.


This really sums up the weather this week. Fully prepared now for rain for the rest of the summer. 


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