Summer 2024 Blog
It’s early August as I write, and it seems that summer has been sponsored by ‘sideways drizzle’ here in the UK… but that hasn’t dampened spirits down on the Dorset coast!
The Brambly Hedge Trail at Abbotsbury Swannery has been in full swing through spring and summer. We had a wonderful visit to the Abbotsbury in May for the annual food and craft fair, we were just in time to see the swan cygnets hatching and taking their first paddle in the Fleet. It was great to see all of you filling in your Brambly Hedge activity books… it even looked like the parents were having a good time, some clambering to get hold of their Brambly Hedge sticker at the end of the Trail! In addition to the Trail, this August there are now Brambly Hedge mice to find within the Willow Maze. The Brambly Hedge Trail is open until early November, make sure you visit if you’re passing through the west country!
The Brambly Hedge Festive Colouring Book is nearly here! We are very excited about this one, we have had so many requests from you all to create a colouring book and now I have a copy in my hands! Despite the ‘Festive’ word in the title, it’s not just for Christmas/Midwinter. The Colouring Book is also about preparation for the festive season, it takes you on a journey from the late summer blackberry harvest, through autumnal adventures in the High Hills, returning to the cosy fireside for hot buttered toast, right through to the snow, ice, and festivities of Midwinter. The Brambly Hedge Colouring Book will be launched on the 12th September the UK (24th in the USA) and is available to pre-order now here.
Our puzzle range continues to expand, the latest addition to our Museums and Galleries range is ‘The Harvest’, very apt for this time of year! This illustration was never featured in the original eight Brambly Hedge books, but was used in the Visit to Brambly Hedge book. The mice are seen busying away colleting blackberries and sloes from the hedgerow, something we’ll all be doing in the coming weeks no doubt! ‘The Harvest’ puzzle is available from our shop and also from Waterstones bookshop.
New translated editions of the Brambly Hedge books keep arriving on my desk. We are very pleased to have new Norwegian editions publishing in September this year, these will be available from our new publishers in Oslo, Cappelen Damm. We also have a Polish edition of Spring Story, and the new French translation of Summer Story.
A couple of the leaves on the beech tree outside the window have started to turn already, so on that note… enjoy what’s left of this summer!
Pete Barklem
August 2024
England
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