"You are Best Friends with your Favourite Book Character"

A Writing Prompt in which I introduce my friend: Penelope Keeling

Being the same age isn’t what makes people friends. With true friends, age has little bearing. When I first met Penelope she was in her sixties and I was approaching forty, yet there was an instant connection. Her sage advice coupled with a live and let live attitude drew me to her. Tall and spare, but eloquent in movement, she stood out in a crowd because of her unpretentiousness. Her clothing was never currently “in vogue”. An ancient article from her French mother could be refashioned with easy grace, making her outfits always one-of-a-kind. An aura of romance enveloped her. Then, oh what delight, I was invited to Penelope’s quaint cottage in the Cotswolds! Podmore’s Thatch boasts Penelope’s signature “scrubbed” table, something tasty simmering on the AGA, and ropes of onion and garlic hanging from the rafters in the tiny, airy kitchen. Penelope has a knack of making anyone who enters her abode feel immediately at ease. Her house, like her presence, is clean, comfortable, and puts on no airs. Knitting and books jumble beside her well-loved chair, a cup of hot tea close at hand. Almost dwarfing the cosy room is a large landscape of three young girls at the seashore, painted by Penelope’s artist father, Lawrence Stern. Beyond the kitchen door, bright flowers and fresh herbs spill along the winding paths and laundry is often pegged on the line. You are apt to find Penelope out here in her garden, pottering amongst the flowers with dirt smudges on her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes. She would love to be your friend too!

After a day spent with Penelope, I am inspired to go home and scrub my table, fill a jug with flowers, put a roast in the AGA, and welcome my people home!

-rjk

gift me a bouquet of fresh flowers in winter

Read this book and meet Penelope for yourself!

Note: the morals of some characters aren't exactly what I condone, but at least they’re not pretending to be “Christian” romance…