Anne of Green Gables

I spent two days in Cavendish or Avonlea as I keep calling it to myself and was thoroughly involved in Anne-worshipping. All paths to Anne surely start at Green Gables. There were several new 100 aniversary exhibits to LM Montgomery on show which were very informative about how LMM came up with her heroine. I found the house itself disappointingly barren - it isa self-guided tour and there were no interpretive panels. Later that afternoon, I visited Silver Bush at Park Corner, home of her cousins and where she often visited, which was totally different as it housed many LMM artifacts, writings, books, etc and was of course where she married from ni 1911. It was just so much more personal. I would kill for all those first editions of the books too. I also visited the site of her MacNeil grandparents home. This is where LMM was brought up and you could see the landscape that inspired her writing. I paid my respects at her graveside too. Canada Post has just released commemmorative stamps for the 100 years of Anne and also had a postal display of how LMM's manuscript would have made it to Boston in February 1907. LMM and her grandmother ran the Cavendish PO from their house. The postal service used what they called ice boats to get the post across the Northumerland Straits in winter - passengers paid accroding to wether they were prepared to get out and help pull the boat over the ice! Amazing to see the photos. I met a lady who is also going to the conference - after I had been to Silver Bush I realised who she actually was ( a family member who has donated a substantial number of books and other items to the university of PEI). I brought three dolls - yes I know... but just wait till you see them - Diana is just gorgeous, Gilbert so cute and I chose not to buy a 100th anniversary Anne doll as they just weren't Anne, I brought another Anne (there are about 12 different ones!) who just looked right and I loved her dress.