Polly Atkin spoke about her book The Company of Owls. I was delighted that she made reference to Beatrix Potter in her talk and especially her "seeing eye", a skill that she shared with Dorothy Wordsworth, a fellow nature lover and writer.
Beatrix Potter used the term "the seeing eye" to describe her ability to use her imagination and memory to see and appreciate the natural world in detail, even when her physical mobility was limited. This is such a beautiful idea and it was her way of saying that as she got older and could not physically travel as much, her imagination allowed her to "walk" through the landscapes she loved.
“Thank
God I have the seeing eye, that is to say, as I lie in bed I can walk
step by step on the fells and rough land seeing every stone and flower
and patch of bog and cotton pass where my old legs will never take me
again.”
