Saturday, September 15, 2012

City Views, Country Dreams

Good morning from New York.

It's now quite early on Saturday, and I am nearing the end of a very enjoyable week of vacation days.  Thank you all very much for all the birthday wishes.  You have helped me launch this newest year in my life in very good company.


Let us now move on to the results of the give away.

This is how I determined who would soon be wearing the crocheted blue beret.  The names of all the folks who commented on the previous post were written on these little slips of paper.


These slips of paper were folded up and tossed into a brightly colored paper bag.  That bag was shaken around quite a few times.


One folded slip of paper was drawn.  The folded slip of paper was unfolded, and the winner is Madelief, whose beautiful site is a joy to visit.


Madelief, I would ask you to send me your mailing address via e-mail, and also please send me a measurement of your head that will ensure that the beret will be a comfortable fit.  This hat will be a couture one off design!

I've had such a pleasant birthday week, spending lots of time outdoors, seeing friends, reading, finishing and beginning various projects, actually cleaning the apartment, visiting farmers markets, museums and galleries and just plain old relaxing.

It is with some reluctance that I now begin to confront the reality of tomorrow's return to the workplace.  I will also be contemplating when I might be able to have another week to myself.  I hope that you all will forgive me this greediness!

Thank you all for your visits and comments.

25 comments:

  1. Hello Frances:
    Congratulations to our dear friend Madelief on her win of your wonderful couture beret. With a nip in the air heralding Autumn, something warm and cosy for the head is a must!

    Oh dear and now your holiday time is at an end. We give thanks daily that we no longer have to endure the sinking feeling of a return to work. The lives of lazy tarts are the ones we have embraced wholeheartedly. We cannot think how we ever held down paid employment!!

    Wishing you a good week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am glad you had a wonderfully relaxing week!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So glad you enjoyed your birthday. Love the photo of the apples. i hope you're going to paint it too.

    xox Carol

    ReplyDelete
  4. Belated greetings for a Happy Birthday, Frances! I wish you health, interesting new projects, many exciting moments with the people you love and more time just for yourself!
    I hope this week has filled you with energy and nice memories!:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Frances,

    I am delighted to have won your giveaway!!! It looks like a fun beret and I love the fact that is colourful, blue and made by you! I am looking forward to it very much.

    Sorry to hear your holiday has ended, but I hope you look forward to going to work again.

    I will email my address asap.

    Have a lovely weekend!

    Madelief x

    ReplyDelete
  6. So glad you have had a relaxing week.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations to Madelief :D

    So pleased for you that you have enjoyed your time away from work, here's hoping that you can manage another break really soon :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. That little beret is quite fetching and Madelief will look good wearing it. I sent my finished blanket to my youngest grandson and he seems to like it. Now I have so many different yarns, different colors that my daughter said I should make one more blanket (to have just in case…) by knitting squares with the various colors then stitching them together. I also thought of just knitting the colors in a plain blanket, several colors of different lengths one after the other – or crocheting squares like in an afghan – I don’t know yet.
    I’d like to also wish you a belated happy birthday – that this coming year be especially fun and full of happy surprises. When we were in Chattanooga we went to an English tea shop for lunch and it resembled so much your lunch in the tea shop in New York – I did take pictures so I’ll show them, soon. I have too many pictures and don’t post enough (I think I am at 193 posts right now.) Congratulations on your reaching a bicentennial of posts.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hallo Frances. Yes, Happy Birthday from me too. When was it exactly? The beret looked lovely! Any news of Kitty? Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wanting to have a week off from work is not greedy, it is necessary for a sane existence.

    Catching one's breath and replenishing the core, those are essential ingredients of life in this hectic world we live in.
    I hope you will be able to find more time for yourself soon.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Glad to hear you have enjoyed a work free week. Also hope you enjoyed a lovely birthday. And had some special treats and a cake of some sort to celebrate the date.
    It is certainly feeling like autumn here, wet and windy and cooler. A blustery wind tearing the leaves off the trees, but enjoying the colours at this time of the year. Time to start wrapping up in cosy warm items, your beret looks cosy.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear Frances, I have been absent from the blogging world for the last few weeks (just one of those times when life overwhelms) and just now catching up with your recent posts. Horrified that I missed your birthday, and sending you belated but warmest wishes! Lucky Madelief to become the owner of that bright, jaunty beret this winter. Love the first photo of the apples - and yes, I also hope you paint them.
    I hope returning to work is rewarding and wish you a wonderful year ahead, which I hope will include some exciting travel adventures!
    xo Karen

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am sorry not to have been around to wish you a happy birthday but I hope you will enjoy your new age. Congratulations to Madelief.

    ReplyDelete
  14. lucky madelief! the end of a holiday means there will be another to look forward to! i hope you had a wonderful birthday frances!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Congratulations to lucky Madelief for winning the sweet handmade hat! I'm so glad you enjoyed your vacation from work, and filled it full of such pleasant things.
    Wishing you a happy week ahead, Frances.
    Helen x

    ReplyDelete
  16. What fun Frances, and congratulations to Madelief.
    I am sure you will enjoy being back at your lovely shop too once you get back into the swing of it after your lovely break. Best wishes xx

    ReplyDelete
  17. A happy break indeed. Here's hoping your return to work isn't too onerous. I love that the drawer was name from such a jollly bag!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh Frances, I missed your birthday. :( I knew it was around now cos I know you're a Virgo...but, Happy Belated Birthday, my dear friend. Congrats to Madelief - lucky morsel. Everything you make is so beautiful. Is the crocheted blanket one of yours too? Tons of love, Janexxxx

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm so sorry that I missed saying Happy Birthday on your birthday! It is nice that you had a great week! I am looking forward to seeing how NY enters the autumn season through your posts, so after you've relaxed and had time for yourself please keep us posted!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dear Frances,
    Happy belated Birthday. I hope you had a wonderful day.
    Congratulations to Madelief - such a lovely lady.
    I would like to thank you for all your visits to my blog and your many, many comments over the months.
    Have a lovely weekend!
    Ingrid xx

    ReplyDelete
  21. By now you've been back at work for a week, and I am thinking of tomorrow's return to my office - like you, with mixed feelings. Were your ears burning from time to time over the past few weeks?....your name came up!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hello Frances
    What a gorgeous bright beret won by Madelief, one of my blog friends!!

    I'm your newest follower, and love reading about your life in New York, I can't imagine ever getting there so it is so nice to hear from someone who lives there.

    I hope you will come and visit me on the other side of the world in New Zealand!!!

    I will get out my prettiest teacups and make you very welcome!

    I hope work wasn't too bad - it takes a week or so to settle in again...

    Take care
    Shane

    ReplyDelete
  23. Glad you enjoyed your holiday - it is always a bit of a wrench going back to work afterwards!

    Pomona x

    ReplyDelete
  24. Merci for Madelief!
    and another belated birthday greetings Frances.
    I'm sure you did something special..I hope not at the library, ahem

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thank you for your visit, lovely to catch up with you again, belated birthday wishes xx

    ReplyDelete