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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

THE WILLOW MANOR BALL AND AFTERMATH!

I'm late, I'm late
for a very important date.
It's a long haul from Oz!!

My, what a place!

Arriving at Willow Manor Ball

Oh, the bothersome Paparazzi,
I can't go anywhere
without hitting the front page -
Ssh, I love it!


Sans mink and sans handbag!
Where on earth did he get to?

They'll never guess that
I whipped this little number
up on the Singer;
Charlie Worth taught me a lot!

Ah, there he is, admiring me from afar;
Be right with you Mr. Darcy darling!



What a hunk.
How on earth?



"Lady in red is dancing with me,
cheek to cheek."
Why, it's Willow and WT!



On aurait pu nous inviter aussi!
"Gatecrashers; they weren't invited.
Let's get a drink, ladies. Ooh, my, what a choice,
Cristal and Louis Roederer!!"




Cheers!



The dance lessons paid off!
Whoo-hooo!!!



The banquet hall awaited.....


A wonderful attendance
of Willow's bloggy friends.
The fare was wonderful!

I presented the hostess with the mostest with a little gift
that I think she'll get a lot of use out of -


19th Century French Lorgnette

Back to the dancing....



Some people just don't have any decorum!



Herr Mozart and Orchestra; a delight!
And the wonderful Bryn Terfel,
Master of Ceremonies.




I had the last waltz
with a tall, dark and handsome hunk;
he's got my number.

I wonder where Mr. Darcy is?
We must leave before the witching hour.



Ahem, Mr. Darcy? Mr. Darcy!



Willow and Mr Maalie danced
into the the wee, small hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LATER, MUCH LATER, Willow couldn't be found. Rumour has it that she was in some sleepy hollow near the ninth gate with that libertine from hell, Johnny Depp, eating chocolates. They left through a secret window and fled to his private resort at world's end somewhere in the Caribbean.

The man who cried, WT, said this morning that Depp was a dead man!

Willow, wherever you are, we had a fantastic time and thank you for your kind invitation!! See you next year! Maybe.

28 comments:

Susie Hemingway said...

Lovely wonderful, simply divine!!! your photos of the enchanting
"Willow Manor Ball" are just amazing and so much better than my box brownie ones - I can even see myself about four rows back in the guest photo! You did looked wonderful. Oh! btw I saw Dear Mr Darcy chatting with a tall Auburn haired lady, they went on to the balcony but then I am not one to gossip!
www.susiehemingway.com

alaine@éclectique said...

Susie, delighted that you dropped by. Had a hoot at the ball. Btw, you're not tall and auburn-haired by any chance?

Unknown said...

Alaine, how busy you must have been, taking all these photographs! And the angles you got. I almost thought I was in a different place!

I'm so glad you finally got off the boat and we were able to share a glass of champers together while Mr D was neglecting you!

I knew your MIL's fur would come in handy. And you never let on what a dab hand you are with a sewing machine!

I must say, I can't believe Willow is quite as flighty as circumstances paint her!

Lyn said...

The adventure you weave is beyond grand..Anytime you want to advise me on architecture, literature, fashion,swoony love, Champagne(yes it is funny that we both chose the same bubbly..great minds, as they say...)I'll be there!!

Anonymous said...

I knew that was a fellow Australian accent somewhere near me in the banquet hall, but of course with the music, chatter,and peals of laughter it all becomes a blur. I did see Mr. Darcy wander past at one stage - you must have been close by!

Unknown said...

Your pictures of Willow's ball are excellent. They look remarkably accurate. I am having such a wonderful time! Do stop by "Linda #53" for a dance with a prince or two. Johnny Depp and chocolates are too much heaven to think about all at one time.

Barry said...

Save a spot on your dance card for me Alaine! Love that Australian accent!

Betsy Brock said...

Oh, Alaine! You look smashing, dear! I'm still at the ball...brunch is being served! I think a lot of the guests are upstairs taking a little nap! I do hope Willow gets back soon..I'll go try to console WT! hee!

Susan said...

It sounds as if a fabulous time was had by all! Loved the pictures and all that dancing! Whew! I'll bet your tootsies were killing you in those pointy shoes! :D

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Beautifully composed Alaine. I felt like I was peeking in the window. Loved that exploding champagne photo! You looked divine!

FireLight said...

Alaine, you win the prize for reporting on all the behind the scenes intrigues! I love your dress....sooo elegant....sooo YOU! What a talent! Perhaps 'twas I you are thinking of....auburn haired and 5'10"? What a grand ball room....I was waltzing all evening! I hope WT has our Lady Willow under control by now!

Reya Mellicker said...

FABULOUS pics of the ball! Did you take them on your iphone?

The ball is so much fun - classy and scandalous at the same time. Willow certainly can dance, can't she? Wow.

Here's to you, a glass of Dom Perignon. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Your banquetting hall was so splendid
and the dancers so elegant.
Your whole post is such a delight.
Loved it!

Sandra Leigh said...

I confess. I am the tall and auburn-haired beauty. You probably saw me, but please, don't be upset. The man with whom I went out to the balcony was my own escort, Colin Firth. The resemblance between my Colin and your Darcy is quite remarkable, so the mistake was a natural one.

Now go back inside, okay? We want to be alone. ;>)

Tess Kincaid said...

I just can't keep my eyes off your dreamy Mr. Darcy! Mind if I take him for a whirl on the dance floor?

That libertine Depp, HAS been trying to feed me these strange chocolates from the ninth gate all evening. They taste funny. Hmm.

Jane Moxey said...

You captured the spirit of Willos's ball so beautifully in your post. What a blast we all had. It was good to see Darcy with his hair down for a change!

Butternut Squash said...

Oh the life of the beautiful people... It is a grand ball indeed, and your images are smashing!

Nancy said...

You were just fabulous darling - I really can't believe you made that dress! Mr. Darcy was looking for you just a bit ago - but I see you have already found a dance partner....

That Willow! I knew there would be trouble! Johnny had a gleam in his eye tonight, didn't you think?

Rosaria Williams said...

How delightful to be here and there, enjoying the gossip and the fabulous company. Love all those links to Mr. Depp's identities! Glad to meet you.

Bee said...

Never mind the trip from Oz; I'm positively dizzy from all of the time travel! I do envy your date. Sigh. And I just know that Willow is going to love that lorgnette.

alaine@éclectique said...

Friends, thank you all for visiting and reading this bit of madness.

I'd love to reply to you all but I must prepare for the day (5:47am here). I'm meeting my daughter for her birthday, a little shopping and spoiling. I have a drive of well over an hour to meet her, so must away!

Thank you again. This was a fun experience tagging along with all of you! Mwah! xa

Anonymous said...

I was expecting JD to be waiting for ME at the ball, but Tom Jones took me by surprise. I loved your descriptions. This is my first ball and I am shy and naive. I recognize that banquet room from The Biltmore Estate, a place where we dined many times. We are planning a Derby Party on Millionaire's Row for the Kentucky Derby. It is the first Saturday in May. You will have time to plan. I hope you like big Derby hats. Bring a guest or hook up with one of the celebrities on Millionaire's Row. I will post the invites in April. I would like to meet up with you at the ball look me up.
QMM

Leah said...

A lorgnette! I adore a lorgnette. And that is an extra-special one indeed.

Barbara Martin said...

Well done. This was a perfectly marvellous affair I must say!

Duchess of Lanier said...

So lovely to have met you this evening at the ball.
Your attire and your thoughtfulness are impressive.
Next year I promise not to overly indulge in the Champagne so that we might have more time to get to exchange stories of great adventures.
Cheers to next year!
D. of L.

Unknown said...

What a fantastic time you have all had and Alaine your outfit was just stunning I didn't know you could sew like that.A lot of thought put into your post reading through it I felt almost as if I was there .

Vagabonde said...

I did not go to the ball my dear as I was traveling but I did meet my friend Vanessa Paradis, you know the French lady who has been living with Depp for over 10 years and has 2 kids with him? Anyway she told me “je ne suis pas contente que Johnny soit allé à ce bal, il devait m’acheter une bague de fiançaille” which translates into “I am not happy that Johnny went to this ball as he was supposed to buy me an engagement ring”. Poor lady, he has been buying this ring for a decade now but balls are such a temptation when lovely and well dressed lady like you populate them.

alaine@éclectique said...

Vagabonde, vous êtes si gracieux! Vanessa pauvre, quel est mauvais avec cet homme? Vous voir à la balle de l'année prochaine? xa