Bloggers are brilliant

I may have mentioned, about a hundred times, that this dreadful weather has really been getting me down. I did suggest to Mr FF a couple of mornings ago that I might as well stay in bed all day, ridiculous but an indication of how the post holiday blues and the approach of autumn were affecting me. I knew I needed to pull myself together, I lead an enviable life, I have my health, property in Italy etc etc but I still kept feeling cold and miserable.

I recently posted on Helen's blog, Cocoa and Blankets, where she was holding a little giveaway and had asked her readers to tell her about the worst gifts they had received. I wrote about two birthday presents I'd received from Mr FF, the cleaning tools for the Hoover I got when we hadn't been married very long and the industrial size flame gun I couldn't even lift that he gave me not so very long ago. I didn't win the draw but Helen was so amused by my presents that she awarded me a runner's up (or maybe consolation) prize and asked me my favourite colour and whether I preferred to knit or sew. How kind I thought, expecting maybe a ball of wool. Imagine my delight when a padded envelope arrived containing ALL OF THESE PACKAGES that contained ALL OF THESE GIFTS

Let me show you in more detail. First an amazing fabric brooch a pretty lavender bag
a beautiful embroidered tray cloth, I do use them, and a gorgeous coaster that I think I shall framethe ball of lovely Regia sock yarn, big fat wooden needles and a knitting gaugeplus a little needle case complete with needles
Thank you so much Helen, they are beautiful and special gifts, I love them all, you made my day, probably my week, and have lifted me out of the self pitying state I was declining into. I did mention to Mr FF that he should take note that these are the kind of things a girl likes and that I was going to put them on my blog. He said it was a pity that I didn't still have the picture of the flame gun that I used to sell it on ebay as my readers might like to admire that too.