Come on in and help yourselves to some delicious brunch. Michaelwas kind enough to stay and make some of his fabulous bacon rolls.
There's also plenty of mimosas, extra strong coffee, and some of Mr.
Toast's famous homemade mulled wine.
Well, I must say that I am totally overwhelmed by the astonishing
turnout and obvious enthusiasm for the Second Annual Willow
Manor Ball. The number of you who actually held mini-satellite
versions of the ball at your own blogs was simply amazing.
Some of the highlights of the evening, besides all the exciting celebs,was the strange Drambuie brew that TFE brought along, completely
rendering us insane with one little sip, the SnL One jet ride from
Skip and the Silver Fox, a fabulous dune buggy show on the front
lawn from Thomas Crown, and Reya reading from her crystal ball in
the manor library.
This fun event would have been nothing without all the wonderful
imaginations and efforts of all of you dear, dear bloggy friends. Thank
you from the bottom of my heart. It truly was an enchanted evening.
And lastly, we have a winner for the door prize, which happens to be a
gorgeous pale blue crystal paper weight. The method I used to choose
a winner was the 200th commenter, with a backup of number 100, if
we didn't make it all the way to the big 200.
So, congratulations, Steven, for being number 200! Please email me
your snail mail address for shipping.
Ah, I've arrived too late...I didn't think of the time difference...I got all dressed up for nothing, oh well Gabriel and I will sit and enjoy brunch with everyone...we are great at nursing other people's hangovers. (If you were wondering my date's last name is Byrne)...I'll send him your way to rub your feet, I don't mind sharing...
ReplyDeleteMuch love and I won't miss the next one...
Thank you for a wonderful event Willow - I promise to be back - will start the search now for next years gown!! Hope you are recovering well. Leanne
ReplyDeleteOh my, life happened and I've arrived much too late.
ReplyDeleteI do hope my date will forgive me, but then Alan Rickman is most delicious when he broods, no?
If it's okay we'll hang around and have another mimosa and listen to the stories of the colourful party stories. Some enchanted evening indeed!
What a wonderful, enchanted evening indeed. I cannot wait for next year's event!
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteI have never (?) came across hundreds of comments like you had with your writings. You are a wonderful writer.
I came via QueenMotherMawmaw.
Thank you for a wonderful evening of fun and imagination. A big bunch of cyber roses heading your way!
ReplyDelete"Hey now, hey now
ReplyDeleteDon't dream it's over..."
That coffee smells wonderful. Two cups, please, one for me and one for Colin. Am I to understand that Alan Rickman is here? Woo-hoo! The party just goes on and on, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Willow. You are the perfect hostess, and we've all had the time of our lives.
Thank you so much for allowing me to attend the "Willow Manor Ball" It was indeed a wonderful affair. I must admit my feet are a little tired today from all the dancing but meeting everyone and catching up with some old friends once again has been such a delight. Thank you for your wonderful hospitality Willow. My apologies for some of our royals, they do seem to let the side down somewhat. Had to ask one particular Countess to put the port bottle down for a while, doubt I will get my MBE now. What a night!
ReplyDeleteWillow, so sorry I could not make it to the Ball last night. I tried to fill you in but I was not able to send the post after numerous tries for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI had a mechanical failure during flight in the helicopter and was forced to autorotate down into a field with my guest. We were not injured and I discovered an old motorcycle abandoned out by a stream. I was able to salvage some parts from it to temporarily get the chopper back up long enough to make it the rest of the way. Hope your neighbor was not too upset with the landing on their pad so late, or early in the morning rather. . .
The place looks great and I could sure go for a cup of dark roast black coffee just about now.
Beautiful place, Willow. Looks like you all had a fantastic evening. Who is that laying out on the back patio?
What every Gemini loves more than a party is going to a "BALL" Willows Ball that is....
ReplyDeleteI was so excited about attending and linking with Mister Linky's Magical Widgets, that I forgot to leave a comment, although I did have a fab time and Willow, your dress, bling, bling and shoes were divine.
Congratulation to Steven for remembering to leave a comment and win...
Joanny
the dowsers daughter
Had fun peaking in. Next year, I must attend.
ReplyDeleteCould you please send a bottle of chilled champagne to our room, preferably a Moet & Chandon 1921 or a Heidsieck 1907? Thanks and if you don't mind, we'll be down later today. BTW, we definitely had a good time at the dance, even if we were a bit late.
ReplyDeleteIt was great fun Willow, thank you. My husband had to come and rescue me from the excesses of party spirit! I made lots of new friends, enjoyed the food, stared open mouthed at the gorgeous gowns and all in all had a wonderful time.
ReplyDeleteHere's to the next one!
Blessings Star
thankyou Willow, my first venture to a ball was fantastic! Like i said, coming back down to earth has been difficult!
ReplyDeleteOh such a shame I missed it. But next year .... I'll be there
ReplyDeleteI've such a stuffy head this morning. I must have drunk too much champagne . . . and who was that smoking cigars?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the bacon sandwich and the coffee. I really needed that boost.
Apologies too, willow. Stewart Granger (surely the word's most handsome man, ever) and I were ready too late due to the earth's unfortunate revolving habits.
ReplyDeleteSo glad the evening was unforgettable: so was mine. Scaramouche! He can do the fandango.
Oh, yes, brunch! And some, bakey-bakey (that's my impersonation of my 11-year-old saying bacon, by the way :-D). What a fab time I had last night, willow. I thought people would not recognise me in my Groucho Marx disguise, but no, they still saw THROUGH me :-).
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
Hey!? Who the hell went home with my date??? Who took my car keys?? Where are my pancakes??? LOL!
ReplyDeleteOoops! I missed the last waltz - too much champagne, I suspect! That breakfast looks a bit like what we would call a "Full English"!
ReplyDeleteOh no , I missed it - Hugh and I broke down in the cotswolds and had to stay the night in a B&B . My dress will go back to D&G this week and the sparlies I borrowed from Asprey and Garrard too . Ah well we had a cosy meal of venison pie with new potatoes and fresh veg followed by a favourite of mine and Hugh's , baileys bread and butter pudding. This washed down by an excellent claret and followed by an irish coffee and a Drambuie , made up in a small way for missing the party. This morning we breakfasted on champagne and peach juice with a full English breakfast.Maybe we'll get there next year ?
ReplyDeleteThanks Willow, but I'll have to take a rain check (what does that really mean?
ReplyDeleteLovely ball; wonderful guests; great music and dancing. Back home in Bonny Scotland now and just getting over the jet lag.
thanks for a marvelous time...you are definitely the hostess with the mostest...
ReplyDeleteI would be polite and thank you for such a wonderful party. I would comment on how beautiful the Manor looked and what a gracious hostess you were. I would thank you for inviting me.
ReplyDeleteOnly I am exhausted after so much dancing and a wee bit light-headed after so much champagne and unable to leave a comment here this morning.
Please overlook this lapse of etiquette and feel free to invite me again next year. I will try to be better behaved.
willow waht a crazzzy night!!! sorry i showed up late but i had a tough time getting genevieve and nasatassja over on my bike.
ReplyDeletethe boys and the girls looked splendiferous and i got to spend time looking deeeep into reya's crystal ball.
lots of good news inside that for me apparently including the possibility that my keyboard will get fixed so i can make capital letters!!!
think i'll put together some french bread drizzled with olive oil, sliced tomato and chevre on top. for dessert coffee and buttertarts are good!!! thanks for the blast!!!!! steven
My Dear Willow..
ReplyDeleteWell, I can see that the beat goes on...I'm a bit shaky as I stumble along trying to find words of deep gratitude. You are now the standard that all must match..Oscar,Emmy and Tony red carpets beware..Willow's Ball is the place to be seen!!
And I do hope that you'll accept Count Ruprecht's invitation..after all, what's a yacht for?
Thank you, thank you....
Morning Willow!
ReplyDeleteWell, lucky old Steven; arriving later on turned out to be a bonus.
FireLight's news of Miss Piggy and Rudolf would not have disturbed me so much if I hadn't then discovered what happened afterwards, which is probably why you couldn't find me later on! So I'm more than happy to partake of several of Michael's excellent bacon rolls. And the mimosa will go down nicely.
Can't thank you enough for such a wonderful event.
I had a completely lovely time at the the ball last night, and I danced until dawn with Herr Mozart (and several other tasty morsels). The room was filled with music, laughter, and revelry. But now my coach has turned into a pumpkin, my glass slippers have a broken heel, and my handsome prince is in his cups, so I am off to bed to dream of next year...
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to have missed all the fun, Willow. A last minute trip to Maine to view the fall foliage intervened. And with all the clam chowda and lobster rolls I consumed, I grew well past the limits of the Vionnet I planned to wear. Here's to next year!
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much, my dear Willow! It was simply divine! We lost poor Indigo along the way somewhere, so if you see him, please point him toward home. (And please let Otin know that Hit 40 will be by to pick him up later... she says he's got a lot of explaining to do.)
ReplyDeleteI already have Liana working on my gown for next year. But let's not wait until then to get together... drinks next week?
Shake your groove thang
ReplyDeleteShake your groove thang ...
Hey!
Did the band pack up and leave? And ...
where's Will?
Oh yeah I told him to go on ahead. I must have passed out - I mean - fell asleep on the couch.
Thank God for the bacon rolls and how about some hair of the dog that bit me? Thanks, Willow!!
A word to A Cuban...
ReplyDeleteYes you were recognized as Groucho, and even photographed! Just check my blog this AM to see a smashing pic of yourself!! Thanks!
Thanks for letting me lurk behind the palm fronds Willow; next year, if again invited, I promise to be in full regalia and not torn jeans.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much, Willow for a wonderful time! Don Knotts and I enjoyed ourselves so much!
ReplyDeleteNow, that brunch plate looks delish and I'm starving...
Thank you for hosting the event of the year. I met SO many nice people.
ReplyDeleteCan I send in my RSVP for next year's ball already?
I thought I'd never get out of that wine cellar. YOU try sleeping on boams of booze. Lumpy. Hunt fruit and toast. Lovely...and good strong tea. I see one of the Playaz' experiments blew up on the back of my dress, so it's ruined. When does the Child Hunt begin?
ReplyDelete*yawning* Did someone say, "coffee"? Ooh, Thank heavens!
ReplyDeleteBertie's asleep on my chaise, so I had to sleep out in the car with Jeeves! At least it wasn't too cold with that enormous rug.
*limping over to Willow* My dear friend, you have such a generous heart and a fun spirit. The ball was absolutely delightful in every single way! Noone else could have pulled off such a spectacular affair with such aplomb. I (that is to say, "We" - Bertie, Jeeves and I) thank you from the depths of our hearts.
I shall have to keep an eye out for a suitable gift to thank you properly.
Kitty
Willow,
ReplyDeleteThe Manor Ball for 2009 is playing to rave reviews. It was awesome and kudos to you for being so well organized. I had a wonderful time. Eighty some people came to my blog yesterday, not to mention the rich and famous who showed up for the ball.
Thank you for the lovely brunch today. Barry and I are
enjoying the coffee and an egg or two.
Yes, wasn't it the most fun?!! I love how everyone was caught up in the spirit and enjoyed themselves.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best parts was the meeting of new bloggies and everyone visiting one another's blog parties!
Fun-fun. Now, where's Jeeves and that extra strong coffee?
I was lurking yesterday - didn't manage to come up with a date OR a dress. I hid out behind some potted plants (not the ones TFE was behind!)...
ReplyDeleteSo last night I couldn't get the ball out of my dreams. Apparently I DID dance all night...
It was a wonderful evening. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteYou looked fabulous, absolutely fabulous. Thank you for your graciousness in telling me to go with the red but I was happy in the black.
Alan had to leave early (this morning I found out why!) but that was fine as Sean Connery had his pilot fly me home. Sorry I couldn't stay for brunch.
Congratulations on such a wonderful evening where the company was scintillating, the banquet more than delicious and the ambiance out of this world.
Can't wait for next year.
Bravo to the hostess, and a toast with mimosa. It was the party of the year.
ReplyDeleteI must apologise for not hosting my own spin-off event, willow. I was so overcome after all your champagne cocktails and all that star-spotting that I was simply too fatigued.
ReplyDeletePass me a mimosa darling
Thank you so much Willow!
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoyed this flight of fantasy--a highlight of the bloggy year! Even my 8-year-old daughter got into it; I took her on a tour of some of the dresses that people were wearing, after which she got out her colored pencils and paper and designed her own couture outfit.
xo
Pleased to see you're up and about already, Willow! I too had a wonderful time. And good strong coffee? Yes, please!
ReplyDeleteWillow, It was a delightful event! The decorations outstanding, food dellectible, and and the guest list beyond compare. I had a wonderful time. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteA truly wonderful evening, Willow. The coffee looks the perfect thing for brunch with a wee bit to eat to ease my headache. I expect next year's ball with have more attendees yet.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Willow, for a bright spot in what has been a tragic week in our stretch of the woods. It was good to set aside cares for a time and celebrate with you! You are a shining star.
ReplyDeleteGlad it went well!
ReplyDelete250 blog comments later just on this blog alone alone and we are dumbfounded all by what a little buzz you created in this elegant corner of blogland. (Can you say "traffic spike?")
ReplyDeleteI must say I had a marvelous time. I haven't been to an elegant do like that since I was a teen or something. Anyway, I had the longest soak in one incredible deep claw footed bath. ...Fell asleep actually. A tad embarrassing, even though I was by myself, as I must have dozed off whilst nibbling on one of those left over incredible ginger cookies I found in your kitchen! Yes, quite the mess--a tub full of soggy biccie crumbs and a very soaked and scented home and Garden Magazine!! Dear oh dear, silly me.
Well, I did manage to pop in for some of those rolls, for old time's sake (thank you Michael!) even though I don't make a habit of eating pork much these days.
time to slip on my long black coat, wrap my soft scarf around my face and go out in to the chill air again. I am looking for some sort of carriage to replace my lemon pumpkin!
Yes, thank you again. Truly delightful. I think I dreamed the Manor most of the night.
Tell us, did you have even more people than last year? Who knows what will happen with next years' ball...that is, if you can convince WT to go for it again.
a night to remember Willow!
ReplyDeleteOur encounter was brief and the dancing divine. Many thanks for an evening of impromptu intrigue. Next year I promise to plan ahead and not dress so *plainly*. At least my feet feel great. Now where are the mimosas...?
ReplyDeleteThank you for inviting me to your marvelous soiree. It was a shame Cammie and I didn't work out, but as they say in England, "C'est le vie!" Thank you for volunteering to act as our flight steward, and serve free Filet Mignon and Lobster to our passengers!
ReplyDeleteDear Willow,
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you for a night of dreamy splendour. What a truly wonderful hostess you are. The food was superb, the champagne ambrosial, the setting utterly divine and oh, the music. I'm still twirling! Your guests danced in a fashion that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers might have envied and you, my dear, were sensational on the floor.
The sheer glamour of the evening had me gasping in wonderment. The ladies all newly painted and freshly coiffed, packaged in silk, satin and jewels were outrageously gorgeous. And the men - where else but at a Ball hosted by you could one see such a collection handsome and debonaire dandies?
Memories of the night are still whirling like a flurry of snowflakes. All in all it was a dazzling, shimmering delight and you made it so. Thank you, dear Willow.
Very warm regards,
Tessa, and Hugh too.
I'll definitely have some of that coffee luv! But more for William than meself-LOL!
ReplyDeleteA grand time and wish I could've arrived sooner. And do check your mailbox, anon ;)
Thank you for hosting this wonderful event - how lovely that so many people joined in to make it so memorable. My feet are sore today with all that dancing.
ReplyDeleteyou are indeed an inspirer and creatrix
ReplyDeleteThat was wonderful, and that photo of the brunch offering has me drooling, Willow! I've been stranded in Arcata's airport, trying to get to San Francisco, yesterday and today. I'm starving, looking at that. Glad to hear the event of the century went off without a hitch.
ReplyDeleteYou're certainly welcome, all. I enjoyed myself ever-so-much.
ReplyDeleteI'm lazing around the manor today, writing a bit of poetry and nibbling on leftover caviar.
Suki, creatrix? Oh, I LOVE that word! :^)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea, Willow!
ReplyDeleteWonderful how you engaged so many bloggers in such an imaginative and delightful event.
Have you got a date set for next year? Perhaps if I start making arrangements early enough I could attend.
Best wishes!
Willow, It was fabulous! I'm so glad I got to go! Thank you for everything!
ReplyDeleteToo late, but had to drop by Rosaria at Lakeviewer to see what had her dressed in such a stunning outfit! Breakfast looks divine!
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a lovely evening...you are such a warm, gracious host!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't planned on attending, shy wallflower that I am... but I was asked to dance unexpectedly and found my heart answering before my brain even had a chance!
that heart is one smart cookie :)
Peace - Rene
I've been told I was here, but I don't remember.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone seen a pair of green Sansabelt slacks? If so, please return them to my attention.
You can ship them to:
Phil Braun
Playaz Ball HQ
Isle of Palms, SC
Thank you.
Let's all send green slacks to Phil.... he, he, he.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely Ball, Willow. I'm still in its spell.
ReplyDeleteI surely overdid it last night. I had a blast! Can't wait for next year, Willow.
ReplyDeleteYes, most definitely! Mark your bloggy calendars for October 2010, for our Third Annual Manor Ball!!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I like this red dress so much, I think I'll wear it for a while!
ReplyDeleteI am SO in for next year. I only cottoned on to your site at the last minute. Will be back! I'm going to head off to see if some of the Royals would like a round of golf!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, seems to me that if Steven doesn't step up that maybe, just maybe, the FIRST commenter should get the gift...
ReplyDeleteWho could THAT be I wonder???
I know you must be exhausted after staying up so late!! ♥
ReplyDeleteRXB, yes, Steven did graciously step up to claim his prize! Yay! :)
ReplyDeleteyou have a magpie? I have a magpie! The Australian magpie is a beaut bird!
ReplyDelete...yes Simon, I think we Aussies wandered home from the ball in the small hours to the rising sun and magpie chortles.Wasn't it fun, the foray into the Northern Hemisphere for such a magnificent function! Thank you Willow!
ReplyDeletealas with so much scurrying about this month I missed the ball! but it sounds like it was a wonderful fete - and even the morning after sparkled!!
ReplyDeletecongrats on organizing a completely carbon free ball!!
Thanks to all of you, dear bloggies, the Manor Ball was a smashing success!! I'm already looking forward to planning next year's big event! :D
ReplyDeletethank you from the bottom of my little heart for hosting this amazing event. i enjoyed seeing everyone.
ReplyDeletelooking forward to next year.
Thanks again for an incredible morning/afternoon/evening. These 24-hour affairs.... err... parties are immense fun.
ReplyDeleteWell, I must sign off. I just looked under my cape, and you'll never guess whom I found!
You're most welcome Mr. Fox. Under your cape? Well, I'm sure it must be Betsy!
ReplyDeleteWell, a gentleman doesn't disclose such things...
ReplyDeleteShhhh!
ReplyDelete