A little bit of red, white and blue, and two Rentrée Giveaway winners!

I've been going on for ages about how I'm changing the colours of our open plan living area. I do this every spring and autumn, and then 'tweak' the colours a bit for summer and winter. This spring the colours were pale blue with a bit of yellow and pale green, and over the summer I went more towards the blue with shell-cream. As autumn comes I've decided to get rid of the paler shades and go for a bold red, white and blue theme!The last IKEA runner is actually being USED as a runner! I have used the other ones to mend and line baskets, to make a bit of bunting (photo to come) etc, but now I've actually used one as it was intended. They cost me 50c each in the sale, so I think I've done well out of them. I'm glad I bought all that were left! The garden is obliging me with red roses galore, so, if I only get round to ironing this runner, we may have quite a good-looking table, to go with the piano...
So it's time for my giveaway winners. My first winner, from the random choices, is my new blogging friend Serenata. She describes herself as 'The Balancing Kiwi', and has the motto 'Without challenge, there is no achievement', which is pretty good for those of us who have been considering Rentrée Resolutions! Congrats, Serenata - please email me your address and I'll be happy to post on the first set of French schooling bits and bobs. I think you'll love the old cahier...
The second winner was a bit hard to choose (I knew it would be). I looked at all your resolutions, and so many of them are so good, so positive, so constructive, so inspirational... But oddly, the one that spoke to me most, and resonated with me, was the very first - this is what Pomona said: 'And my resolution is to remember the lilies of the field and stop worrying about what the future might hold - we are in a time of great change, very soon my husband will not be in paid work, I will be the family breadwinner (gulp!), and this is my way of reminding myself that all manner of things will be well.'
Above is a beautiful fabric design, named 'Consider the Lilies of the Field', which was designed 1897 by Candace Thurber Wheeler. This is the whole of the text that Pomona quoted from, which I find gives me a proper sense of priorities, too:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34

Here are some Holy Land lilies, from this website.

I am still very busy, and in addition my internet connection now considers itself an optional extra. I feel very bad because there are people who have left comments or sent me emails which I really want to follow up, and I haven't had either time or internet access to do so. However: 'Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?'

Thus, I will go on my mellow, focused way, and when my Livebox next allows me, I will hope to find Pomona's and Serenata's addresses in my Inbox and I will post you your Rentrée prizes!