Sunday, July 27, 2008

City Views, Country Dreams

Good afternoon from New York on a darkening Sunday afternoon.

Forecasters predicted thunderstorms and one of those storms seems to be trying to arrive as I type. My little living room grows darker and darker. Usually around this time in late afternoon, my south-facing window is flooding the room with light.


Earlier today I did manage to take a walk over to Central Park and will be sharing some of my photos with you all, but not all at once. It seems so difficult for me to find time to write blogs these days, that maybe having a stock of photos will help to encourage me!


How I wish that the shop was not taking so much of my time. We are having wonderful successes with each month's collection, and making many customers happy, but this effort is just not the same as having a summer holiday.


My armchair travels have included reading many beautiful blog postings, and it's really quite amazing to have a quick hop across an ocean or two while eating breakfast.


My other way to visit the world comes when the shop is visited by tourists from so many countries. I have had the pleasure of chatting with folks from France, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Spain, Turkey, Israel, Ecuador, India, Pakistan, India, Chile, Argentina, Japan and on and on. As a young girl growing up in Virginia, I never dreamed that I would meet people from so many places!


This chatting, however, sometimes just makes me yearn to actually go somewhere. The shop's scheduling requirements keep me from getting too ambitious with this dreaming, but I have determined from my boss that it will be permitted for me to have as many as two weeks' off at a time. Most likely I will be doing this in late October stretching into early November. (This could mean that I will have to apply for an absentee ballot to vote in the upcoming elections.)


Many of you, whose blogs delight me, live in places that I have visited and would love to see again. However, I keep thinking that I would also like to see a place that would be new to me.


Please do let me have any suggestions that you'd like to leave. Maybe setting travel as a theme will encourage me to blog more frequently.


Meanwhile, best wishes to you all.

13 comments:

  1. Good to see you back in Blogland!
    Where should you go for your holidays?
    Hmm......Italy in the autumn?
    Good old England (terribly expensive but you probably have friends there)?
    Exotic, amazing, mesmerizing Morocco - fairly cheap after you have got there.
    I could give you lots of contacts and possible places to stay.
    I will pop by the shop soon.
    I looked in the window of the Soho store today when we were on a bike ride.
    I have to start saving up.
    See you soon
    xo

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  2. I would love to see or hear about where you have travelled.Have you been to Australia? Can you see yourself standing in the middle of the Australian Outback, at the very heart of our country, the gigantic monolith Uluru?

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  3. Oh definitely Cornwall Frances. I could show you around - go to the lovely castle on StMichael's Mount reached via the causeway when the tide is out or boat when in; sit on endless beaches both wild as on the north or gentle on the south coast, visit the moors where the wind races over land giving life to du Maurier's 'Jamaica Inn' and also visit Frenchman's Creek while we're at it. Cream teas a-plenty care of Mr Davey's scones and Cornish clotted cream...have I persuaded you yet? xx

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  4. Two weeks off - come and stay with us . . . that would be amazing . . .

    Oh I love thunder storms so perhaps you could write about yours as we rarely get them here . . .

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  5. I haven't been anywhere really so I can't help you! :) (We are in the middle of a storm here too, as I write). You do sound as if you need time off though and I am sure you will write up your adventures as graciously as you do your NY life.

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  6. A trip to France maybe? That would be such fun!

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  7. Must be great to have a job that makes many people happy.
    Im going to give another vote to good old England!!!

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  8. I have a huge list of places I want to visit, but of the places I know and can speak for as somewhere I would happily return, try Hong Kong? Singapore? Malaysia? And if that doesnt appeal - nothing beats Blighty.

    So good to see you back blogging, I wondered were you alright and was to scared to ask.

    Best Wishes,

    Zoë

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  9. my brother went to argentina a few years, tracing a wayward branch of the family. (my father's family was germans from russia. there were three brothers in russia; one stayed there, one came to the U.S., and the third went to argentina.)

    anyway, my brother fell in love with argentina and has been back three times. beautiful, fascinating, welcoming, rugged, urbane, and quite inexpensive.

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  10. How about going down south to Georgia, the Carolina's and enjoying a bit of Southern charm?

    The reason I am suggesting there, is that we are having a trip to The Isle of Palms, just outside of Charleston in the fall.

    You have a great blog, I'm enjoying it.

    Gill from Canada

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  11. Dear Frances,

    It will be lovely for you to have that 2 weeks well earned holiday. How about good old England Frances.

    Tate Modern, Charleston, Museums, perhaps even lunch at The Ritz, walk in Regents Park.

    I do love reading your blogs Frances, my apolgies for coming here a tad late.

    xx

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  12. Marrakech without a doubt is where you should go, camel rides in the palm groves shopping in the souke and so many inspiring scenes to paint. Stay here
    http://www.riad-chouiachouia.com/hebergement-maroc-marrakech-et-sa-r%C3%A9gion-marrakech-riad-chouia-chouia-_84-4.html

    its divine. I love it so much I may never coem home!

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  13. Well I have always fancied New England in the Fall but that would be no good for you.

    How about Italy or France? Peru?

    Ireland? :-)

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