A Little Love Story....& a BIg Giveaway

It's Valentine's Day...and these are my sweet feet...another wonderful present from one of my Twitter friends, Rosinda!

I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day....I believe that if you love someone, you should let them know every day, not just once a year. I also am aware that those without a significant other can feel isolated and sad on this day when the world seems full of red roses and chocolates. That's why I prefer it not to be just about romance.I always send my niece and nephews a card each, with a funny message that says how much they are loved. I used to so look forward to seeing a red envelope in the mail when I was a child (usually from my dear Grandad!) I'm so happy to have received 6 cards this year that were all from girlfriends! They mean as much to me as the one I opened this morning from Paul.

But I just wanted to send a little tribute today to that man...my darling husband. Many of you will know that I had a very unhappy first marriage...for many reasons, with faults on both sides and mostly stemming from the fact that we were WAY too young to even think about marriage. I had some very dark times back then Until my handsome prince came along. We were friends for a long time before it became a romance...we would talk for hours about all sorts of things....and then, one day, we danced in the dark of a Monday evening and everything changed.
He isn't perfect. But he's perfect for me. One of his best qualities is his generosity and kindness. The first present he ever bought me was a dress. Not any dress....one that I absolutely adored and coveted (I still don't know how he knew as I never told him!) One day, there was a big carrier bag, filled with tissue paper - and underneath, although I could hardly believe it, there it was!

my dream dress in the right size (he always gets the right size!)....purple, sparkly, heavy, beaded...

I still, 12 years later, get so much pleasure from just looking at it. I'll pass it on to my niece one day, as I have no daughter of my own...but not yet!
That's Paul - my sweetheart, my dearest love. Other wonderful things about him: he LOVES to iron...he ALWAYS puts the lavatory seat down...he brings me a cup of tea in bed most mornings...he can tell when I'm tired and fed up and will just take over cooking supper, or run me a bath, or fill my hot water bottle...he warms my side of the bed...and if it's really cold, he'll warm my pyjamas on the radiator too. He's thoughtful and caring. Of course, he can be so irritating that he makes me want to scream...he spends longer in the bathroom than I do...and takes much longer to get ready on a night out...and the closet is 3/4 his clothes and shoes, while mine have to squeeze into the remaining tiny space...

But every day, I feel loved and special...and I know how lucky that makes me. xo

So, soppy bit over! This is my 101st post...I can hardly believe it...and to celebrate I wanted to have a special giveaway. Something that encompassed all the facets (or most of them) of Mozart's Girl...so here we go...

Firstly, it had to be my other Valentine, my darling Mozart! This CD is two of his wonderful piano concertos (21, the very famous one, and 22) played by an amazing young pianist, Jonathan Biss. I hope that whoever wins will listen and love it and think of me too! Next:

Emma Bridgewater. I love her. And this little tiny Union Jack cup is to celebrate her and the UK...along with

this little Cath Kidston pin badge which shows a lovely illustration of York Minster and would be fun to have on a bag or jacket...

For my beloved Australia there's this cute little notepad, with an illustration of a possum family. I bought it on my trip there, in the lovely hill town of Maleny. It has a magnetic strip on the back so it will stick to a fridge or somewhere else useful. And lastly....

one of my favourite books, always on my bedside table (this is a new copy!!) 'Stuffed- growing up in a restaurant family' by Patricia Volk. Warm, funny, sharply observed and filled with love, family and FOOD!
So that's my giveaway...but that's not all!
As 100 posts is a big milestone, I thought I'd celebrate properly by having a second smaller prize so that two people have some Mozart's Girl joy!
So, the 2nd person out of the draw will win...

this little Emma Bridgewater egg cup that has a tiny rooster and the words 'Wake Up Rise & Shine' printed on it - so sweet. Lastly....

a very special set of decorated notepaper and envelopes by my darling friend Susan Branch ! I think this was discontinued quite a few years ago so is probably now quite rare! There are 10 envelopes, with illustrations on both sides and a lovely pile of writing paper with watercolours and quotes in her inimitable style for those special letters - and everyone loves snailmail!

So, all you need to do to have a chance of winning one of these prizes is to leave me a comment on this post,,,anything you want, although I'd love to hear your favourite things about the blog, or if there's anything you'd like to see more of!

I'll draw the names a week from today , that's Monday 21st February....I can't wait to hear who wins!

Thanks so much for reading....this blog ( and my other one, Baking Brownies for Mozart) are such fun for me and such a part of my life now...it's great to have met so many new and interesting people through them xo