Week's End - Blue & Yellow & Orange

There is no blue without yellow and without orange.--Van Gogh

I've hit a metaphorical wall so I'd like to stare at this for a day or two. I'll return with last week's Sunday Shopping over the weekend. In the midst of uploading photographs from the wonderful BibBon etsy shop, I was rudely interrupted by our electric (f)utility company. Have a great Friday (or Saturday for Aussies & Kiwis). Cheers.

From the photographer Robin Scott: We came across this colourful grandly named little gem while getting lost in Kinsale (sometimes it's better not to have a GPS). Looks like the window box might have been fitted after a night out. In a street of similar buildings, the one next door is named The Giant's Cottage. The giant would need to bend to get in the door.-- Robin Scott (via here)

Swedish Midsummer Mystery

I love this photograph by Olga, taken in Sweden. It brings to mind an Inspector Wallander book (& PBS series with a brilliant turn by Kenneth Branagh as Kurt Wallander) & waving fields of golden-yellow flowers...on a midsummer's eve.* The series is shot in a rarely-seen part of Sweden & it's beautiful, wistful, melancholy, tortured, etc. So of course, I love it. (When you're finished reading Stieg Larrson's (sadly) final book, check out Henning Mankell's series, if you've not already done so.)

Speaking of Sweden, Anne's Food, written by Anne (surprise) in Stockholm has excellent (impressively organized) easy-to-print recipes & wonderful photographs. Mother to an adorable baby boy, Titus, who made the scene in May 2009. She has cats. Her profession is "political secretary." All very intriguing & I've only had 3 years to find out more. Here are Anne's labels for 'midsummer'; it may be too late to bake/make anything now...but who says you can't do it later? Don't get into too much trouble tonight.

*Depending on where you are (sorry Antipodean friends, for being so Northern-centric).

[second image via Jane Austen's World - also a wonderful blog. I know. You're thinking, wha??? What's that got to do with Jane Austen. Well, go visit & find out!]

Meet Me on the Bridge

Last year's GG image & a video. It's that kind of day. And yes, I will be on a bridge, so meet us there if you are here. (It's a Zen thing.) For those overseas, hope you are having a wonderful day. (Next year in Rome...) For a little fun, check in with Michelle at Bleeding Espresso. baci/xoxo

Another Roman storm approaches...

Museo della terme, Roma. Fun making it look like it felt--humid, electric expectation, yellow, thrilling (saturation, tint, & who knows what else I did to this, can't remember, doesn't matter...) Leaving in the clickability feature, whatever feedburner says. It's weirder in larger size. ciao.

Golden-yellow ranunculus

Sort of lost my mind in the market & bought a bunch of golden yellows. Keep thinking but I didn't buy chub-inducing-stinky cheese. Or some such. Julie the gattina has (twice) dragged a few stems from the old Vietri pitcher & placed them on a bamboo tray. Flower arranging? Prey collecting (euwww)? Protest because she thinks they were purchased instead of her fancy schmancy natural cat food? These are forgiving flowers, so they haven't yet wilted in protest. It was difficult to choose amongst pink, white, orange, & the yellow. Might've chosen the red, actually, but the sole crimson bunch was wilted. A man nearby must've thought me mad...I noticed him watching my selection method. I held bunches like a hand of cards, switching them about, putting some back. I discard until yellow remains. Gin! I don't know why...but they make me happy (& Julie, too, in her own feline way).

The week so far...

...it's only Tuesday afternoon & I have definitely done more stupid things, faster, in two days than all of last week. Meanwhile, The Clever Pup has written a wonderful art history lesson, The English Muse is planning the most-fabulous-dinner-party-ever, & Small Expectations has an adorable stack o' cats drawing. It's enough to make a girl feel totally inadequate! Sniff. (advert credit) ciao, belle.

Bouquets of yellow mimosa...

...to all on International Women's Day. The annual theme is up to individual countries, but this year "Women and men united to end violence against women & girls" is the official UN/global focus.

When it comes to the condition of women & girls, my knowledge is mostly southern Italy, Sicily (Italians...sorry, it's true & you know it), the Middle East (all countries & territories), north & central Africa. I'm thinking a lot about colleagues, friends, & good acquaintances who are either on the Chad-Darfur border or detained in Sudan. Don't know yet. Border hopes.

On a less serious note, March 8 is celebrated with a great deal of fun & flair (no surprise) in Italy. See here for a little Roman anecdote. xoxo

Update: I can't believe I'm doing this. But if it makes some people happy, then I'll make your damn day. In Italy, there's an argument (of course) about the proper title of International Women's Day. So. Today is also Buona Festa della Donna. I hereby declare both titles correct. /susan/8 march/noon EST. Grrrr.

Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus!

Update: Read The Clever Pup's excellent post on St. David's Day. Well done!

Tomorrow is St. David's Day, the Welsh National holiday & I totally forgot. My annual desperate search for daffodils (ubiquitous every other dang day in the pre-spring/spring) was forgotten. I do have leeks, as always, in the house. I wrote a post for GG's blog to publish tonight & I'll just have to scrape stuff out of that...& excuse it as bricolage...I have a bone to pick with those Welsh, Anglo-Welsh, American-Welsh poets who complain about all the other festivals & sit on their rears & do nothing. I've cheerled (is that a word?) & worked on getting something going in DC (something as much fun as Burns Day at the local Royal Mile Pub or St. P's almost anywhere but in my neighborhood, McGinty's--real Irish-owned) for a few years & give up for now. Too busy.

From GG blog (later):

St. David's Day snuck up on us, it's tomorrow (March 1). Must run out to buy daffodils, braise some leeks, & watch out for red dragons on the loose. As a child/teenager, GG's editor put in hours of choir rehearsal relearning songs in Welsh for an annual appearance at a Pittsburgh Welsh "old people's home." We cringe to think that's how the senior homes were described back then. The older folks were so pleased to see us every year & one or two people always asked, wistfully, if any of us grew up speaking Welsh, or even knew it? Maybe? We had to say no...but they were very complimentary about the performance & asked lots of questions about our lives as "you young people." Lovely people, lovely dinner, loads of daffodils on all the tables.

Dylan Thomas' unfortunate public behavior in America (& everywhere else) still irked/embarrassed many of the older Welsh but they chose overlook it so as to recite Thomas (many could by heart). Do Not Go Gentle...must have had great resonance for them, as it did not for us--then. Seamus Heaney read it at Ted Hughes' graveside in a rainstorm after the funeral & we remember thinking, "fitting, very." For many reasons that are best left to readers of actual poetry books & biographies. Here is a post earlier this year about Welsh hero Owain Glyndwr & one on current Welsh heroine, Duffy.

(Lovely photograph of a real Welsh daffodil by Jan/brynmeillion)

cariad! (kisses)

There then, guilt absolved. Sort of. ciao

Celestial Ceiling

Another kind of starry night. (only alice, marrakesh.)

Meowsers - Mattissean & Moroccan

Indulge me. No, not a cat site despite Julie's profile photo in 'about me.' There isn't time/tech support to separate the blogs yet. And really, it's not important. (Yes, first person. Watching The Tudors DVDs has made me self-conscious & annoyed by the Royal We-ness.) I spent part of Saturday (Valentine's Day) at the Washington Animal Rescue League's Catapalooza Day. It was hilarious. A cat cocktail party. As I walked towards the cat area's double-doors, a big orange guy was casually walking out like he had things to do, people to see. As confident as you please. I busted him. His name is Jam & he let me carry him around, quite content. A real pistol. I hope someone applied to adopt him. I would have done immediately if I had a for-sure contract or job. Alas, Julie remains an only cat & is not happy about it. At all. ciao.

[There's a sale at Kittendales on Cute Overload:)/Daily Kitten; Morrocan kittens by only alice]

Take off your shoes & stay awhile...

[only alice's lovely Marrakesh flickr set]

Venice in Blue & Yellow

Matissean laundry. Huh? We're tired, man. Someday this will all come together. Meanwhile, we forge ahead with picture collection.Another lovely Venetian shot by Allison Lince-Bentley via worldislandinfo.

Colorful canal houses, Burano, Venice

Lovely Burano (in Venetian Lagoon) photograph by talented Allison Lince-Bentley. See Painterly Venice. (via World Island Info).