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)

A Battle Lost

Van Gogh's Prayer by János Pilinszky (originally published in Poetry, March 2008)

A battle lost in the cornfields

and in the sky a victory.

Birds, the sun and birds again.

By night, what will be left of me?

By night, only a row of lamps,

a wall of yellow clay that shines,

and down the garden, through the trees,

like candles in a row, the panes....rest of poem, here.

It might seem unfair, that title, as it is Van Gogh's birthday, but...it's my blog. Such as it is. Hazel at the Clever Pup has a nice tribute today.

[the first of 3(versions) La chambre de Van Gogh à Arles in VG museum/Amsterdam via French wikipedia; Rami di mandorlo in fiore/Amandier en fleurs is a postcard via my old scanner. Update, nope. Here is a much better link via Arianna at Wikimedia Commons.]

Week's End - The Writing on the Wall

Gorgeous Amsterdam wall. Civilized, eh? So unlike here. Going to the market was like running a gauntlet in edgy & angry Washington. Making phone calls on behalf of the health care bill was enough to make me lose my appetite. Georgetown's shocking NCAA loss has not helped. OK, inside baseball. Uh, basketball. Sheesh. Big sigh & ciao for the weekend. I'll be by to visit....

PS: Don't forget to visit The Plum Plum shop. I received the notebook on Monday--it's so lovely.

[photograph via non-profit City photos]