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)

The Unruly America(i)ne

Lovely photographs from Sidi Bou Said, Hammamet, Nabeul, & other Tunisian towns. Birdcages & iron beds & neroli. That was the plan. But my blood pressure must be spiking because there's a new crack in the ceiling above my desk & I'm running late. For Mediterranean loveliness, visit calm Canadian Diane's Things We Love 2. Barcelona is the starter on the menu; sounds good to me, The Unruly America(i)ne. I feel like a Nervous Lemon. Ahem.

Two classic shots of Sidi Bou Said; the window, [looking for the wiki link]; the street, here. Off to Nabeul & Hammamet tomorrow, I guess.

Rose Clothes

[Nina Leen/LIFE archives]

Souci(s)

The Clever Pup beat me fair & square to a shared thought/quote, here's another one (well, a word anyway). See? No rants, no drama. It's early in the day, though. [photographs from here & here, via we heart it]

Corner Window

It reminds me of a flat I borrowed along the way. The books (none in English) were like that, the corner window, too. I read Bellow in French, Camus in Italian & I thought I was a genius. (Wine was involved). [photograph from pearls and tea (live journal which is not live!, via we heart it]

Shuttered

I'm so disappointed that I'm too unwell to go to a reading & party for an old friend tonight (who lives out of town now). You know I don't feel well if I cancel a hair appointment. And Julie still hates me for stuffing teensy quartered pills down her throat. It's a twice-a-day struggle & I yelled this morning. I feel terrible; it caused her to have an asthma attack. And, and, and. Back to bed with books...a new Inspector Montalbano by Andrea Camillieri. Oh if you've not read them, do. Here's a link to a Sicily Travel site that creates tours based on the books (& accompanying TV series)!

So, behind the old ironwork grille...it lets in light & air, though. Many good links on this page & on Giulia's blog. Please visit them & be well. Also, see the little rant below; it might concern you.*

ciao

[photograph by always terrific & talented only alice]

*I stumbled onto hundreds & hundreds of images taken from both blogs with none of the attributions I give to the artists...much less to this humble mish-mosh (yes, I had plans a year ago for something better, didn't turn out that way, yet) & the GG blog. And super-annoying "Oh we don't know where we found them or who the photographers are..." Really? So you see--anyone who reads this--when people ask me why I don't publish-publish online, this is why. Amongst other reasons. But I will absolutely let you know if I see any of your work or work you've discovered/manipulated into mosaics, whatever, & published without the attribution for which you have asked. I've already let two Spanish photographers know. I realize there's not much they can do but they can at least pay the little sh*t a visit.

In Ombra - Monday Blues

In ombra is (in the shade) in Italian. Two more beautiful shots by Olga. Now, I'm going to go lie down & see if the world is a little better after that. As ever, I ask to be allowed my delusions. If you are part of the Twitterati, please go to juliethecat & follow or tell me to follow you. I'm pretty easy that way. I need to build a bit of a following so that I can harangue people in 140 characters about upcoming events. I'll try to be entertaining.

Other matter at hand, yesterday was Holocaust Memorial Day (& there was a lovely PBS production of Anne Frank's Diary on last night; it shall be repeated, don't miss it. This production--no offense to others--is when I finally thought: That's Anne, the writer). April 11-18 are the Days of Remembrance. Here's the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum with activities & online virtual stuff if you're not here in DC. This year's theme is an elaboration on last year's (What You Do Matters). This year: Stories of Freedom: What You Do Matters. Here's last year's Giulia Geranium post on what would have been Anne's 80th birthday in June. Darling photograph of Anne & Margot at the beach.

With gratitude to Olga for her generosity.

ciao

Through the Keyhole

A thrilling sight, especially in person: keyhole arches in Islamic architecture. I've been to Kairouan (Tunisia) but certainly my photographs are nothing compared to the one here. (And also, my scanner has decided to act up.) If you go, don't forget your rose flower water!

[Two Marrakesh shots by only alice; the Great Mosque of Kairouan by Jaume Ollé.]

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]

Blue Paris

For later project. By Johnny Santo Domingo, via A Cup of Jo (via )Abby. Phew.

Week's End - Blue Danube

For later. Lovely photograph of the Royal Palace on the Danube by Miki** via flickr.

Fragments, Naples

(Naples, for later) All photographs by Robert in Toronto who so obviously gets it. Please see Robert's larger format photographs, here, here, & here (for the photographs above); you will see much more detail if you go directly to these links. Thanks.

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.

Blue Shutter in Bretagne

Rochefort-en-terre, France, blue door and shutter, red geraniums by Robert in Toronto. [here is the link to the larger format, it's lovely.] Will be "visiting" France, Italy, & elsewhere in the coming weeks via Robert. Seriously beautiful & generous. He has a creative commons license. Bouquets of his favorite flower(s) to him. The photograph of Capucine in green is in Paris but it looks nice with the other; stone, brick, geraniums, summer clothes...it's not Washington, DC (see below). I can go back to lying down, speak French & Italian to the sleepy orange cat (she can't object to verb tenses), drink mint tea, & escape. Perhaps inability to walk to corner for newspapers will be a good thing.

I tried to be polite & correct three times this morning to cancel my RSVP to an event. You know, so someone else could be admitted easily, without waiting. See in yesterday's post. Too tired. When an imperious (young) twit says "I'm sure they'd figure it out when you don't get here..." you should hang up the phone. Hard. Slam it. No, of course I didn't. Now must decide if this repeat offender should be reported to his supervisor. You know. In case I was someone, uh, important. Geez. This jerk has really bloomed since last summer when he was clueless & rude to about five people (not me, I was watching) in ten minutes at a poetry & politics or political poetry or whatever-the-panel was...I thought: wow, these kids really don't get it. You have to be at least decent to everyone unless they're hitting you or something. I wanted to whack him in the head with my bag but it remains purse-fantasy for now.

Hope everyone else's day goes well. I promise to stop ranting soon.

The other side of the blue wall

So why can't she have the balloons? Pretty colors, though.(photo credit)

L'heure bleue, Paris window

For later, writing project. Another l'heure bleue photograph & as a bonus it includes my window fixation. This is by a terrific guy in Paris, Yannick Vigouroux who has been very helpful with photographs, the color blue, & the French poetry scene. You just never know when you write to someone for permission what will happen. Sometimes, it's just "sure." And that's fine. And then sometimes it's a lot more. I'll be out & about the rest of the week & the computer is edgy. So I'm going to set photos to run through Friday. Just in case. Ciao & thanks, Yannick!

Three views of Vence

Still looking for Vence images...these aren't the ones I need for a specific project but I like them. Through the eyes of the same photographer (Tony M. of Vence, France). Black & white; sepia filter/dusk; washed-out pale with blue, window detail. A café. Computer continues on edge of nervous breakdown, so pictures for now. And writing, off-line.

Note: Check out English Muse's The girl with the pink gloves today. I left a comment but have more to say here later. Riffing on someone else's stuff? Kind of a virtual mini-workshop, in my experience. xo.

Celestial Ceiling

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

Rosewater

Lame? Well, yes but you try & think of something more clever than "pink" on short notice. Besides, I use rosewater & it came to mind & the blog is bricolage, after all. North African pinks, roses, rose-mixed-with-ochres, are so beautiful. From only alice's Marrakesh set (to which she has added, grazie alice.) ciao.

Orange Window

Oh so beautiful orange (& the whole spectrum). From Rome & Marrakesh. (top photo of Roman window by Giampaolo Macorig & Marrakesh photos by only alice.) ciao.