Blue & Yellow & Orange

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

GG's editor used this gorgeous photograph, here, this summer. Oh for a working camera, sigh. Enjoy!

ciao-cheery-meow/GG Central

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)

Make a Splash - Week's End

Have a wonderful, lively weekend. GG & her editor are resting (although GG may be entertaining a notion of busting out like this cat; hard to tell, she has her poker face on). You should check out a colorful post on Jimi Hendrix & his fabulous coat-of-many-colors; it will be on display this summer at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. Intrigued? You should be. The Clever Pup, she's rather colorful herself, will tell you all about it. [photograph via the things she loves/tumblr, via we heart it]

ciao-electric-meow/GGCM

Carnevale di Venezia - Arancione

We're late! We have excuses! You don't care? OK, great. These brightly colored photographs are from last year's generous (& mysterious) waxOr. Hope you had a great time if you celebrated. We called friends in Louisiana & lived vicariously. Maybe next year we'll visit again. (And no, GG will definitely not be going to any Mardi Gras/Carnevale/Fasching festival. Never. Rome, si. London if they'd have her--fume. Strasbourg, oui. But not on a certain Tuesday in February. We must draw the line somewhere.) Buona sera, buona notte, bambini...

ciao-cheeky-meow/GGCM

Wandering in Sicily - Week's End

On a rock in San Vito, Sicily (Inspired by Caspar David Friedrich's 'Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer' painting*) By the lovely & generous Giampaolo Macorig, see here for the original format. Have a great weekend!

ciao-meow, GG/The Mgmt

[*the German painting is in the Hamburger Kunsthalle at http://www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de/start/en_start.html.]

A new week in Sicily...

...but we're in Washington. Oh well. We'll be back later today or Tuesday with news aplenty. And more information on Made4Aid. (Meanwhile, you can get a jump on us & go to the right sidebar--bid on something, perhaps?)

We're always happy to post something from Giampaolo Macorig, generous Italian photographer. He's in Rome but lived in Palermo, Sicily for many years. These are simply gorgeous & if we could, GG & her editor would head off to the airport this afternoon. Cats are most welcome in Italy & Sicily. [please see here for the Sicily & Palmero flickr set--it really is much nicer to see the full-size pix.]

See you soon. Don't forget to check on the news from Darfur.

ciao-meow/the mgmt

Neapolitan Impressionism

...or expressionism or..you decide. Anyway, it's a colorful wall in Naples by Robert in Toronto, via flickr & we love it. He has quite an eye for color & composition & is very generous with his work. [Please see here for large format; it makes a difference.]

We leave you this wall & the thought that you will now have time to visit humanitarian organization sites, play with the goldfish in the right sidebar, visit an online museum in Paris, look at the Eiffel Tower web-cam, & read about Tianamen Square in yesterday's post.

The Management

Flamenco chic, repeat

[repeat from 17 September 2008... but with additional photo & new collage. Still love these earrings & boots & still read Flamenco World. The power struggle with the cat is mostly over; we give up. We won't give up on the causes on this site, though. But we do need to rest...so more repeats this week. Apologies.]

GG & her editor love these accessories from Flamenco World. We've read the online magazine for years & still can only daydream about a flamenco class. GG likes to stomp around on her pink paw-pads, & has done so for several hours. GG covets a pair of Spanish earrings. Honestly, can you see how she would be able to wear them? No? Didn't think so. The GG vs. editor power struggle continues...

Ciao-meow,
GG Central Mgmt.

[Additional photograph to original post: Portrait of flamenco dancer Maria Albaicin by Dean Loomis, Madrid, 1960. Go here to view full-size print. Wow.]

When the day is over...

...you have an Italian sunset from lovely Giampaolo Macorig. So it was worth it then, yes? [taken in Terracina, Italy]

Felinity on la Côte d'Azur - Week's End

[altered post from 24 August 2008; stripped of some extraneous html & 5,000 all rights reserved notices; it is all rights reserved but obviously we didn't know what we were doing last year. Thanks again to Jilly, who is so very generous & has given the go-ahead again for these 2 great pix. Please do visit her Menton, Riviera Daily, & Postcards from Milou photography blogs. We do, every single day. Lovely sites with excellent prose as a welcome bonus. More information about her life is in the post below. We hope you have a wonderful weekend & we hope to be back next week.]

**************

A breath of fresh Mediterranean air from GG Central.

Earlier this month, we had heaps of basil bestowed upon us by the munificent Maria Caterina di Perugia, Hermione the Cool Cat’s human-maman). GG’s editor dragged out an old recipe for Soup menton. Then, choses Menton (and all things southern French—from west to east) began to pop up.

A few days ago, one link led to another, to the Menton Daily Photo, & we just had to go. A beyond-adorable cat was the Thursday, 21 August 2008 Daily Photo. GG was entranced, as was her editor. The tabby-tiger resembles our late, dear Teddy & Oliver in their mischievous-but-sweet, pink-nosed splendor. Beyond the cuteness factor, note the elegant shot & the colors in both photos; anyone with thumbs can take a photo of a cute cat. This is different….and all due to the skill & empathy of photographer/hotelier/writer Jilly Bennett.

Also in the MDP, meet Woolite the Swimming Sheep (yes!) & Manon, the baby donkey at the Fête Patronale de la Saint Barthélémy.

Jilly’s main website is Pension Milou, “…PM... is a 5-star 'pension familiale' for dogs on the Côte d'Azur. The dogs who come to stay, live in the house with me - no kennels or cages. Here you'll read stories of their lives and mine on the French Riviera."

To round out her empire, Jilly publishes Riviera Dogs & Monte Carlo Daily Photo. They are lovely--a mini-holiday. It is well worth a drop-in for a smile, a recommendation to friends, & a thought about our friends–human & animal–across the sea. Read here about Jilly's life & work with animals in the South of France in Real Life Stories from Provence. She's an inspiration.

We plan to visit Menton Daily Photo every day to maintain our sanity in a world gone mad.

Cheers & ciao-meow to all!

© 2007 - 2009 · Jilly Bennett · Menton Daily Photo · All Rights Reserved/photos used by permission of photographer

Incandescence - Week's End

We hope you have a lovely weekend. (First photo credit, click on photo. Second photograph, Kutum, Darfur, Sudan by Susan Burgess-Lent/DPDO/all rights reserved.) The GG blog turns one-year old on Monday. Hope to see you then. Happy May Day.

ciao-meow/GGCM

Greek Easter Eggs - Week's End

Even though Orthodox Easter isn't until 19 April, we could not resist showing these photos today. Here is the link for information & photographers credits. (They entered a contest!) If you don't know about Greek (& to be fair, one entrant is from Bulgaria) egg dyes... natural materials play a big part, especially red onion skins. We did this last year & it was fun...but we've no camera & these look better than ours, for sure.

ciao-eggy-meow/GG/mgmt

Just out of reach...

(photo credit)

Pinks...

...not the flowers. Rose, glowy pinks, dusty pinks. North African pink that goes well with oranges, greens, blues--actually anything. They're geniuses with color. From only alice's Marrakesh sets. She's added more colors for which we are grateful. The window/door/wall & color fixation continues. (And so does the laundry.)

ciao-meow,
GG's editor

IKEA's Soft Animal Toy Campaign 2008

Check out the adorable collection of IKEA stuffed animals here. The annual campaign (through 24 December) contributes $1.00 for every soft animal purchased to UNICEF & Save the Children. [The campaign is ongoing in the UK & Europe, as well.] GG sleeps every day next to Celeste the IKEA Pig...a nearly-20 year old tiny pink pig who is none the worse for wear. Celeste still has a (little) spring in her tail so these cute animals survive a long, long time & appeal to everyone (including cats). The prices are low & it's definitely a good deal for everyone involved. Happy hunting!

bisou!
GG's editor

Centerpieces for tough times

Real Simple has some lovely ideas for 60-second centerpieces. Go here to see the slideshow. We are taken aback by some prices quoted. There is a nice idea for carnations (again!) in a wooden bowl. We've done something similar with a terracotta bowl & one need not purchase eight bunches of carnations--that is not inexpensive. Use these as guides, only. Galvanized tin buckets & other containers are available at hardware stores, at IKEA (& possibly already in your possession). Pine cones are outside lying on the ground...run out & pick up lots of different kinds (as available). Purchasing them is a last resort. Have fun!

bisou,
GG's editor

Scarf Chic, la partie sept...l'oiseau rare

A departure for a scarf series, yes...but a fabric necklace is hard to resist as a twist. The charming necklace is by Sofia Sbarão of Paris. Her accessories shop, l'oiseau rare, is on Etsy. The necklace sold quickly--no surprise--but Mlle. Sofia has many unique pieces & is open to custom work. Contact her through her shop site's email.

These illustrated kittens are enjoying their new collars. GG resembles the ginger kitten; her friend Hermione is a brunette gattina. GG would love a dress-up holiday collar. Her editor has lengths of Belgian lace (yes!) squirreled away. Hmmm. A new Christmas lace collar-necklace for GG? C'est bien possible.

ciao-meow, bisou

To our friends in Takoma Park

We adore all of you--life would be such a bore without TPark. Go here to read all about it. From democraticstuff.com.
bisou, GG Central Mgmt.

Apricot Rose & Jane

The proverbial last bloom is nigh...GG's editor has seen late blooms on floribunda roses around the neighborhood, even downtown. In desperation, she snipped one small apricot-colored flower. Don't judge! Do you think that this will be held against Obama? We're at the ready to bat back ridiculous rumors, scurrilous commentary, & plain ol' mean-spiritedness--all of which are on abundant display. If you hear something you don't like, check here for the facts. This isn't over until YOU vote.

GG was working on her Jo the Plumber get-up for Hallowe'en (with help from management), but has stooped to cliché, unravelling a half-knitted scarf. We may push for the easier Sarah Six-Pack costume. We are not cat dressers but our late dear friend Jane S. said "a cat isn't a cat until it's been dressed up at least once." When Jane passed away, her garden was a 65+ year-old masterpiece (planted by her parents) & full of resident cats, kittens, dogs, & puppies (oh, & grandchildren, too). She was an endless source of heaps of cut flowers, excellent advice, wry commentary, recipes, tips, history, literary quotes, & everything else. When all else failed (whether the conundrum was a social crisis, chaos backstage, university hanky-panky, or stain removal), a cast of hundreds (including her fabulous family) thought the same thing: "Ask Jane." And so we did.

xoxo, bisou
GG's editor

Public Domain Images