The Piano Teacher

A little fun for a Monday morning. Anyone who took (or is taking) piano lessons can relate to this photograph by Dmitri Kessel [LIFE archives] "You haven't practiced this week, have you? Um, yes, sort of. What, pray tell, is this 'sort of' of which you speak?'"

The Clever Pup (you should visit her, she's done some painting over the week-end) sent us a video that we could actually download & watch on RealPlayer (dial-up, you know). GG loved it. She wants a piano now, too. Probably the whole world has seen Nora, the Piano Tuner...but in case you haven't, she's all over the Internety-Tweetiebird-YouTubes (as our favorite late-night nut would say). So Google that & watch Nora; Googley-Feedburner will 'yell' at us if we put in a corrupted.wmv file here (& we can't tell the difference until it has caused a heap o' trouble.)

[UPDATE: The Clever Pup has posted the info for Nora, The Piano Cat & her website. Go here to see. Thanks, Pup.]

Rumor is that the Nora's sequel not only equals, but may surpass, the original video. How often does that happen in the world of entertainment? Huh? It would make a cat laugh.

a cheery-cheeky-ciao/GG & mgmt.

A Parisian Café Cat

We're busy & photographer Patrice Panfili saves the day with laugh-out-loud pix. Most of his shots are people, streetscape. GG is in love. What a puss on this puss. Patrice calls him (in French) "king of the town." [Notice how proud the cat's guardian is ..he ees so chic, non? Oui. [from the archives as brief relief. The photographs are larger & better quality than original downloads.]

bisou
GG Central

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.]

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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

A Soldier's Good-bye & Bobbie the Cat

Two of GG's favorite photographs from the wonderful, still-growing State Library of New South Wales Archives. These are, again, by our favorite Sam Hood. (Bobbie looks a bit annoyed, no?)

If you know anyone who needs help & support due to the loss of a family member or a friend (they do not have to be a relative) who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, please go to Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). They do a great job & one of our best friends is on staff there. TAPS has a 24-hour hotline: 1-800-959-TAPS (8277). Do not hesitate to call on someone's behalf if they are unable to take the first step; TAPS will give you good advice on how to proceed.

Have a safe day.

ciao-meow/GG/Mgmt

Thomasina in Marrakesh

Cats, orange cats, everywhere we look. We're already running late & like the idea of tossing the errand list & ambling around with this cat, through & past patterned tiled walls. Back later! ciao-salaam-meow/GGCM (photographs by the terrific only alice)

G'day, Thomasina

An Australian Thomasina in the 1930s...looking pensive (or peevish, your choice), with poppies in the foreground. By Australian photojournalist Sam Hood, from the Library of New South Wales archives. Wonderful images from the 1930s & 1940s. (Cat on a radio is also a favorite.)

ciao-meow/GG

GG dans les Tuileries

Another Mainzer vintage cat postcard. It reminds us of les Tuileries afternoon action. (Or any lovely park, for that matter...but GG has her Paris fantasies & the last time we indulged in a GG in the Tuileries post, it was October 2008). Trying to talk her into a Greek fantasy, as that's one of many things/places in mind during this Easter week. Greeks have wonderful holiday traditions that put the Easter Bunny to shame, no offense to EB. (We still love you EB! Don't forget GG's basket). The Italians, especially Rome & points south, have wonderful traditions, too. See Bleeding Espresso's Easter in Calabria. So a trip to Italy first, then Greek Easter a week later would be ideal. Now, how to finance this? Hmmm. These vintage cat postcards, while darling, won't get us far. (via scan from personal collection)

ciao-chocolate-meow!

It would make a cat laugh - Week's End

There's too much going on (& the computer will not cooperate anyway) to post more than have a great weekend. GG the cat is goofing off & we thought, it's enough to make a cat laugh. This vintage postcard is hilarious & we wish it could be clearer, but it's a scan. Alfred Mainzer's vintage Comic Dressed cats has a website.

ciao-meow/GG/mgmt

Felinity, Part II

More charming illustrations from our Italian book....see here for part one. Computer troubles again.

ciao-meow/GG

Felinity

Well, the book to which we refer is titled Giochi per gatti di casa (Games for house cats) by Rita Persichini & it was a gift from our friend Maria Caterina di Perugia. Here are some of the darling original illustrations by Lorena Dominici. We keep the book propped up on one of the bookshelves...not that many people notice; there's quite a mash-up on those shelves. But someone noticed recently & GG immediately started to show off her silly ability...she didn't need the book, of course. It's just for our amusement. For lots o' cat drawings (& other art), visit Small Expectations. We do every day.

ciao-meow,
GG/mgmt

(images in the collage via scan; we've searched high & low for a way to give credit where it's due. The booklet was published in December 1996 & says "Copyright MCS editore, Perugia."

Listen to the radio...

Sings Nanci Griffith & we agree. We'd be lost without it. Especially with computer trouble.

ciao-fume-meow,
The Management

(Cat sitting on radio, 1930s Sydney photo by Sam Hood/via we heart it)

One foot (or paw) in front of the other...

...is the only way to get there, anywhere. Especially in an ancient, storied town like Matera, southern Italy (a UNESCO Heritage site). (Photographs by miki**) Good morning.

ciao-meow, GG/mgmt

This was the plan all along...

We're not buying it either but one must allow people (& cats) their dignity. It's that sort of day here, too. (photo by miki** from southern Italy)

ciao-rush-meow,
GG & editor

Cat Carnevale - Week's End

Our friend Maria Caterina di Perugia went to the Festa del Gatto in 2004 (in Perugia, of course!) when she was attending the language school there. These images are from the brochure/schedule that always makes us smile. Maria di P. brought us a lovely original watercolor of a family of gatti rossi (red cats) from an art gallery, the name of which escapes us at the moment. The painting still requires a frame; we'll wait until it can be done properly at our favorite framing shop.

Here is a fun link to the Gatto-Web site (it's amusing even if you don't read Italian). Here's Perugia's official site; we can't find a mention of this year's festa (there are gatto festivals in other Italian cities, particularly Florence & Rome), but perhaps you can. Our head hurts from too much Googling with dial-up. This is a tie-in to Carnevale, ongoing. (Also called Fasching in German-speaking countries.) Can you imagine how wild Venice is right now? Yikes. Michelle Fabio of Bleeding Espresso has a Carnevale in Venice article in Italy Magazine (UK), here.

The "Cubista" kitty painting above does not have a title (on the brochure, anyway); the other painting is Il gatto, la luna, le stelle ("Cat, moon, stars"); both paintings are by Valentina Trona. Bella! The photograph of the person in the maschera is uncredited, however the brochure was created by Umberto Frascione & Rita Persichini for Il Comitato della Festa del Gatto di Perugia. That's some committee name, huh?

Tina Daunt, columnist of the L.A. Times' Cause Celebre has a pre-Awards column on the documentaries, here. Typical of a Washingtonian, Giulia's editor has seen all but one. Hey, free screenings:) In Tina's other life, today her charming The English Muse blog features a gorgeous rose dress photograph about which we are fantasizing. More about Tina & her blog in the future. As everyone knows, GG looks fabulous every day in her version of the LBD (only it's red/orange & white, accessorized by a rose-pink nose.)

ciao-festa-meow!
GG's stylist

Moroccan meows - Week's End

We're indulging GG here. (here? always!) She alleges a shortage of kitties on this week's page. These two cuties from only alice's Marrakesh portfolio. Her title? allow me this one cute leetle kittin picture. Absolutely!

ciao-meow until this afternoon,
GG Central
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Update: we're too under the weather to do a real week's end post. Drat! We actually had some good ideas & photographs this week. Meanwhile, visit Small Expectations & read a wonderful interview artists Jamie Shelman & Tom Meyer gave to Design for Mankind. About artistic couples sharing the same space. It's enlightening, inspiring, & they're funny, too. GG wants to visit them now; she doesn't think her editor is cool anymore after hearing about them. We imagine her arriving at their snowy island home carrying her little valise, her jaunty beret & scarf worn just so. GG is a good traveller, she loves everyone, & is excellent & witty company. Sometimes, though, we wonder if she doesn't have secret, retractable opposable thumbs because--full disclosure to any future guests, or those offering her hospitality--GG has an unfortunate habit of rifling through purses & pinching things she fancies. We work daily on her rehabilitation; however, we cannot pretend to be hopeful.

Have a great & healthy weekend, all. bisou!

Zen cat

Look at calm, adorable Humphrey. Perhaps he has been working on his mini-grass garden (see earlier today)? Anyway, we're keeping this cool cat's demeanor in mind while we catch up on Darfur, Congo, Zimbabwe news.

Have a great evening,
ciao-meow, GG's editor

(photograph by Marianne Perdomo)

Waiting for La Befana

Though this is titled Love No Matter What (via We Heart It), it reminds us of little children in Italy (& GG) anxiously awaiting la Befana, the good witch tonight. Wonder what will be in the stockings? If GG will stop pulling hers off its little nail, she might find out (after it's filled). Just a tip, bimba.

baci, bisou,
GG's stand-in la Befana

Snowflake mama & kitten

We couldn't resist. My Beautiful Mama & Me. From We Heart It (originally on SubterfugeMalaises on deviantArt).

Christmas Cat with Fairy Lights

Uh oh. Someone's in trouble. We hope right after this moment, the kitty was scooped up out of those fairy lights. Adorable, though. From Cute Overload via We Heart It.

merry meow,
GG & her editor

Christmas Cat Party

Two wonderful photos from photographer & animal rescue heroine Marianne Perdomo of Gran Canaria. She of the Alvar cat photo (A Blue-eyed Snowflake Cat), here. Marianne captures a funny scene which we imagine as holiday party gone a bit wild. (GG claims the dog started it; we're not buying it because GG is an instigator extraordinaire.) In the second photo, we imagine the after-party floops. {Follow the story about Peque, Susi & Robyn, the floopy kitties in the basket, here.)

Computer trouble & GG's antics this a.m. make us late...not the lovely, but quite tame, holiday party we went to last evening. Check out Marianne's photostream at flickr. [Some photos also available via animalphoto, another great resource.] Have a great Saturday.

bisou, ciao-meow,
GG's harried editor