Picnic on Box Hill

Refreshingly pretty images for a hot July Monday (although the idea of wearing the clothes in hot weather is another matter entirely). If you haven't seen the "new" Emma on PBS, you really should catch it (the links have re-run schedules). The two-part program was nominated for several Emmy Awards for good reason. The Emma site is great fun. Take the Bachelors of Highbury Quiz. We are not satisfied with our first run-through, so we'll try again; of course, we prefer Mr. Knightley--who else?

Jane Austen Today & AustenBlog are two favorite (of several) Jane Austen sites. In case you're thinking that they are prissy & pursed mouth affairs, you are quite mistaken. Good humor (& a good dose of cheekiness) is the hallmark of these informative, charming, & well-written blogs.

Also, have a look at Hats and Laces. It has wonderful images of all fashion periods, including Regency. It beats washing the kitchen floor, no? Especially since GG refuses to do any sort of housework. She was keen at first, but then became bored. Perhaps Emma has been an influence in this regard. Oh dear. Have a wonderful Monday.

ciao-meow/GG Central

[PBS Emma images via Jane Austen World]

The Bay of Noon

GG Central had to scan a personal copy of Shirley Hazzard's The Bay of Noon for a half-way decent image. Grrr. It must be the third copy we've had in our library over many years. If you've not read her, you simply must. Don't forget The Transit of Venus, Greene on Capri, & The Great Fire. There isn't a living soul writing better English prose than Hazzard. Here is the epigraph for The Bay of Noon, which we've loved forever. (Naples & the Mezzogiorno--an obsession, for over 25 years. We first visited at age, um, 10 years.)

To bless this region, its vendages, and those
Who call it home: though one cannot always
Remember exactly why one has been happy,
There is no forgetting that one was.

W.H. Auden, Good-bye to the Mezzogiorno

baci, bisou, ciao-meow...see you next week.
xoxo, GG