Bella Capri on Sunday

How GG & her editor would like to be in Capri (OK, perhaps Anacapri during tourist season) today. These lovely images were recently posted by the Library of Congress. Visit their Photochrom Travel Views set, here, & marvel at their ongoing Grand Tour. Also, we recommend a visit to Australia's Being Ruby & her lovely photographs from a trip to Anacapri.

ciao-meow/GG's travel agent

[To see all 6,500 pictures now, check out the Photochrom Print Collection at the Library of Congress, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.pgz]

Cool & Calm Wales - Week's End

Two lovely calm photographs from the Library of Congress via flickr; they've new Welsh photographs. We particularly like these two. It's very hot in Washington (not unusual) & we're feeling sort of peevish, so these will help. We hope you have a wonderful weekend.

ciao-cariad-meow/GG's editor

[both photographs between ca. 1890 and ca. 1900, Aberdovey, Wales, see full size, here]

London Lights

Will Somerset House sue us? How mean would that be?* [No, no threats, we just didn't like the feeling; so see update & new public photograph info below.]

A post & a link to a cool photo of impossibly glam ice skating in London. GG is pondering how, just how, to go skating on the Mall or the canal in Georgetown (since she can't be in London). She doesn't need skates, just a fancy bow & an elegant wrap for her pink ear-tips. The post is from Wee Birdy & here is the beginning of her London-specific holiday list (but everything is available on-line & under £10).

*Update: a replacement photo by Michael Pead, used with permission of photographer via license.

Cheers!
GG & her editor

Odetta, 1930-2008

Odetta was one of those people who seemed immortal. It's sad that she won't be alive to attend the Inauguration. She was very excited to see Obama's election, though, & that is some consolation. Here Odetta's page on the Folk Music Archives Organization website. Maya Angelou said it best: "Thank you Odetta, for continuing to define and enlighten our load."

xoxo,
GG Central

What kind of world do you want? (Part 2)

Isn't she lovely? This lady (we don't know her name) posed for photographer Jay Dedman on the afternoon of 28 January 2006. We hope she is alive & well. But she lives in the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman. Please go to Raise Hope for Congo & the Enough Project to see what you can do; it's probably more than you think. We cannot stress the urgency of the current crisis in eastern Congo enough. If you own or use a cell phone, a computer, any kind of electronics, this affects you. Here is the link to Anderson Cooper's 60 Minutes piece, The War Against Women, in January 2008. It was repeated in August & the situation has only deteriorated.

Once you know, you can't say you don't.

November's full frost moon

November's moon is full tonight. Full moons have many names, depending on the culture. One name for November's is 'frost.' The Farmer's Almanac & other sources for the date/time of the full moon always disagree, within one day's date. It depends on where you live & the source. Some sites list November's full moon as the 14th (tomorrow night). We follow the lunar widget on GG's site for consistency's sake. The moon is really full & big both nights...that's our last statement on the subject. Finis.

Bonne nuit, bisou!
GG Central

Blue Aster

We love asters, particularly the blue ones...some are still in bloom in our part of the world. There are many types of the species; particularly familiar are Michaelmas daisies. (Also Chinese asters which are different, but charming as well.) The word 'aster' is Greek for 'star.' [click here for Brooklyn Botanical Gardens' lovely entry on asters.] Bunches are available at a nearby farmer's market...we'd bend the food budget for these; however, as much as GG loves fleurs, she's not budging a centimeter on the subject of her beloved (expensive) Premium Feast natural cat food. That is going just too far.

bisou, bonne nuit,
GGCM

Chrysanthemum

They bloom on, thank goodness. We disliked them...until we grew them & had to choose from the multitude of types/species, etc. They are much prettier than those in most florist's shops. The public domain photographer must be a bit shy as there is no name; only the moniker Cab02.

Vote! (Or help others do so.)

Bonne nuit

(c) Free pictures of cities

Dahlia

Dahlias in a moment.

GG's editor has received searches & requests regarding the "English Muffin" t-shirt worn by Nigella Lawson in a post earlier this autumn. We've searched & the shops that make them & are easily found (zazzle & cafepress) are vulgar & cheesy. And not in a funny way. So we're not linking to them. You could order a t-shirt from any vendor & it will look just as good. Slap a Union Jack on it if you like. If anyone finds a cute shirt like Nigella's, let us know. We are aggrieved that we are unable to accommodate our lovely readers.

Dahlias because...we needed to tell everyone about Nigella. And because GG Central hopes you have pulled up your dahlia tubers & put them to "bed" for the winter. And because we are so frustrated that we cannot, in good conscience, post photos from today's New York Times Style Magazine: The French Issue. So here's a link. Have fun.

xoxo, GG's editor

PS: Thank you to Mark Twyning for his lovely dahlia photos; he placed them in the public domain & we are very grateful.

Notre Dame at Night

GG's editor is very upset & worried about the economy...we are very angry, too. C'est bizarre, le monde. So we're trying to calm down by looking at photographs. Oh to be looking at this in person! Ciao. (c) Free pictures of cities