VENEZIA, MY LOVE - THE PEARL OF THE ADRIATIC SEA...

...daily defaced
- by ignorant 'tourists' who just come here for a selfie
- by those who think it's 'cute' to eat a piece of foreign-made pizza (if one can still call it pizza), sitting on the          historical steps of Le Procuratie and insult centuries of history by littering those grounds. Would you    
       ever conceive the same happening  in Place Vendôme?
- by imported 'merchants' who sell chinese glass under the false label of Murano
- by unlawful immigrants who sell counterfeit goods in all places
- by criminals from Eastern Europe who organize drug rackets, with Africans  in some areas where people
        are now afraid to live in?
My poor Serenissima.
You're sinking under the weight of ignorance and mass tourism.
You deserved better.
You, Pearl of the Adriatic where artists and connoisseurs chose to live, create and die.
You, Venice, who stood up against the Popes and the Inquisition
You, Venice, are you now giving up completely the values that made you so powerful?
You, Venice, do you really want to become a kind of discredited  Disneyworld?

LEONARD COHEN - DID I EVER LOVE YOU

I think there are few songs so fierce about love.
I loved all tracks but this one is special to me.

LOVE STORY

 1. Reconnaissance

 2. Speeding Explorations

3. Joining Efforts

4. Till Dusk

 5. The Right Place

6. The Love's Nest

7. Some Time Later...The Last Duckling to Leave His Parents...

A SMALL TOWN BUT SO IMPORTANT...

...since it was Sole's place. The first snow of this 2015 Winter. How she would have loved it.

WINTER TIME IS THE TIME FOR WHITE

White is the summa of all colours.
Sole loved white. She said it was a canvas on which you could paint or write anything.
I made some pictures of magnolia flower that - along with the lily of the valley - was one of Sole's favourites.
The genesis of a magnolia flower

IN THE SKY AND I THINK OF...

...Sole who loved flying all around our globe.

(Picture shot by me)

LET'S JUST TAKE A BREAK AND ENJOY...

...some little good news.
My daughter was travelling to Paris and...surprise...surprise...she was met, at the reception desk, by a tiny, lovely bunny named Bebel. Bebel is a young bunny girl and is allowed to run everywhere.
But since she's a well-educated young lady, she just goes around the reception.
I think I know where to book my hotel for my next stay in Paris :-)

Sole loved bunnies.

L'ANIMAL EST UNE PERSONNE

http://avxhome.se/video/Format/documentary/animal_personne.html

NOUS SOMMES LA FRANCE

ONCE AGAIN FANATIC IGNORANCE...

...ASSAULTS OUR LIBERTIES.

Once Again we state that they will never prevail.
Never
Never
Never
Liberté,
Liberté chérie...
Plus que jamais
Aux Armes Citoyens !

SOLE NEVER FAILED TO CELEBRATE

...Halloween. She did it playfully, joyfully and made it so much fun for everybody.

JULY 12TH, 2015

Frantisek Kupka - The Wave 1902

Today, Sole would have been 40. I'm sure she would have been her usual lively, vibrant, warm, joyful and funny self.
With love to you, Sole... Anyone who met you still feels a great void.

REDHEADS ARE SO SPECIAL

LIBERTE'. EGALITE'.FRATERNITE'

BELLISSIMA

Such as she would've been, had she lived in that century
I can view Sole as the perfect model for any of past centuries artists as, for instance
Leonor Fini

THE REDHEAD's FAMILY PLACE

On her father's side, she was Venetian and loved this town.
A couple of days ago, just before the last day of 2014, there was a snowfall that made of  Venice (too often invaded by ignorant mass-tourist hordes) a graceful, magic place.
That's how she loved it.

THE REDHEAD FOREVER

She loved Leonard Cohen. So, how better to celebrate her memory than with this wonderful video for which I thank the uploader.
The second song makes me think of a Canadian author, Louise Penny, that I love.
Her Acknowledgements as written in her Novel 'How the Light Gets In' are really touching.
For anyone fancying quality Mystery Stories, I'd recommend starting from her first novel, featuring Inspector Gamache ( I'm sad to say her last one disappointed me but all the previous stories were absolutely wonderful).
Canada seems to be home to many fine persons.
Sole loved One of them especially.

PETS ARE ...

...so far ahead of us.
If you dont believe it, just view
https://twitter.com/TheFuckingCat
and
https://twitter.com/EmrgencyKittens
and
https://twitter.com/HenriLeChatNoir
and
https://twitter.com/SimonsCat

I must say that even the darkest day seems to be a brighter one and I can't avoid smiling and laughing when I view them :-)

ECHOES

Echoes from beyond.
Schubert in these desolate lands
Death and the Maiden
Sole's voice in my memory
Always

PS.
Worth to be mentioned : Roman Polanski's movie with superlative performances by Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley with Schubert soundtrack.Polanski's Death and the Maiden

WHERE HAS LOVE GONE ?

Everywhere
Frowning brows
and
Deeply etched lines
Open, demanding hands
Anguished faces
And not a sign
Of hope
Is this the better world
We were supposed to hand over
To our sons and daughters ?