More About Florence

    When we lived in Florence more than thirty years ago I didn't have a camera and so have very few pictures of those long ago days. I am now making up for lost time.

   
     A  vinaio on via dei Neri. The chianti nuovo has arrived. Quite delicious -- even if the guy in the bar where we have breakfast says it's like spremuta (fruit juice).

    
     Early morning on the Ponte Vecchio before most people have got up.

   
     The fruit and veggies are so fresh and lovely.

    
    The colors just about pop out at you.

   
     If you have eaten your veggies, you certainly deserve cake and lots of it......

   
     Florentines take books and writing and printing and paper very seriously indeed as we all should.
     I have so many pictures they have spilled over here

American Mother's Day in London

 Most mothers would enjoy an astounding cake from Patisserie Valerie  on Old Compton Street.

I'm not sure that anyone needs marzipan animals, but they are certainly fun to look at.....

Upstairs an attentive waitress brings our tea.

(Most mothers need tea.)

Real tea, the kind you need a strainer for......

Flowers from Liberty would be a great treat too, of course.

My present was three new Persephone books to be gobbled up gleefully.

Caffe Roma

I don't think there is anything in New York to compare with the sorts of coffee shops and cafes Merisi  shows us in Vienna but Mulberry Street in Little Italy has Caffe Roma.....

.....where we wandered on Saturday night....

...and looked at all the canoli and biscotti and Napoleans...

This is what I ate.
My main blog is now here 

Uptown/Shadow Shot Sunday

For other Shadow Shots go here.

Uptown on the Subway for a birthday party.

Feel sort of bad taking pictures of people's faces on 

the subway so settle for feet.

Noisemakers to greet the unwitting honored guest.

Are surprise parties wonderful or cruel?

Hmm........

Early evening sun seen form the roof in theWest 90's

The birthday cake was excellent with ice cream

 and real cream and strawberries too.

Evening light hit the brownstones as we walk towards Central Park.

Culture and Cake

C Train to 79th Street. 

Noble sort of statue outside the Museum of Natural History.

Lots of school children around and a very blue sky.

Bus through the park to 5th Avenue.

The Neue Galerie is positively one of my favorite places in New York.

Frances and I think we should move in immediately. Such elegance.

Even the type faces on the posters outside the bathrooms enchant.

No photos allowed in the Brucke exhibition.

But the staircase!

Then we come to the other good bit: the Cafe Sabarsky.

Wood panelling, a grand piano, views of Central Park.

 Austrian doughnuts with apricot jam oozing out.

Merisi, I was thinking of you.

The coffee mit Schlag. (Forgive my attempt at German.)

The cake was perfection: coconut, almond and mango.

In the evening, Eugene Brodsky's opening at Sears Peyton on 11th Avenue.

The open fire escape door an automatic photo op.

More Pink

What a hat to celebrate Valentine's Day! (14th Street and 4th Avenue.)

Yesterday evening the Empire State Building was lit up.

Why is it pink, red and white? Robert asks

He takes this photo anyway........

At 5:30 yesterday afternoon, it was naturally astoundingly rose from the rays of the setting sun.

How romantic....

Beverly of How Sweet the Sound often kindly invites me to join Pink Saturday.

 Usually New York isn't the pinkest of cities.... today is the exception. 

Go here to see more participants.

These pink beaded animals live in ABC carpet but they originally came from Africa.

I think this one is looking for love.

On Broadway and 20th Streets they have wrapped an entire building in a sort of plastic skin.

Wierd -- but definitely half pink.

Such pink cakes in Zaro's!

A Birthday in Blogland

When we translate blogland into real life, good things happen.
It was talented Constance's birthday - she of the enchanting blog Rochambeau.
And, lo and behold, in this topsy turvy world, I got presents too. Here a beautiful little purse marked "Memories" to keep very precious things.
I think bloggers like to make records of things.
And a medallion with bees - bees are very industrious. I wish I was. This will inspire me.



And here is the birthday girl enthroned with her birthday hat on. She is holding a very exotic plant called a heliotrope Karen and the others bought in the flower district. Constance looks very queenly.

And since it is Constance's birthday, Susanna, Karen and Isabel record the event from one side and me from the other.
Bloggers must bore everyone with their incessant shutterbugging. But we do love it so.



Because it was a birthday we had to eat and drink........a lot.
Mimosas.........salad ( haha we are trying to be virtuous) and then...........



Desserts and lots of them. Isabel's mother in law made a Portuguese almond tart. Celeste brought a chocolate cake.
There were berries from Union Square green market.
A very happy day in blogland.
Wish you could have joined us!