August musings

August saw the arrival of a new kitty in our household. Sherman the Birman came to live with us, a gorgeous 12 year old boy, big and fluffy and playful. The top photo was him as a kitten, and wasn't he the cutest kitten ever?! (yes, I'm a proud cat mama).
Wayne didn't want an older cat or two kittens, so he had to choose between Sherman and 2 kittens. So we got  Shermy. And Mr. B. was instantly smitten. He only got to enjoy him for a couple of days before the boys gallivanted off to the USA and Canada. So Sherman and I spent the last two weeks getting to know each other.
At the moment he's keeping me company in the study, close up to the little heater, which he loves. He also likes to sit in front of the computer screen, angling for head rubs and attention. He also likes to be picked up and carried around, purrs his head off. But he's definitely a 2-arm cat. Sherman likes to go out, but only when the weather isn't too awful. He comes back pretty quickly when the wind or rain picks up.

We're trying our different diet items, too. He LOVES steak, so I indulge him with a few morsels. I bought some chicken hearts yesterday, but they're not too tempting, apparently. He likes fish, and fish broths. Roast turkey was ok, just, and I'll try him on some roast chicken next. Gotta keep the little fella happy, and healthy. I want him to chew a little more, keep those teeth healthy.
I guess I've bored you sufficiently with my cat tales, so a quick mention of quilty things might be just the thing.
A few months ago, I proposed a couple of quilt challenges - the first one was a country quilt challenge, whereby people picked a country out of a bag and had to make a quilt interpreting that country. The second challenge was to make a quilt depicting a sunset. (If you're on Facebook, check out "Gisborne Quilt Challenges 2016" to see some of the quilts).
I was fortunate to get Lebanon as my country. Fortunate because I doubt many people would know much about Lebanon, whereas I had the opportunity to visit there when I was younger and worked for Middle East Airlines, the Lebanese airline.

I wanted the quilt to depict the country as well as the history of this place, so I made a row-by-row quilt, with the first row interpreting the national flag with its Lebanese cedars. The second row is about the country's history, showing a Phoenician ship. The Phoenicians were excellent shipbuilders and had a trading empire across the Mediterranean. Then there are the Roman ruins of Baalbek, in the Bekaa Valley, a massive temple complex. The third row shows the varied landscape of Lebanon, where you can ski in the mountains in the morning and swim in the sea in the afternoon. It depicts the capital, Beirut, and Jounieh Bay, not far from Beirut, with interesting caves and beautiful beaches. Finally, the little circles depict the national dish of Lebanon, the Mezze. It consists of many individual little dishes with delicacies such as olives, hommus, pickled vegetables, kofteh, stuffed vine leaves, and many more.
I was thinking of giving the quilt either to a Lebanese friend or, if I can find one, a Lebanese aged care place. If you know of one, please let me know.