Sunshine after the rain

It has been raining 10 days straight and my garden resembles a swamp. All I have been doing was curling up in my snuggle box with the blanket that my gran made for me and SS's old sweater.

It has also been a rather sad and harrowing few weeks. SS and I are grateful and most appreciative of the kind words and thoughts from our friends. The Zoolatry kitties and thier lovely mom, Ann, sent us this to cheer us up....


Today the sun comes out and we decide to make an appearance and visit a few friends. We shall try and come by all your blogs to say 'mieow' in the next few days.

Valentine's Day

Many thanks to Diamond for helping me with the design of this card.

Happy Valentine's Day to My Socksy!!!

The executives of Little Productions are having a Valentine Party at a castle in Sicily. All are welcome.

Please visit Sassy, Asta, Karl, Ruis and Opus to have a glimpse at our adventures later. Of course, my Socksy and his sisters will be there as well. Please join us and have a great day with your Valentines.

Wait, here is a Valentine Card from my lovely sissy Asta all the way from NYC!

Thankyou Asta, I can't ask for better sisfurs than you, Sassy and Momo Dog.

And one from two of my oldest friends, Maggy and Zoey their mom Ann. Thankyou so very much for your friendship. I do so treasure it!!!!

Very Sad News

SS and I are very sad that her aunt, the one who had been very kind to me and looked after me while SS was away, passed away this afternoon.

As she has no children, SS is her closest relative, hence we will be busy organizing things. Blogging and visiting will be suspended for a while. While I will miss all of you, I am sure you will understand as the lady was like a second mom to SS.

Wordless Wednesday

My SS is bizzy with work and family issues and we are taking a short break . I shall leave you with this intriguing look to ponder.

I'll be back soon - please don't forget me!!! I shall be missing you all. Keep well, stay safe and happy!

I am miffed

I am sure you would all sympathsize with me on this issue. My SS was given this mat but instead of letting me have it she insists on putting it outside the front door where I am not allowed to go because we live on a street where metal monsters roar in high speed. I am not happy!!!! It's a kitty mat, isn't it? It should rightly belong to me.




In a huff I am now staying up here and won't be down until dinner time.....

SS is soooooo mean!!!

The answer

Some of the kitties have guessed right - it is the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, China. It is the western region of the Gobi Desert. "Taklamakan" means once you enter, you would not be able to get out. The hint in the picture comes from the camels (not ugly horses, Fin! Hehehe!) - the Bactrian camels have two humps as opposed to the African camels which only have one. That points to Asia rather than Africa.

The picture was taken near a small oasis at the foot of the southern slope of the Tienshan Mountains. These camels belong to the few families who live in the oasis. They very generously invited us in for goat milk tea and some (very hard and dry) bread. The bread, once baked, was meant to last for days. There is a huge Bronze age camp site 'nearby' (actually well over an hour of slow bumpy drive in a 4 WD along a dried up river bed and mountain 'track').

The closest city is the fabled Silk Road town of Hami.....


Ten years ago, nomads were still riding along the dusty roads of the town where very colourful carts were set up, selling anything from handcrafted daggers to fur-lined vests and hats. Now the place has turned into tree-lined avenues of shops, apartment blocks and public buildings - a typical Chinese city. SS mourns the passing of a era.

Within the present city, only small remnants of the past can be seen, such as the Mausoleum of the Muslim rulers of the past.....


Just a short distance outside the city, nature claims its own. The desert pf Lop Nor reigns supreme...


The ruined city of Loulan is 100km ahead.

This is the base of a ruin in the desert from the Han Dysnasty (~200BC-200AD). A bronze age burial was found nearby, complete with a beautifully preserved mummy, textiles and implements.

The temperature was over 50C (122F) at the time. SS, what were you doing out there? Did you want to turn into a dried up mummy too?

Guess where I am

I decide to visit some of the places that my SS went to in the course of her work. Where do you think I am?