The Cats of Istanbul

It's been a few weeks since I posted anything on this blog.  I was away on vacation with my family.  This time we ventured to Istanbul, Turkey.  I had never been to Turkey before and it did not disappoint!  I won't bore you with travel photos.  However, I will delight you with these wonderful pictures of the cats of Istanbul.

Istanbul inhabitants love their neighborhood cats and they take very good care of them.

Here is the lovely little white kitty that lived next door to the apartment we rented in the Cihangar district of Istanbul.  Her owner indicated that this little cat is deaf.  It warmed my heart that it had a good home and was loved.

As you can see, there's all colors and kinds of beautiful kitties.

These two kitties found a quiet place to take their cat naps!

As you walk through the neighborhood, you can see the shelters along with food bowls and water bowls that the people set out for their neighborhood cats.  According to the people we spoke with, the people of Istanbul really do love their cats and care for them.

Here's a photo of the neighborhood "cat house" that was at the end of our street.  Don't you love the design?

Here's another lovely little one, watching everyone from her perch.

This little tuxedo cat is beautiful with it's long fur.

During the ten days I spent in the lovely city of Istanbul, I saw many many cats.  And, there was only two that that some medical problem.  It warmed my heart that these lovely, innocent animals are being cared for by their community.

As to my own cat, Lilly, well she is a handful.  At 16 pounds, she keeps me very busy.  She was home alone while we were away and she did get into a little bit of trouble. Her latest activity is to shred paper.  She was so happy when we returned. She purred all night!

I wish each of you the very best and I hope to share with you next week my completed stripey blanket.  Please drop by Handmade Harbour and visit some wonderful blog sites where you will find lots of ideas to inspire you.

take care,
Pat

Churchmouse Yarns & Teas in Bainbridge Island

It's always nice to go home again and last month I was able to go back for a visit to my beautiful home state of Washington.  I went to celebrate my brother's 70th birthday.  It was so nice to see family and friends.

So, today I will share with you some photos of that visit.  As usual, the wonderful spring rain greeted me when I arrived in Seattle.  There were "sun breaks" so that I could see the Cascade mountains and also the Olympic mountains.  When the mountains appear, they are beautiful.  A friend of mine said they had never heard of "sun breaks" in the weather forecast until they moved to the Seattle area!

I arrived at the perfect time since trees were getting their new coat of lovely leaves and the flowering shrubs were in full bloom.

Monday was such a picture perfect day that my friends and I drove to Bainbridge Island.  Bainbridge Island is part of the peninsula and is a short ferry ride away from Seattle.  However, since we were in the south part of the Puget Sound, we drove across the Narrows Bridge and enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way.

 Above is a photo of my beloved Narrows Bridge.  I used to live on the high bank directly to the right of the bridge.  That side of the bridge is Gig Harbor and the picture is taken from the Tacoma side.

Here's another picture of the sound taken from Tacoma and looking across to Gig Harbor.  In the background you can see the Olympic Mountains.

On the plane ride up to Seattle I sat next to a lady who was a knitter like me.  She was going to Bainbridge Island and I told her about a wonderful yarn shop there.  It's my all time favorite yarn shop.  I think I first found out about it from a magazine article that I googled.  I have gone there many  times over the years.  So, when it was such a beautiful day, I and my friends drove to Bainbrige to visit Churchmouse Yarns and Teas.

Isn't it a quaint looking shop?  And when you walk inside there's all kinds of yarn and pattern samples that you can chose from.  I love to go and see what I can make with the yarn and if you purchase the yarn, they give the pattern to you for free!  Here's the link to their website.

And, best of all, there is a wonderful display of fine teas and accoutrements in a part of the shop.  I bought this fancy tin of South African tea from Ireland (my cupboard is full of tea from my England trip!)  Just what I needed.....

 The shop is located on a cute little street called Madrone Lane.  Here's a photo for you:

We ended our visit with a delicious lunch at the corner Blackbird Bakery.  They have amazing homemade soups and bread.

I had such a great time.  To reconnect with my family and friends and also to visit my beautiful Washington state.  I love the weather down here in Southern California and I like the palm trees and red tile roofs but I will ways be a Washingtonian at heart!

I hope each of you are doing well.  I have been having so much fun making my stripey blanket.  Hopefully I will share the finished product with you soon.

Please drop by Handmade Monday and see what other crafts you can discover.

Until next time, 

Pat