Appreciating Trixie - Caturday Art and Sunday Selfies in Honour of the Birthday Girl

Hallo again, Effurrybody!


Queen Trixie here, with a Double Celebration!

Furrst of all, last Fursday, August the 12th, We celebrated My 9th Birthday.
That is why August the 12th is known as "the Glorious 12th", of course!

And just see what Mummy got Me for My Prezzie! A lovely new Scratcher! 
It's round and made of corrugated cardboard, and inside, there are two little white balls, with a silver bell in each one!  You can't see them in  this picture, but I promise you, they are there.

Since the Scratcher is suffused with catnip, I had to fight off My Brofurs, as they would have stolen it from Me!

The photo above was a little bit blurred, so Mummy decided to artify it, using LunaPic's Yarn effect.

This is Our Entry in this week's Caturday Art Blog Hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie.  Here is their Badge:

You remember I said this is a Double Celebration? Well, that's because the day after tomorrow, Tuesday August the 17th, is Black Cat Appreciation Day!

You know, for some reason Nobody in their Right Mind can fathom, Black Kitties have suffered a Bad Press. Some People (especially in the USA, where We have Many, Many Furriends) think Black Cats bring Bad Luck!?

What absolute Poppycock!  In other countries, there are different traditions.  In some countries, We are considered omens of GOOD Luck. In other countries, like Britain, where Mummy was born, there are mixed traditions. In certain  circumstances, We are thought to be harbingers of Misfortune, while in others, the opposite is true. 
YOU all know the Truth, don't you?
BLACK CATS MATTER.

Mummy found this lovely, little Welsh rhyme about black cats, on Wikipurrdia:

Cath ddu, mi glywais dd’wedyd, A fedr swyno hefyd, A chadw’r teulu lle mae’n byw O afael pob rhyw glefyd.

A black cat, I’ve heard it said, Can charm all ill away, And keep the house wherein she dwells From fever’s deadly sway.

Whatever the case, here is a picture of Me, in all my Glorious Black Beauty, guarding the entrance to the Audience Chamber (aka the Living Room or Salon) of My Home.

This picture, featuring not only My Beautiful, Glossy Black Furs and Jewel-like Eyes, gives due prominence also to my Raspy, Little Pink Tongue.  I was sticking it out at Mummy because I didn't really feel like having My Selfie taken at the time.  But Mummy, who is a Champion of Self-Delusion, doesn't get that. She thinks it's Cute! Well, of course it's Cute. It's My Tongue, after all. But that's hardly the point!

Be that as it may, this picture is Our Entry into the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by Our Dear Furriends, the Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet - and here is their Badge:

They are celebrating the 7th Anniversary of the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop - so I guess that's a THIRD cause for celebration this week!

Before We go, We want to remind you all that the Evil Coronavirus is still on the rampage, so you must be extra careful, and take Good Care of Yourselves and of Your Humans.

Be well. Be safe. We love you all.

Cat Out Of Hell: Shimshi's Scary Caturday Art and Sunday Selfie

Hallo there, Effurrybuddies!

Shimshi here - The Little Purrince, Captain of the Guard and, more impawtantly, Master of the Queen's Mischiefs.

What do you think of My Sunday Selfie? Is it mesmerising? Is it scary?  Does it make you feel as if My Eyes are following you, wherever you go?

It is supposed to be Our Entry for the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, which is hosted by the Wonderful Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet - only they don't seem to have posted this Sunday. We hope nothing is wrong!
We will post their badge, anyway, and link up later if they do post after all.

We were actually finding it hard to decide whether to use this pawtrait, or another, even SCARIER one Mummy took of Me the other day:

Mummy says this one makes me look like a real Cat out of Hell (mol). I do look furry scary, don't I?

So We artified  it on LunaPic, using the Flames effect, which We overlaid with the Gauguin effect at 50%, to make it look even scarier. This is the result:

This will be Our Entry in the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie.

And here is their badge:

Now for Our Other News. The numbers of COVID-infected are skyrocketing once more, and the numbers of seriously ill are also climbing - although not at the same rate. Israel is back in full Green Pass mode, which means the Humans can't really go anywhere (like shopping malls, or concerts or Mewseums etc.) or do anything without a Certificate of Vaccination or a Certificate of Recovery (from the Evil Coronavirus) or proof of having taken a COVID test within the past 72 hours and had a negative result. And workplaces have been ordered to have no more than 50% of their staff in at any one time. And they are saying there will probably be a lockdown over the High Holy Days (just like last year). In other words, We seem to be back to Square 1.   The government is trying to put the blame on the million or so Israelis who could have got vaccinated but didn't do so. But the statistics show that most of the new cases are people who have been vaccinated.  

And now for the GOOD news! Mummy is in transports over Israeli rhythmic gymnast Linoy Ashram's Gold Medal win in the Individual All-Round contest, and  the Gold Medal win by Artistic Gymnast Artem Dolgopyat in the Floor Exercise, as well as our two Bronze Medals in Judo.

Next week sees the start of the Cat-O-Lympics. My brofur Caspurr and I are hoping to take home Gold Medals in the Synchronised Sleep Technique competition, while Trixie, who coached Us, will be competing in the Counter-to-Cupboard High Jump event, in which she is a favourite to be on the winner's podium.

We will leave you now and expect to see you next week at the Cat-O-Lympics, either as fellow Competitors, or as Spectators. Till then,  you and your Humans should continue to observe any regulations which might still be in place in Your Neck of the Woods - Social Distancing, Face Masks, and most impawtant of all, frequent Paw Washing!

Be well. Be safe. We love you all.

Caturday Art and Sunday Selfies With Caspurr the Caspicatious

Greetings, Effurryone!

Caspurr the Caspicatious here, to update you on all the News (such as it is) and to lead the J-Cats on this week's blog hops - the Caturday Art Blog Hop, hosted by the Wise and Lovely Athena and her HuMum, Marie, and the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by the predictably Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet.

  

I had just awoken from my post-breakfast pre-lunch nap and was having a lovely stre-e-e-e-e-etch, when I was tricked into becoming the Star of this week's photo-shoot.

Not that I am not fully conscious of my Star Quality, but I am far too Modest to volunteer for the job (mol).

For Our Caturday Art, We tried a couple of different styles.

Furrst up, We let PhotoFunia turn me into a black and white street mural:

And for something a wee bit more colourful, here I am using LunaPic's Escher Art effect at 60% and using one of their nice, clean-cut frames:

Let Us know in the comments section, which you prefurr.

Now, for the rest of Our News.

Here in Israel, they have decided to go ahead with giving a third COVID jab to the over-60s (a booster shot) starting from today. That is despite the fact that neither the FDA, nor the WHO have yet authorised such shots.

Mummy is in no hurry to receive a third jab. Only 2 months ago they were telling us that the double shot vaccination was apparently good for a whole year. Now, basically,  they are telling us it isn't even all that effective for the 6 months for which they claimed it was effective when they started the vaccination campaign. What next? Will they tell us three months from now that we need to have a FOURTH dose? Will we be expected to have boosters every three months? Every two? Every month?

So, kudos to President Herzog and his wife for their purr-sonal example in getting the booster shot - and on live TV, for which they halted the regular scheduled broadcast.  But Mummy is tired of being a guinea-pig and intends to sit out this round and await developments.  That does NOT mean She has entirely ruled out getting another shot. BUT, She wants to wait and see...

It goes without saying, of course, that She will continue to observe all the Social Distancing and Hygiene rules and recommends that you do too. That means Face-Masks, and, of course, remembering to keep washing those Paws!

And now it's time to start blog-hopping. Furrst of all, here are the Blog Hop Badges:

                    

And off We go. Till next week then - and meanwhile, Be Well. Be Safe. We love you all!

The Floofiness of Trixie: Caturday Art and Sunday Selfie

Hallo again, Effurrybody!

It's Me once more - MOI, Queen Trixie, Furrst of My Name, Empurress of Jerusalem, Israel and the Entire Middle East, Queen of Hearts, Guardian of the Boudoir, Alpha Kitty Extraordinaire.

What wonderful news We all had this week! Sawyer, from the Cat on My Head blog, is finally HOME AGAIN, after being AWOL for 24 days and twelve hours!  We are so furry happy for him and for his Family, both feline and human. And We are delighted to take part in the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by him and his fursibs, the Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet.

Here is My Selfie:

And here is the Sunday Selfies blog hop badge:

We are also pawticipating in the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie. Here is their badge:

                                                             

We used the same picture, and then We artified it, using Lunapic's Beauty effect at 50% and added one of their simple, but elegant frames.

But then Mummy started wondering if that frame, elegant as it is, was not sufficiently majestic for a Feline of My Stature, so She hauled me off to PhotoFunia to pick out a fancy-shmancy frame.

To be quite honest, I kind of feel that frame is a bit overwhelming, and detracts from My Natural Beauty.  

Let Us know in the Comments what you think.

Another great piece of news is that the Cat-O-Lympics have finally started. Are any of you kitties taking part? In which events?

Mummy also found time last week to write her own blog. If you enjoy her caterwauling, do pop over and visit.

Meanwhile, before I set off to visit my fellow bloggers, I want to remind effurrybody, Furries and Naked Bipeds alike, that the Evil Coronavirus has not yet been defeated. In some places, things are better than in others and the Precautions to be taken differ from country to country, but wherever you are, the Rules are there for Your Purrtection, so make sure you and your Humans observe them.

So carry on Social Distancing wherever necessary, wear facemasks (especially in crowded venues) and, most impawtant of all - ALWAYS - keep washing those paws!

Be safe. Be well. We love you all.

Shimshi's Undecided Caturday Art and Sunday Selfie

Hallo, Effurrybuddies!

It is furry, furry, furry HOT!

We have heard that all over the World, the Weather has been furry hot - and if not that, then there have been FLOODS.  It seems like the Evil Coronavirus wasn't enough! The Whole Wide World has gone CRAZY!

We haven't had floods here in Israel, but, as I said, it is H O T!!!

This Little Kitty isn't dumb enough to go and sit on a Hot Tin Roof, however and I have been attempting to chill out indoors. But the heat makes Me furry tired and sleepy, so I haven't been inventing many new Mischiefs lately, despite being Officially designated Master of the Queen's Mischiefs. Instead, I have been snoopervising Mummy furry closely to see what She is getting up to.

For example, when She opens one of the cupboards in the Kitchen, I have to check out the contents furry diligently, to make sure Mummy is eating the right noms. Otherwise, how will She stay healthy and be able to take propurr care of Us?

We thought this would be a good choice for Our Entry in the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by the Adorably Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet.

This week, they are commemorating the Amazing and Handsome Mau, who flew away to the Bridge a year ago.  And, like all of Us, they are still waiting and purraying for Sweet Sawyer to come home.

Here is their Badge:

We are also pawticipating in the Caturday Art Blog Hop, hosted by the Wise and Lovely Athena and her HuMum, Marie, whose Badge We present below:

For this, We used a slightly different picture, which was slightly (only just slightly) blurred:

We tried all kinds of LunaPic filters, and in the end, We found no less than FIVE which We thought looked really good, only Mummy and I could not agree which one was best - not with each other, and not with ourselves (mol).


Furrst of all, the Delaunay filter at 75%:

Next, the Grey filter at 30%:

Next up - the Waves filter at 25%:

One of the reasons We found it hard to choose, was the similarity between these two.  In fact, the next one, Smoke - at 50% - is also quite hard to distinguish from the previous two.

But Option #5, Nouveau at 70%, is completely different - and furry colourful:

Let Us know in the Comments section, which is your favourite.

Here in Israel, We are again seeing almost a thousand new COVID-19 cases daily - mostly the Delta Variant. The Humans in Charge want to see if the Crisis can be managed without going back into lockdown, but that depends on the Goodwill and Cooperation of the People (and so, it seems unlikely, says Mummy, cynically).

Anyway, if We are facing a 4th Wave, you probably are too - or will be, sooner or later. That being the case, We hope you and your Humans are remembering to take all sensible Precautions for your Purrtection: Social Distancing, Face-Masks and (it goes without saying) - WASHING YOUR PAWS!

Be safe. Be well. We love you all!

XOXOX

Caspurr's Peekaboo Caturday Art and Sunday Selfie

Hallo there, Effurryone!

It's Me again!

In case just one of my beautiful Eyes and Ears aren't enough for you to identify ME, I will reveal that it is I, Ser Caspurr the Courageous (and Caspicacious), Furrst of My Name, Commander-in-Chief of the Impurrial Forces and King of the Tigger Tabbies (but you knew that, didn't you? - MOL) and I am here to lead the J-Cats on this week's blog hops - the Caturday Art Blog Hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie and the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by the Delightfully Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMum, Janet.
The Blue Family are still awaiting news of sweet Sawyer, who has been MIA for over two weeks now. We have been purraying all day and effurry day for him to come home, and We know you all are too. Wherever Sawyer is, may the Great Cat in the Sky continue to watch over him.

It has been a furry busy week for Mummy, who took part in not one, but TWO concerts with her Caterwauling Club. Tonight, they are having their End-of-Season Pawty and then We will have Her to Ourselves for the rest of the Summer, thank goodness!

The Box you see in the picture above was one Mummy ordered for Us specially, from SuperPharm. There was a lot of junk in it, such as shampoo and scented soap, and Other Such Things. We didn't want to throw them all away and waste them, so We gave them to Mummy. Mummy was so grateful, She cut out windows in the Box, to make it more interesting for Us.  Each of Us posed for Our Pawtraits in The Box, but, as I said, this week it is MY turn to lead the blog hops. 

We chose another picture of Me in the Box, for Our Caturday Art - with both eyes, this time (mol).

We artified the picture with LunaPic's Mosaic Effect, which We overlaid with the Yarn Effect at 70%. Then We added an elegant frame - and THIS was the result:

And now it is time to join the blog hops. Here are the badges:

              

Before We go, We want to remind you that the Evil Coronavirus has not yet been defeated (indeed, here in Israel, it seems to be on the rise again - especially the "Delta Variant"). Until it is, remember to carry on Social Distancing and wearing Face-Masks and, most impawtant of all - keep washing those Paws!

Be safe. Be well. We love you all.

Trixie's Sultry Summer Sunday Selfie and Caturday Art

Hallo again, Effurrybody!

Once more, I, Queen Trixie, Furrst of My Name, Empurress of Jerusalem, Israel and the Entire Middle East, Queen of Hearts, Guardian of the Boudoir and Alpha Kitty Extraordinaire, have been chosen to lead the J-Cats as We pawticipate in the Caturday Art Blog Hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie and the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by the Amazingly Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet.

It is a furry hot and sultry day, kitties - and I think I am looking pretty sultry too, don't you?

This is my Sunday Selfie - but what I was thinking about, when it was taken, was Sweet Sawyer, of the Kitties Blue, who is still missing, without a trace. We can only imagine what his family must be going through. Please, please, please, Great Cat in the Sky - look after Sawyer and send him safely home to his family!!!

Next, here is Our Caturday Art. We took My Sultry Sunday Selfie and Artified it with LunaPic's Landscape Filter at 70%.

Mummy then added the Finishing Touch with a Flower Frame, from PhotoFunia, to make it really and truly summery.

Here are the Blog Hop badges:

                              

We had a bit of a scare last week when Grandpaw had to go back to hospital because of a post-surgery complication, but luckily, the doctors were able to clear up the purroblem quite quickly and send Grandpaw back home later the same day.

You may have heard that the Evil Coronavirus is on the upsurge again here in Israel. So far, they have reinstated the obligation to wear masks at public indoor gatherings (like the theatre, etc.) and (we hope) tightened the enforcement of restrictions at ports and airports. Mummy hopes there won't be any need for further restrictions, as her Caterwauling Club is giving a concert tomorrow - the first one in months - and next week, she is going to the Opurra for the first time in over a year.

Also, you remember We mentioned that the Washing Machine broke down. Well, Mummy bought a new one last week and We She has just done the furrst batch of Laundry with the new machine!

Now, before We set off on the Blog Hops, We would like to wish Our many furriends in the United States a Happy Independence Day.

We also want to remind you, and your Humans, so long as the Evil Coronavirus is still around, to carry on Social Distancing, wearing Face-Masks and - most impawtant of all - Washing those Paws!

Be safe. Be well. We love you all!

xoxox