International Women’s Day – Minus 3

Welcome & Best Wishes to Baby Sofia.

Friends & work colleagues of MB, E&R, were blessed with the arrival of their first child on 10 February 2017, a beautiful baby daughter called Sofia. Mom R is an architect and is very artistic in addition. In the months leading up to Sofia’s arrival, R spent much of her time making nice things for her soon-to-arrive daughter. The result is a sort of ‘Shrine to Sofia’ in the family apartment.

E&R are not posting any photos of Sofia on social media and neither will MB. However, MB will give followers some of the ‘shrine’ photos. And mom R has also given MB the above photo for inclusion in the post. As followers can see from the pic, R is an accomplished photographer in addition to her other attributes, and many a heated photo chat is had between MB & R when they meet.

As followers will deduce from the photos, MB has visited the home of E&R in recent days. MB wants followers to take particular notice of the final photo in the series. It’s a desert dish called ‘Mghli’, and it is a traditional Lebanese dish that is served to visitors to celebrate the arrival of a new-born. The base is made from a custard-like crushed rice, and the topping is of chopped coconut, assorted nuts and dried fruit. MB can 100% confirm that it is damn tasty, and MB licked his bowl extremely clean!

R&E are Lebanese Christians working in Qatar. The Lavant area of the Middle East (which includes Lebanon)  is in a large and distressing state of flux at present. Syria is no longer a country, and may never revert to a unitary state again. 500,000 dead from all sides of the conflict and 50% of the 25M population displaced from their homes puts an end to that possibility MB is sure. Jordan and Lebanon are struggling to cope with millions of Syrian refugees within their own boundaries, as well as Syrian-related militancy within segments of their own populations. The Palestine/Israel conflict on Lebanon’s Southern border needs no further elaboration from MB.

So the region that baby Sofia arrives into does not present her with a happy welcome. She is lucky to have great parents and extended family, and lucky that E&R are working in a safe location.

Here’s hoping that the region Sofia will grow up in, and work in, will be a better and safer place than it is today.

Good luck and best wishes from MB to baby Sofia.