400 Year Old Cat Door in Exeter Cathedral, Oldest Known

This is one of the best articles from Nice News

https://nicenews.com/culture/ancient-cat-door-exeter-cathedral-england/

It's still very much in use for the occasional rodent. The clock in this room was originally lubricated with lard which attracted mice and rats. It's thought the nursery rhyme Hickory, Dickory, Dock was written about this Astronomical clock that is still in operation. Installed in 1598 by Bishop William Cotton who was appointed by Queen Elizabeth I, "Paid ye carpenters 8 pence for cutting ye hole in ye north transept door for ye Bishop’s cat." Don't you love Olde English? 

all images by Getty images

Here's the link again to read the article if you didn't click after the first photo. Enjoy. I subscribe to Nice News and you might want to as well. It's free and there's always something nice to read each day. xo

More Snow on Saturday + Petsitting + Movie Review

It snowed again last night but it was all light fluffy powder instead of the heavy wet type a few days ago. I am pet sitting again for neighbors and Henry was a trooper when we went out when he was ready around 7am. 

 This is the spot he chose for himself on Friday night. I put the little bed that fits in his carrier under him. I like dogs on furniture but not on my furniture 🐾🐾😉 if you know what I mean.

His furry legs were covered in small snowballs that were hard to get off. Next time we go out I will use the hairdryer to melt them. Luckily I had a big towel handy what was recently used to clean up some spilled coffee. I keep one handy on the back of my door to the basement and it's easy to grab in an emergency. The sun is out and the thermometer is above freezing and my car is almost totally melted so I can get out easily if I had to but I don't.

I just watched a great movie on Hulu -- THE LOST KING with Sally Hawkins about the lost grave of King Richard III. It was wonderful and I loved it. It's the perfect movie for the long Presidents' Day weekend. https://www.hulu.com/movie/the-lost-king-d375d155-00b4-45ea-8584-2fbb4826f57a Enjoy!

I liked the way the sun was shining through the geranium leaves in today's last photo. Have a great weekend. xo

Happy Valentine's Day -- True Antique Ones

I have a notebook full of valentines and other things one person saved back when you had to write and make your own. They are so beautiful and so sincere. This one is dated 1846.

This one is dated February 14, 1847. The beautiful pink rose is an original watercolor.

This one isn't dated and is signed My Valentine. The area around the butterfly has been cut out in a continuous loop as you will see in the next  photo.

I am holding the butterfly up in the air so you can see the surprise in the center. It will be featured in the next photo.

Two birds holding a ring and the inscription ♡"I am thine eternally"♡. Isn't this romantic?

This one has blue forget me nots with yellow centers handpainted in watercolor. Signed simply Valentine with a whole page full of a heartfelt message of love. 

❤️♡HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY♡❤️

xo

Hello February 2024

This February has an extra day for Leap Year and that's nice, isn't it? As usual January flew by because it's my favorite month. It was a busy one with several snows but they weren't too bad. We had some very cold days  that didn't last very long, thankfully. I repotted several geraniums and rooted some clippings and potted those too on a day I could work outside with potting soil and compost. I'll be seeing my snowdrops mentioned in the poem above soon. They are the true harbingers of spring. xo

PS: This morning (February 1st) my snowdrops are breaking through the soil and are up about one inch. Will post photos when they flower.

Great Powder Room w/ Zebra Wallpaper

I love this small powder room so much, don't you? Everything about it is just perfect. The bold red/orange wallpaper with large zebras is daring but it works perfectly with the black and white tile floor, white fixtures and trim paint, and black door knobs. I have had this photo saved on my phone for ages and I really cannot remember the source. 

I have spent untold hours in the past week adulting. The hardest thing was changing my mobile phone plan and it's still not exactly right but I am close. It's so hard to speak to real people these days, isn't it? I have lots of patience and won't give up until it's exactly what I want and was promised. Wish me luck.  xo

This is a copy of a comment by Guestie: I also have seen this wonderful powder room. I remember now: it is included in an online portfolio of stylishly tiny powder rooms. 

If you Google " Scalamandre + Zebra Wallpaper + powder room " you will see a number of charming examples of this darling composition.

My Winter Breakfast Recipe: Microwave Oatmeal w/ Apple Cider

Smoothies are for summer. Oatmeal is for winter! I recently "discovered" Quick 1-minute oatmeal. I was amazed that I actually liked it and really couldn't tell the difference from the long cooking original variety I had always used. It was a pain too. Always running over on the stove and the pan was hard to wash. Cooking the Quick variety in the microwave in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup solved all of my problems.

The first few times I "cooked" it in the microwave for 4 minutes using box instructions it did not run over and I was thrilled. Then, for some reason, it started running over. I decided to experiment and ended up with the perfect recipe for me. I started out with 1/2 cup apple cider and 1/2 cup of tap water. Then I added a generous 1/3 cup oats and a HEAPING tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal. I grind my own seeds in my coffee and spice grinder. You can buy the flax meal already ground if you wish. I cook this mixture in the microwave for 4 minutes and it doesn't run over. I was able to omit the salt too. It is delicious and the measuring cup is so much easier to wash than the pan on the stovetop was. I am thrilled.

This photo shows my entire kitchen wall. I was leaning on my refrigerator to snap the picture. I have always had "old men" friends and we often discussed the woes of the oatmeal pan running over. My mother wanted oatmeal every morning no matter the season or weather. We had elderly next door neighbors when I was young and the man ate a vegetable bowl of oatmeal every morning. All of these old men in my life lived to be 100 or nearly that ripe old age and I think the oatmeal helped. I think its gooey consistency must remove some of the plaque from your arteries as it passes thru your body. What do you think? I have never read this, it's just something I suppose must be going on.

Anyway, I wanted to share my new way of cooking quick and easy oatmeal in the winter. Let me know if you try it. Stay safe and warm since it seems to be cold or very cold almost everywhere. xo

Movie Recommendation: The Luzhin Defence with Emily Watson

I watched this movie last night.  

https://tubitv.com/movies/670513/the-luzhin-defence

It is leaving TUBI this month so don't delay in watching it. It's FREE and I know you will love it. Filmed in 2000. I adore Emily Watson and she's wonderful in this film. 

"It's the early 1920s and Aleksandr Ivanovich 'Sascha' Luzhin (John Turturro), a gifted but tormented chess player, arrives in a Northern Italian city to compete in an international chess competition. Prior to the tournament he meets Natalia Katkov (Emily Watson) and he falls in love with her almost immediately. She in turn finds his manner to be appealing and they begin to see each other in spite of her mother's disapproval." The screenplay was based on the novel THE DEFENSE (or The Luzhin Defence) by Vladimir Nabokov.

Let me know if you watch it and if you liked it. It is streaming on Prime Video and Apple TV too. "You're welcome." Enjoy! xo

Wonderful Framed Hunt Print Thrifted Today

I couldn't be more pleased with this Cecil Aldin framed hunt print. The original is circa 1910 and this is a very nice reproduction printed on heavy thick paperboard and it doesn't require being under glass. This is especially nice for me because glass would be too reflective in my kitchen. I came home and hung it immediately after a gentle cleaning. It's 26" x 14".

I really like the way it looks over my doorway into my living room. The size is perfect too.

I can't wait to see it tomorrow in the morning light. These photos were taken in very late afternoon light on a cloudy day. I saw my first tiny snowflakes today and we might have snow for Sunday.

Cecil Aldin -- The Whip. There is an annual hunt each year near my cottage with foxhounds and riders in red jackets conducted by The Spring Valley Hounds. I wasn't sure where this print would fit but I knew I would find a place for it and I did. Don't you love my $12.00 find? I got a nice sweater too. xo

Here is a Sunday morning photo that shows the hunt print very accurately. It's snowing lightly and the sky is overcast.

I don't think I have ever taken a photo from this angle. Now you see the whole wall that needs artwork with a sporting theme. Finding another Cecil Alden would be nice but that's almost too much to hope for. 

Stay safe if you have to drive in the snow. I am staying put until Mother Nature goes into melting mode. I don't need to go anywhere and I have a pot of soup simmering on the stove. xo