THE MOUSEHOLE CAT

Today my beautiful friend STORM told me she was going to Mousehole in Cornwall. This is a very magical place on the English coast near Lands End. Her mommy is looking for a nice get away and if I do say so myself, this is the purrrrfect place. Here is what Stormie wrote about it: {{{My Meowmie has been looking for nice places for a short break sometime, and she has found a place in Cornwall (South West England) called....MOUSEHOLE! This MUST mean that we will be going with her! I can't imagine that she would even consider not taking us to such an idyllic sounding holiday destination! Can you?}}}

Miss Peach here again! Some of you may know the famouse book written about Mowzer and the Storm cat. It is a most enchanting tale and I recommend it very much. The movie is so charming you will watch it over and over. Here is a newspaper review I found. ~~~~~~~THE MOUSEHOLE CAT By Antonia Barber. Illustrated by Nicola Bayley. Unpaged. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Inspired by an old Cornish legend, in "The Mousehole Cat" Antonia Barber concocts an original tale as delectable as any of the culinary specialties so lovingly described in her story.
When a tremendous winter storm personified as a Great Storm-Cat descends on Cornwall, the people of a tiny fishing village called Mousehole ("They say it in the Cornish way, 'Mowzel,' but you may say it as you choose") begin to starve because fishing boats cannot leave the harbor. On the day before Christmas Eve a fisherman named Tom decides to do something about it.
Tom makes his home with a black-and-white Cadillac of a cat named Mowzer. Mowzer has "her own pet, old Tom," well trained. He serves her perfect bowls of cream, keeps the house toasty warm and tickles her in just the right place behind her left ear. Even better, Tom catches fresh fish that he transforms into marvelous meals: a fish stew called morgy-broth; baked hake topped with golden mashed potatoes; cooked kedgeree with smoked ling; grilled fairmaids; fried launces; soused scad with vinegar and onions; and, best of all, star-gazy pie with prime pilchards in pastry.
Mowzer is so devoted to Tom that she accompanies him on his dangerous journey to the fishing grounds, "for he was only a man, she thought, and men were like mice in the paws of the Great Storm-Cat. Besides, she knew that if he did not come back, she would not much care to live in her cottage without him."
And without Mowzer, Tom would have perished. When the Storm-Cat screams in anger and lashes out at the boat, Mowzer senses his underlying loneliness and despair. She comforts him with the voice that has tamed a thousand tomcats, singing "like a siren, joining her call with the cry of the Great Storm-Cat." So it goes throughout the voyage. The Storm-Cat worries his prey; Mowzer soothes the storm with her song. When Tom turns back home toward Mousehole with his catch of fish, his companion inadvertently changes her tune to a purr, saving them both by lulling the Storm-Cat.
Ms. Barber, who writes for both children and adults and who, incidentally, has a cottage in the real Cornish village of Mousehole, writes naturally, without artifice or pretension. She combines alliteration and deft word choices with the grace of an oral storyteller, creating euphonious and precise sentences that are perfect for reading aloud.
And Nicola Bayley's illustrations add immeasurably to the book's success. Ms. Bayley, a well-known British illustrator, infuses them with the blues, the greens and the watery light of Cornwall. She frames each page of text, top and bottom, in long narrow borders, perfectly elongated rectangles filled with seaside images that serve as a visual metaphor for the protective arms of the Mousehole quay. Tom and Mowzer couldn't be more handsome. But Ms. Bayley saves her finest pictorial pyrotechnics for the Storm-Cat himself, who swirls and swoops through the pages in a model of feline grace, agility and passion.
Unlike many contemporary picture books, "The Mousehole Cat" has been designed with generous margins. When the story of Tom and Mowzer is spread across two laps, neither thumbs nor fingers will intrude upon the perfect symmetry of the page.
I've never tasted star-gazy pie. But I would wager that no matter how delicious, it can be no more satisfying than this book. ~~~~~~~

Stormie also awarded me this nice plaque for my sidebar. I am deeply honored by this gift from her. She is a brave inspiration to all of us sick kitties. She gives us hope to go on with dignaty (even if Bloggers spell checker is still not working:) I would like to pass the award on to MY Mickey and Gemini & Cheysuli and P B & J and Tybalt the Prince of cats for their inspiring dedication to blogging!