Wee Comforts

wee as in 'small' not wee as in...oh nevermind

But that would be a very fun post now that I think about it! Bathroom comforts! Another time maybe. I’m putting together a posting today with a not-so-wee headache…I opened up the shades this morning and was instantly struck by a very intense sunbeam, something my Pacific Northwest eyeballs have only seen maybe 6 times in the past 6 months, and instantly got a headache. But over the past week, certain interesting things have also floated past my eyeballs and so I’d like to float them past yours as well.

My long pre-ordered and long awaited copy of ‘Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter’ by Heather Fawcett arrived and I couldn’t be more thrilled with it! Heather Fawcett is the QUEEN of cozy fantasy and the author of my most loved trilogy of ALL TIME, which starts with ‘Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries’. Oh and I just discovered that this coming fall, there’s a special deluxe edition of the first Emily Wilde book and I screamed and yelled at my husband to tell him the Very Exciting News and he tried to tell me that I could not possibly attempt to own THREE DIFFERENT VERSIONS of this book. (I already own the U.K. paperback editions and the U.S. hardback editions) But the JOKE’S ON HIM if he thinks I’m going to pass this up, looky-see:

ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEEEEEE. My pre-ordering pinky just came out.

Anyway back to Agnes Aubert…..I’m just about at the halfway mark of Fawcett’s latest, about a woman in 1920’s Montreal who runs a cat shelter/charity and upon discovering that the landlord of her building is one of the most notorious magicians in the world — chaos, hijinks, and adorable romantic scenarios unfold, also there are LOTS OF CATS. It’s charming and delightful and you know when I start using those words in tandem, I’m IN BUSINESS MODE.

It’s got a touch of a Miyazaki’s ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ vibe to it and I love love love that books like this exist.

Heather Fawcett can do no wrong, I hope she knows how happy her books have made people. I hope more folks appreciate themselves in real time when they do fabulous things.

The book style itself really delighted me…hardcover with embossed and printed fantastic cover with no book jacket! Love it so much. I’m going to leave this out for decoration when I’m finished with it, I’m not storing it to languish unseen on a bookshelf.

Oh and speaking of cozy fantasy and speaking of Miyazaki Studio Ghibli films in book form, ‘Water Moon’ author Samantha Sotto Yambao has a new novel out, ‘The Elsewhere Express’, that looks beautiful! My husband gifted me with ‘Water Moon’ for my birthday last month, not knowing I’d been hankering after it and had actually written about it here last spring. Check out the little train cases on the book edges!

“You can’t buy a ticket for the Elsewhere Express. Appearing only to those whose lives are adrift, it’s a magical train seeming to carry very rare and special cargo: a sense of purpose, peace, and belonging.

Raya is one of those lost souls. She had dreamed of being a songwriter, but when her brother died, she gave up on her dream and started living his instead.

One day on the subway, as her thoughts wander, she’s swept off to the Elsewhere Express. There she meets Q, an intriguing artist who, like her, has lost his place in the world.

Together they find a train full of wonders, from a boarding car that’s also a meadow to a dining car where passengers can picnic on lily pads to a bar where jellyfish and whales swim through pink clouds.

Over the course of their long, strange night on the train, they also discover that it harbors secrets—and danger: A mysterious stranger has stowed away and brought with him a dark, malignant magic that threatens to destroy the train.”

Yeah…..I’m not sure how I can pass up this beauty with the WEE TRAIN CASES on the edges!!

Other things to share with you:

via House & Garden UK

This 17th century Cotswolds cottage was a joy to see and read about, also please admire this diva’s expression in this portrait:

HA HA HA. Same, girl, same, I’m totally over it too. Omg I wish had a piece of artwork like this hanging in my home. This lady would be my best friend, I would tell her about my day everyday like she could hear me. Actually is this even a lady? Who knows? Did this person make the portrait artist angry? Or were they like PAINT ME THIS WAY DID YOU FAIL TO UNDERSTAND MY MEANING. The DISGUST. The DISDAIN. This is the best portrait I have ever seen.

This Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake:

via Alison Roman

from Alison Roman looks like the right kind of treat to brighten a late winter, still cold day while also making one feel like spring is coming soon. (Narrator: It IS coming soon.) This looks EASY and I think all of the necessary ingredients are in my fridge and pantry right now.

Telly:

Warrick Page / HBOMax

So FINALLY my husband and I embarked upon ‘The Pitt’ train. I was never an ‘ER’ viewer or into more than the first season of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ but I’m allllllll in with ‘The Pitt’. Fun fact - it took us (me) THREE attempts to get through episode 1, Season 1. Three times. Something Bad medically happened in the first 5 minutes and I was like NOPE. We turned it off. Turned it back on. NOPE. Tried again a week later. Felt the NOPE rising. But then……I locked in, powered through, and now we’re in Season 2 and it really is The Hype, and it really is That Good, and We’re Obsessed. There’s a lot I watch behind my fingers but that’s ok.

(note: this show is NOT a Wee Comfort. But it is INCREDIBLE. And Dr. Robby is definitely a comfort and I love him. My husband loves him too so it’s OK, we’re good here, to lightly quote Ilya Rozanov. I WILL NEVER STOP QUOTING ILYA ROZANOV)

And speaking of ‘Heated Rivalry’, I came across this bit of hilarity of Threads:

I’ve begun to share the word of Heated Rivalry with the conviction of a Jehovah’s Witness. I just show up on the doorstep with a “do you know Shane and Ilya? May I have 6 hours of your time to share with you their story?” I bring snacks, though.

HA HA HA HA.

Mrs. Hall, I want to live in your kitchen

Ok I finished the latest season of ‘All Creatures Great & Small’ - why yes I do bounce between ‘Heated Rivalry’ and ‘All Creatures’ and ‘The Pitt’ etc and so forth. I would like to SPEAK TO THE MANAGER over at ‘All Creatures’ please. (mild spoiler) I was EXPECTING Siegfried and Mrs. Hall to FINALLY realize it is TIME TO GET MARRIED OR WHATEVER and I screamed at the TV when Siegfried’s ex-girlfriend came back sashaying around and CLEARLY they are laying track for What Is To Clearly Come To Pass but COME ON let’s get to it already, it’s been 5 or 6 seasons. I cannot BELIEVE they are making us wait ANOTHER SEASON. Feckin’ hell. COME ON. Let’s GO. Do we think that Siegfried will start calling Mrs. Hall ‘Mrs. Farnon’ instead or will he call her ‘Audrey’? BECAUSE THEY ARE TOTALLY GETTING MARRIED RIGHT?

Oh here’s an article about the food in the show.

Snackies:

In Trader Joe’s news, I just picked up these Dark Chocolate Biscuit Cookies and I got two bags, one for me and one to send to Julia, but I don’t know I might have to keep both, or go buy some new bags, because they are VERY WEE and truly mini sized, and what’s super brilliant is that you can eat a whole cluster of them in one go, and feel like you ate nothing at all! Nothing to see here! (I just put seven commas into that one Very Long Sentence, which might be a new record.)

In marmalade news, yes that’s a thing, Rose’s Orange Marmalade is the variety we’ve been working our way through recently. The lower amount of shred in this one is nice and it has a great sweet/tart ratio:

Lastly…..what do we think of this?

It’s silly to even have thoughts. We all know we’re going to be watching it. Because Rufus Sewell is going to be THE HOTTEST MR. BENNET EVER ON SCREEN. Also Queen Olivia Colman? The main reason I’ll be watching is for Mama and Papa Bennet.

VICKIE FLORES/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Alrighty off to get in my jammies, plaster my face with hydrating serum and Cicaplast, and get ready to watch my son Ilya Rozanov, I mean Connor Storrie, host ‘Saturday Night Live’ this week:

REALLY hoping my other son Hudson Williams makes a cameo (spoiler for those on the west coast, the dress rehearsal audience says Hudson is there!!!). So unabashedly thankful to be living in the time of Our Divine Goddess Beyonce when there is television. I really shudder to think of life without telly time.

Yours in All Things Wee,

Melissa