Cats with opposable thumbs!! Have you seen this? .

Click on the title to view youtube video! It's a must see!!

Leo's duvet day!

Recent explorations into our airing cupboard (to the back where supposedly extinct dinosaurs roam), revealed a lovely old, forgotten Laura Ashley quilt from the eighties. So, here it is, freshly laundered with Leo wriggled inside it to get away from Sunday's wet and windy weather. Guess he sort of reversed in like a little hermit crab! He holds me personally responsible for the weather so it was good to see him with thoughts on other things!

Growing lad!

As we watched young (he's four) Leo pottering amongst the daisies my husband remarked how much slimmer and trimmer Leo looked now that he was out and about on his paws more what with Spring and warmer days etc.


As Leo reached his bird watching seat (why bother with a hide?!) ... I looked at him carefully and was unable to see the weight loss ... in fact he reminds me of the Ronald Searle cat pics. What do you think?
PS Leo takes himself VERY seriously and so we had to go indoors to laugh:) :)

This boy still enjoys his ornithology .. and thankfully cannot get into our hedge which we have secretly lined with green mesh to Leo-proof the nests!

The nearest that Leo can get to looking like the lions on the wildlife programme.

Introducing my other little lion, Leya, Leo's sister.

Like Leo, Leya is a ragdoll cat. Unlike him, she hasn't a care in the world about how she looks and will come into the house wearing bits of hedge and wildlife (not fleas - just stuff from the garden!). Leo preens a lot and has a reputation for being a bit of a dandy. Leya looks just as she did as a fluffy, tufty kitten ... just larger!
She doesn't like cameras and almost always looks away from them.

Leo, head of product testing ... "No, you've not got the hang of the red-eye prevention for that new camera yet!"

The things a boy has to put up with!!




"Here's hoping she gets it soon ... though maybe the red eyes might help to scare off the other toms on my territory. If I use this cool expression it's not too bad!"

Kaleidoscopic Cat!

Thought you might like to meet Leo's sister Leya.

She's a liitle darling. They were close as kittens and we couldn't bear to split them up but now they go their separate ways most of the time!

This picture was done with the Kaleidoscope Creator programme.

The title will link you to it.

Continuing the cat theme!

I thought that you might like to see one of my favourite gifts from 2008. As I recall, my two cats gave it to me as a birthday present, though I guess that they sent Paul to do the shopping!

I am a Leo and so it was particularly apt. I don't see a lion when I look into the mirror but I do try to find someone a bit slimmer in there sometimes!!

Introducing Leo, in charge of stock control

Introducing my 'best boy' Leo! He is a four year old ragdoll cat with a lively inquiring mind. He prides himself on keeping every bit of fur and whisker neatly in place and has been known to spend an entire night washing after one of his, thankfully infrequent, trips to the farm next door!! He also takes great pride in inspecting every item which passes through our home on its way to the shop.

Here you see him checking out a Lloyd Loom chair and a leather vanity case, both probably from the 1930's/40's. The spotty bag is filled with smaller goodies including CarltonWare, a vintage cake stand and lots of children's books and maps. All are now in the shop .. except for Leo who is a kept boy and has no ambition to work. He is a keen ornithologist and collects small rodents.

I did a bit of 'homework' on the history of Lloyd Loom furniture ...
The creator of the Lloyd Loom furniture was the American Marshall Burns Lloyd and in 1907 he invented a special loom, partly reinforced with steel wire, which could form a woven fabric by weaving twisted ‘Kraft’ paper. This was the invention of Lloyd Loom, which revolutionised a huge area of the furniture industry.

The new loom woven fabric is much more time efficient; a Lloyd Loom Chair can be produced much faster than it would producing a rattan or synthetic wicker version. The product was therefore much more desirable for the manufacturer, as it was time efficient as well as being much more durable.

The history of Lloyd Loom then changes to Britain, when in 1922 W. Lusty bought the manufacturing rights and began a factory in the East End of London. As Lloyd Loom furniture became increasingly popular, the company W. Lusty & Sons Ltd was nurtured. Lloyd Loom furniture could be seen in affluent locations everywhere, from the Royal Boxes at Wimbledon (even to this day) and Twickenham to the British Army and RAF worldwide.

In 1940 the Luftwaffe, aiming for nearby East India Docks, destroyed the Lusty firm but then, in later years the furniture process was re-established.

I often get pieces for sale with the original date stamp and the 'Lusty' label intact. You might have to look hard to find it in the window since I tend to cover the chairs etc. with cushions and blankets which are being sold.

Now that Mr Fixit (husband Paul) is home from hospital with his new knee, I hope that I will soon have time to show you lots of pics of the shop.