Fish supper

My son bought these herrings yesterday at a local supermarket. I was surprised because with the weather we've been having who's been out fishing and where? May be they were fished up from a freezer, or imported, but they were as fresh as a daisy and had bright clear eyes.

As I prepared them for supper (baked with leeks, cider and bacon) a favourite children's book came to mind. I think I actually had it before my children but I read it many times with them. It's called The Mousehole Cat, written by Antonia Barber and splendidly illustrated by Nicola Bayley. The story is based on the legend of a Cornish fisherman, Tom Bawcock, who saves his starving community by putting to sea after a period of wild weather has prevented the fishing fleet from going out. The village of Mousehole (pronounced Mouz'l) does actually exist and is so named because the harbour has a tiny entrance.

Once upon a time small coastal fishing communities such as Mousehole depended on their regular herring catch. (The same was true of Fishguard whose inhabitants were themselves known as sgadan Abergwaun, Fishguard herrings - see my previous blip.)

In the book Tom Bawcock is a retired fisherman who lives alone with his cat Mowzer. Seeing the people desperate for food as Christmas approaches the old man decides to risk his life in a last-ditch attempt to catch some fish. Alone except for his cat he puts to sea in the storm which is represented by a giant cat that pounces and tosses the boat on the waves. But Mowzer starts to purr and gradually the purring turns into a soothing song that lulls the Storm Cat so much that the wind drops and Tom is able to pull in his nets full of fish. They return to shore where the grateful villagers make the catch into a giant star-gazey pie which they all share.

I don't think the cat featured in the original legend but it is the central character of the book, of which there is also an animated version.

By co-incidence Libra's blip today features cats purring. Do look - and listen!