'I tried Aldi's £3 per head Valentine's Day meal - it wasn't what I expected'



With the most romantic day of the year just around the corner, loved-up partners will be scrambling for ideas to impress their other half. Lavish gifts or trips are off the table for most of us during a cost of living crisis, but Valentine's Day can be just as special if you show your appreciation through the little things. Even if you hate the occasion altogether, it's always nice to have an excuse for a delicious meal.

To prove that love can be shown on a budget, Aldi has released a whole range of special three course meal deals for a romantic, candle lit dinner at home. The cheapest one of the bunch offers incredible value, as couples can enjoy a starter, main and dessert for just £3.64 per person. Gobsmacked by the budget price-tag, and in need of some Valentine's Day inspiration, I decided to rush down to my local Aldi to give the meal a whirl.

The meal deal landed in stores on Thursday (February 9) and I plumped for the cheapest one available to really put its value to the test. It includes heart-shaped cheesy garlic bread to start, a decadant-sounding lobster-filled raviolo, and a chocolate-filled heart for dessert- which is vegan! It sounds really fancy considering the cheap price tag, and I was hopeful it could be a lovely meal to make someone swoon.

While Aldi has done most of the work for you here, I still love the idea of cosying up with a romantic meal at home, as it shows you care when you prepare a three course dinner for your partner.

First up was the cheesy garlic bread, £1.29, which comes in cute little pizza-box-style packaging. It looks super adorable thanks to its heart shape, and when it was baking in the oven, it smelt delicious.

Aldi says this sweet starter is "just enough to set their appetite alight" and it definitely was a good sharing-size starter, but when we cut the heart in half, my partner did point out it was not the best symbolism ever...

Anyway, broken hearts (or hopefully not!) aside, the garlic bread was very bready, and not very garlicky. This may have been purposeful so your breath doesn't stink afterward, but I'm a garlic lover, so was a bit disappointed when it didn't pack a punch.. But, where the bread was really cheesy, it was undoubtedly yummy.

Next up was the lobster pasta, £2.99, which quite frankly sounds too good to be true. It's something many of us would plump for in a swanky restaurant, but sadly my high hopes were dashed when I realised there was no sauce to accompany the lobster-filled ravioli.
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There might be some folk out there who prefer their pasta sans sauce, but for us, it was rather gutting, so we had to get creative.

My partner decided that a homemade white sauce would compliment the fish flavours perfectly - it contained milk, garlic, onion, flour, butter, cloves, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.

In true Lady and the Tramp style, we decided to share the bowl and just eat out of it together. When I say that the pasta was mouth-wateringly delicious, I really mean it. I'm a huge fan of seafood, so it really hit the spot, but the filling was perfectly salty, had a strong lobster flavour, and was just all-round tasty.

This dish definitely gets my seal of approval, and I'd be more than happy if I was served this on Valentine's Day - but it would've been nice for Aldi to provide a sauce to finish it off.

Now, I must admit that my partner and I were a little apprehensive about the dessert because it's vegan. I often find that vegan chocolate gets a bad rep, and that's definitely clouded my judgment before, but my mind may have been changed after tasting the melt-in-the-middle heart, which cost just £2.99.

The humble heart-shaped pud was just as romantic as it was delectable - we both absolutely loved it.

The gooey chocolate inside tastes just like the real deal - if I didn't know it was vegan, I'd be none the wiser. The cake exterior of the heart was a little bit crumblier than I'd like, but honestly, this was the star (or the heart) of the show for me.

And, if you wanted to push the boat out, you could add a £3.99 Aldi wine to your shopping list too.

Overall, if you're on a budget or trying to keep Valentine's Day low-key this year because you're saving up for something else, I'd definitely give this meal deal a go. There were some slight disappointments, but it definitely exceeded my expectations for the price.

There are also other combinations you could try as Aldi has an extensive Valentine's Day meal deal range, and for the price, I'd say this is a pretty tasty treat.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/i-tried-aldis-3-per-29182410

Owl evicted after shutting down Georgia college library for days



A trespassing owl that prompted a Georgia college to close its library for multiple days was successfully evicted from the building on Friday.

Officials with Agnes Scott College's McCain Library in Decatur said the owl flew down the chimney Monday afternoon, prompting officials to close the facility to students.

The owl ended up perching in the rafters about three stories up, out of the reach of library staff.

The library was able to open its ground floor on Thursday, but the owl remained on its perch.

Stewart Farron, a master falconer brought in by the library to help handle the situation, used a hydraulic lift Friday afternoon to reach the owl about 50 feet above the floor.

Farron was able to capture the owl in a net and release it outside, where it promptly flew away.

"The owl seemed perfectly fine and was released on campus as students cheered," Elizabeth Bagley, the school's director of library services, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Hopefully he's off hunting somewhere for a field mouse."

[PennySerenade]

9-Year-Old Boy Who Wants to Be an Astrophysicist Graduates from High School: 'Inspirational Kid



While most 9-year-old students are eagerly anticipating graduating from elementary school, this Pennsylvania boy just got his high school diploma.

David Balogun, 9, recently received a diploma from Reach Cyber Charter School, which is based in Harrisburg, after taking online classes, according to NBC affiliate WGAL.

This achievement makes David one of the youngest people to graduate from high school, reported The Guardian.

David started high school right before COVID-19 closed school doors in early 2020, and continued his studies virtually ever since, according to Insider. Per the outlet, he ended up graduating in three years with a 4.0 GPA.

"David was an inspirational kid, definitely one who changes the way you think about teaching," science teacher Cody Derr told WGAL.

Alongside hobbies that include playing the piano and martial arts, the child prodigy is passionate about science and computer programming, and already has career aspirations to become an astrophysicist, he told the local station.

"I want to be an astrophysicist, and I want to study black holes and supernovas," he said.



To help him pursue his passions, Davis has already completed a semester at Bucks County Community College, and his parents are currently weighing options for college, per WGAL.

However, as he is still a child, they're hesitant to send him somewhere too far from home.

"We're still kind of grappling with all these things, if that makes any sense, to figure out what is the right fit," mom Ronya Balogun told Insider.

"You can imagine a 9-year-old running around a campus by himself," added his dad, Henry Balogun. "It's difficult for him to focus on what adults usually like to focus on. And they might see him as 'OK, where is the parent? Where is your dad?' Or 'where is your mom?'"

So far, the family told the outlet that they're still considering Ivy League institutions such as Harvard University, Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania.

[lush]

Move Over Sniffer Dogs, Drug-Detecting Squirrels Are Here
February 10th, 2023*



Police in the Chinese city of Chongqing has begun using specially-trained squirrels in their war against drug traffickers.

The Police Dog Brigade of the Criminal Police Detachment in Hechuan District, Chongqing has successfully bred the first batch of drug-sniffing squirrels in China. The breakthrough was part of the country’s national key research and development project, which sought, among others, the creation of new training methods for anti-drug animals. Apparently, scientists have been aware of squirrels’ keen sense of smell for a long time, but rodent training methods were apparently not advanced enough until now.

Chinese news outlets recently reported that the Police Dog Brigade of Hechuan District had successfully trained six drug-detecting squirrels which will soon start working alongside police, helping them find hidden forbidden substances.

Yin Jin, the lead trainer of the Hechuan police dog brigade, told journalists that he and his team managed to train the six squirrels using internally-developed technology and training methods. The rodents were reportedly trained to scratch at the place where they detected drugs.



Tests showed that not only are the squirrels just as efficient as sniffer dogs at detecting drugs, but they also have the added advantage of being smaller, faster, and the ability to reach high places that dogs could never check.

[Misstee]

Chilean woman becomes first to swim 1.55 miles in Antarctica
By Ben Hooper




Chilean swimmer Bárbara Hernández became the first person to swim a distance of 1.55 miles in Antarctic waters. Photo courtesy of Shawn Heinrichs
Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A Chilean swimmer has become the first person to swim 1.55 miles through the frigid waters of Antarctica.

Bárbara Hernández, 37, an open water swimmer whose accomplishments include a Guinness World Record for the fastest ocean mile swim through the Drake Passage in southern Chile, wore only a standard bathing suit when she took on the 36-degree water.

Hernández said her swim, believed to be a new world record for the longest Antarctic swim, was aimed at raising awareness of the need to protect Antarctic waters.

"I'm so happy and so relieved that it all went well. Swimming in Antarctica has been a dream I've had for years, and part of my longtime ambition to swim in parts of all seven of the world's oceans. Physically it has been incredibly tough, but all worth it if the message on the need for urgent action to protect these amazing waters reaches decision-makers," Hernández said in a news release.

Elvis Presley’s Dilapidated Private Jet Sat in the Desert for 40 Years. It Just Sold for $260,000.
Noting her husband's love of winged transport, Priscilla Presley spoke about the King's aircraft collection at the auction.



Going once. Going twice. Sold for $260,000! Elvis Presley’s 1962 Lockheed 1329 JetStar crossed the block at the Mecum Kissimmee Collector Car auction in Florida yesterday on what would have been the King’s 88th birthday.

On hand for the high-profile sale was Elvis’ former wife Priscilla Presley, who stood alongside the Mecum auctioneers during what turned out to be decidedly lackluster bidding.

“Elvis loved planes and this was one of them. This is my first auction and I’m excited to be here. Today would be Elvis’ 88th birthday,” she told the packed auction.



Bidding started at $100,000, jumped to $150,000 but settled at $200,000. Only with plenty of coaxing did it get up to $240,000, where it stayed for a number of minutes. Finally, $260,000 came from a telephone bidder, the reserve came off and the hammer fell.

It didn’t help that the 61-year-old jet wasn’t on hand at Kissimmee for viewing. It’s currently parked in the desert, gathering dust at the Roswell International Air Center in Roswell, New Mexico, where it has sat outside for close to 40 years.

That $260,000 winning bid—it’s actually $286,000 including fees—will likely be something of a disappointment for the seller, businessman Jim Gagliardi, of Madera, California. Gagliardi, 82, bought the jet at a 2017 auction for $430,000, or $498,000 after commission and fees.



Gagliardi told the Roswell Daily Record newspaper he originally planned to ship the plane to his earth-moving equipment dealership in Madera. “I was going to have it as kind of an advertisement, have people go in it and look at it,” he told the paper.

But the original plan never materialized and the Lockheed remained at the Roswell Air Center. Gagliardi admitted that he’d never actually visited the plane in the six years he owned it.

Gagliardi first put the jet up for auction last August in an on-line sale of Elvis “lost” jewelry with Kruse GWS Auctions. Despite the minimum starting bid of $100,000, no buyer came forward.


Gold-plated ash tray on the seat.

Part of the challenge for the new, undisclosed buyer will be logistics. The Lockheed’s four engines and most of its cockpit instrumentation were removed years ago, so it’s not flying anywhere. To transport the plane will require plenty of disassembling.

But as the Mecum auctioneer told the crowd before the bidding began: “This is an incredible restoration opportunity to create an Elvis exhibit for the world to enjoy.”

As Robb Report reported last month, Elvis bought the red-and-silver-liveried JetStar in 1976, a year before his death, for $840,000 (around $4.4 million today). With room for nine passengers and three crew, the plane had a top speed of 565 mph and a range of about 2,500 miles.


The aircraft, without engines and cockpit instruments, may be a challenge for the new owner to transport from Roswell, New Mexico, where it has been sitting for nearly 40 years.

Despite the sun-bleached exterior, the interior looks to be in excellent shape. In Elvis fashion, it features acres of red velvet upholstery, red shag carpet and gold-finished hardware.

As to whether that $260,000 selling price is a bargain, consider that just last November, Mecum sold Elvis’s 1971 Stutz Blackhawk sports coupe, which he eventually gifted to his physician, for $297,000.

Around $37,000 less for Elvis’s jet seems one Hound Dog of a deal.

https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/ ... 234792793/

[johngriffen]

I sometimes get REALLY DEPRESSED reviewing the news these days.
It's always about a global pandemic threatening life as we know it,
protests around the world, stupid politicians, natural disasters,
or some other really bad story.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Welcome to The mobi weekly news magazine
IN OTHER NEWS
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 12
What is it?
Here is your chance to become an "ACE REPORTER" for our weekly news magazine.
It is your job to fine weird, funny or "good feel" stories from around the world and share them with our readers in our weekly magazine

How do you play?
Just post a story that you have come across that made you smile, laugh, feel good...
BUT NOTHING DEPRESSING

EXAMPLE POST

​Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag

A naked sunbather was seen chasing wild boar through a park after it stole his laptop bag.
Amusing photographs from Germany show the man running after the animal to try and claim the plastic bag back.
But the cheeky boar and its two piglets appear to be too quick for the sunbather, who can't keep up with their speedy little trotters.
As the incident unfolds, groups of friends and family sat on the grass watch on and laugh.
Heads are seen turning in surprise and amusement in the hilarious photographs.
The incident happened at Teufelssee Lake - a bathing spot in the Grunwell Forest in Berlin, Germany.

Rules:
Each Edition of IN OTHER NEWS will be open for 7 days...
You can post as many stories as you like, but you will only get paid for One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can only earn WRZ$ once a day.
Each news day will start when I post announcing it
OR at:
9:00 AM CHICAGO TIME (UTC -6)
3:00 PM GMT (UTC -0)
on those days I space out and forget to post or can't due to Real Life
Stories may be accompanied with images - but No big images, please! 800x800 pixels wide maximum
Videos are allowed, but please keep them short, and post a short summary for those that don't like to click on videos
No Duplicate stories - Where a post has been edited resulting in duplicates, then the last one in time gets disallowed.
And please limit this to reasonably family friendly stories

Reward:
Each news story posted that I feel is acceptable (must be a real story, too few words or simply a headline are not considered acceptable) will earn you 50 WRZ$
If you post multiple stories on any given day, you will only earn 50 WRZ$ for the first story of the Day
All payments will be made at THE END of the weekly news cycle.
Special Bonus - Each week I will award "The Pulitzer Prize" for the best story of the week
The weekly winner of the "The Pulitzer Prize" will receive a 100 WRZ$ bonus
It's just my personal opinion, so my judgement is final

So help bring GOOD news to the members of mobi, and join our reporting team...

IN OTHER NEWS

McDonald’s to remove ‘tasteless’ McCrispy ad across from crematorium



It didn’t register.

An advertisement for McDonald’s McCrispy chicken sandwiches placed across the street from a British crematorium is reportedly being removed after being dubbed “tasteless.”

The coincidental placement of the bus stop poster made for some dark humor, but Cornwall, England residents aren’t lovin’ the advertisement opposite the Penmount Crematorium.

“Although I can see the funny side, it is tasteless, and I’m sure some grieving family members won’t like to see it when visiting Penmount for the funeral and cremation of a loved one,” one unnamed woman, who claims her mother-in-law was cremated at the establishment last year, told local outlet CornwallLive in a story posted Friday.

“I think how funny it is will probably depend on how long ago you followed the crematorium sign wearing a black tie,” someone else quipped.

McDonald’s didn’t seem to appreciate the McNuggets of wisdom from the residents.

“We were unaware of the road sign in the vicinity of this bus stop,” a spokesperson told CornwallLive. “However, in light of the concerns raised by CornwallLive, we have asked for our advertisement to be removed.”

The outlet did not report precisely when the advertisement was installed or if it has been removed.

https://nypost.com/2023/02/11/mcdonalds ... ematorium/

[ozswede]

Police Called Out to Investigate Sound of Resident Pounding Pork

(Now there's a clickbait headline if I ever saw one)

In a weekend filled with the typical set-tos, scraps, and scrapes downtown, capital-area police got a call-out for the books on Saturday night when they received a report of loud thumping noises coming from an apartment on the east side of Reykjavík. DV reported.

Officers arrived at the scene and knocked on the door, only to be met by the homeowner, brandishing a meat hammer. Thankfully, the explanation for the prurient pandemonium was gastronomic—and perhaps a little tragicomic.



It seems that the home chef had been hard at work that evening, vigorously pounding pork. (Pounding pork? Is that what we are calling it now? Geez - so many euphemisms I can't keep up with them all.)

Tenderizing a fillet, that is, presumably in preparation some delectable meal—schnitzel, perhaps?

Mystery solved, the officers returned to their regularly scheduled bust-ups of underage ragers and barroom hurly burly.

Time to goat home: Loose goats wander into Target store in Texas



A pair of loose goats wandered into a Target store in Texas and spent some time browsing before being wrangled by police.

The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office said a deputy responded to the Target store on Cypresswood Drive in Spring on a report of two goats loose inside the store.

The deputy was able to wrangle the goats and turn them over to Harris County Animal Livestock.

The origin of the goats were unclear.

'My neighbour's name is so stupid I asked for her birth certificate for proof'
A man has taken to Reddit to share the 'crazy' middle name his neighbours gave their daughter - but not believing it to be true, he asked to see her birth certificate as proof

A man so astounded by his neighbour's name asked to see her birth certificate because he refused to believe it was real. He explained how his neighbours gave their daughter the "craziest middle name" he's ever heard - so much so, he thought they were joking about it.

After years of not knowing whether it was true or not, he finally asked her dad to show him the girl's birth certificate - and he couldn't believe what he saw written on it. He said: "My neighbour's daughter has the craziest middle name. After years of taking his word for it, I asked her father for proof.


Her middle name is Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda

"He didn't like the name his wife picked so he said that as long as he could pick her middle name, it was okay."

Written on her birth certificate under the box asking for her middle name reads: "Ringdingdiddyiddyumdumda".

He added on Reddit: "Her dad said the nurse thought it was an April Fools joke. When she realised he was serious, she gave him the dirtiest look ever."

It is thought her middle name was inspired by the chorus of Ylvis' The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?).

The novelty song debates what sound foxes make, jokingly suggesting "Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding", "Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow", and "Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho" as options.



The song starts: "Dog goes 'woof'. Cat goes 'meow'. Bird goes 'tweet'. And mouse goes 'squeek'. Cow goes 'moo'. Frog goes 'croak'. And the elephant goes 'toot'.

"Ducks say 'quack'. And fish go 'blub'. And the seal goes 'ow ow ow'. But there's one sound. That no one knows. What does the fox say?"

It has more than one billion views on YouTube and was awarded Spellemann Award for Hit of the Year and Radio Disney Music Award for Catchiest New Song in 2014, one year after its release.

Commenting on the girl's middle name, one user said: "Mum and dad could not agree about the name. So they asked the dog - but the dog only said woof and they did not like it.

"Then they asked the cat, then the cow, and all several other animals. They still could not find the good middle name. Finally they asked the fox."

Another user added: What a d*** move - potentially giving your child two bad names out of spite.

"If I hated the name my partner gave our child I would give them an awesome middle name that they could use as their first if they so choose."

A third user said: "Where was the baby's mother when this stupidity was going down? I'd never have let my husband do something like that."

One more user added: "Depending on the kids personality, it could potentially be a pretty awesome middle name."

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/my-neighbours-name-stupid-asked-29172999

[goldie0608]

14-Week-Old Puppy Rescued from Undercarriage of Car 'Without a Scratch' in Arizona

Gracie was safely rescued from her unlikely hiding place by Humane Society technicians and is now available for adoption



A puppy in Arizona recently found herself in a tight squeeze, but thanks to diligent work from rescuers, was luckily extracted from her unusual hiding place without harm.

The little dog named Gracie, just 14 weeks old, had recently tried to escape two larger dogs who were chasing her on Feb. 1, according to a Facebook post from the Arizona Humane Society (AHS).

The scary situation resulted in her "[wedging] her way on top of the rear axle of the undercarriage of a car" and becoming too frightened to make her way out.

The organization dispatched emergency tech Dan McGrath to help following the reports of the puppy's plight, according to 12 News in Mesa, Arizona.

McGrath managed to tempt the animal out "with a little wet food and a lot of patience," and was repaid "immediately with snuggles," by the grateful pup, the Arizona Humane Society said.

Following her rescue, the 12-pound Parson Russell Terrier mix was checked by the vet and found to be in good health and "without a scratch." Gracie was given basic care including a spay surgery, vaccines and a microchip, the organization said.

She's now available for adoption at the Humane Society's South Mountain campus.

The organization noted that the dog is just one of the more than 7,400 sick and injured animals rescued by their Emergency Animal Medical Technician program in the last year alone, as well as one of the nearly 18,000 pets that AHS cares for every year.

[Fatima99]

Unique Nonprofit to Provide ‘Basic Income’ to California Homeless in 12-Month Study Funded by Google



A privately-funded program to provide basic income to 100 California homeless people aims to study how the cash—plus one-on-one social support—can be potentially life-changing.

‘Miracle Money: California’ is being funded primarily by a $1.15Mil donation from Google.org and is being evaluated through a randomized control trial led by researchers at the University of Southern California.

The pilot, organized by Miracle Messages, will distribute $750 each month for 12 months to 100 individuals experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County, San Francisco, and Oakland.

In addition, each participant will be matched 1:1 with a caring trained volunteer phone buddy for weekly calls and texts—and scores of volunteers are already participating from around the world.

Miracle Messages has received over $2 million to launch Miracle Money: California.

The precursor, Miracle Money, first launched amid the pandemic in December 2020 as one of the first basic income pilots in the US to include social support. In its proof of concept study from the Bay Area, 66% of unhoused recipients (6 of 9) were able to secure stable housing as a result of $500 a month for 6 months. Recipients overwhelmingly used their funds toward food, housing, transportation, savings, storage, child care, medications, debt reduction, unexpected family emergencies, and other essentials.

In total, over $1 million will be distributed to the 100 individuals chosen for the new pilot, with the first cash payments currently underway. Miracle Money: California will then track multiple outcomes including housing stability, food security, mental and emotional health, and relational poverty.

[PennySerenade]

Amateur metal detectorist uncovers incredibly rare 500-year-old royal pendant



It’s a once-in-a-lifetime find for any metal detectors.

Charlie Clarke, a café owner from Birmingham, England, was mourning the death of his dog in 2019 and decided he’d take his metal detector out for a spin in a friend’s nearby field to get some fresh air and raise his spirits.

He’d only been in possession of his metal detector for about six months, but the 34-year-old amateur made an astonishing find in the Warwickshire field.

“It was just outstanding,” Clarke told CNN. “Nobody thinks you’re ever going to pull out that, in my lifetime especially — I can imagine in 30 lifetimes.”

After turning up mostly “junk,” Clarke was about to call it quits when his detector started beeping loudly. He dug into the soil, about the depth of his elbow, and pulled out a large heart-shaped pendant attached to a gold chain.

The find, Clarke told The Guardian, made him scream “like a little schoolgirl, to be honest. My voice went pretty high-pitched.”

The piece of jewelry, he would recently come to learn, dates back more than 500 years and features the initials and symbols of King Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon.



The pendant is attached to a chain of 75 links and crafted out of 300 grams of 24-carat gold, reports The Guardian, and is decorated with a bush bearing the Tudor rose and a pomegranate, Katherine’s symbol.

On the other side, the initials H and K appear, intertwined by an engraved ribbon and on both sides the inscription of “TOVS + IORS” appears, a pun on the French word “toujours” meaning “always.”



“We all thought: My goodness, is this for real? Could this possibly be?” Rachel King, curator of Renaissance Europe for the British Museum, told The New York Times about the shockwave sent through museum staff when they received the piece for analysis.

Some were skeptical at first, she told The Guardian. Nothing of this size and importance from the Renaissance period has been discovered in the last 25 years.

In fact, she was so stunned by the find that when she first heard about it she had to sit down.

“It was such a challenge to me in the sense that could this be 19th century, could it be just costume jewelery?” she told CNN.

The British Museum carried out a variety of tests to determine the authenticity of the Tudor pendant, confirming that it’s definitely the real deal.

King said that some mystery remains about the necklace. It’s unclear why the pendant was made or who it belonged to, but they’ve hypothesized that it might have been worn or handed out as a prize at one of the jousts the king was known for hosting at the time.

“This object has just come out of the ground almost as if it dropped out of the sky,” King told CNN.

“We’ve got an opportunity to study an object that hasn’t been subject to all of these sorting processes that people have historically taken …. we’re getting something that is in a sense raw information.”

According to Smithsonian Magazine, Henry and Katherine were known to host an event called Field of Cloth of Gold, a two-and-a-half week festival that celebrated the friendship and alliance between France and England. Attendees would attend jousts, feasts, wrestling matches and more in the name of celebration.


Painting of The Field of Cloth of Gold showing The Summit Meeting Between Henry VIII and Francis I of France in Ballinghem, France.

It was a majestic and over-the-top affair — Smithsonian estimates that in today’s dollars, it would have cost approximately US$19 million to hold the festivities — and many have guessed that the unearthed pendant may be a relic from the travelling event.

A press release about the pendant says the piece was likely hastily produced around 1521, and is similar to designs that were used on horse bards at a joust in Greenwich that same year.

“Nonetheless, its quality is such that it was certainly either commissioned by or somehow related to a member of the higher nobility or a high-ranking courtier,” King told The Guardian.

The pendant will remain in the possession of the British Museum, for now, and will be added to their collection of civilian-found archeological artifacts.

While it has not yet been valued, Clarke says he will split the earnings with the landowner of the field where the discovery was made.

[Misstee]

WWII love letters found during home restoration returned to family
By Ben Hooper





Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A World War II soldier's long-lost love letters were returned to his daughter 30 years after they were discovered during a home renovation project in New York.

Dottie Kearney, 51, said she and her husband were tearing out old walls from the Staten Island fixer-upper they bought in the 1990s when they found a stash of letters written by World War II soldier Claude Smythe to his wife, Marie Smythe.

Kearney said she read the letters multiple times over the years and was recently inspired to try to track down the author's family after seeing TikTok "heirloom investigator" Chelsea Brown on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Kearney reached out to Brown, who agreed to help with the case.

Brown enlisted the help of genealogy website MyHeritage.com, which was able to identify the Smythes' daughter, Carol Bohlin, living in Vermont.

Brown returned the letters to Bohlin and MyHeritage.com shared photos of the grateful daughter reading the letters for the first time.