Povey Prattle

1. Racism Be very suspicious when any person says “I am not racist”. Firstly: statements such as that often follow a racially dubious statement. Secondly: it’s probably true that many or most of us have racist ideas, thoughts or sentiments. The “big issue” is how we deal with those thoughts, ideas and sentiments. 2. Bread and libraries Sarasota has great bread (see yesterday’s blog). It also has a fabulous Library system. I am using it more and more. The main Library (the Selby Library in downtown SRQ) has this note on the entrance doors: “Please enjoy your food and beverage before entering the library. Bottled water is permitted. Thank you for helping us keep the library materials, computers and carpets clean.” What a nice way of expressing things! 3. The Universe I washed my ceramic tiled kitchen floor today. I mean, really washed it. First I swept. Nest I dry mopped to pick up pet hairs. Finally I washed it. Later in the day I dropped a bott...

There is a fabulous German bakery here in Sarasota, where good bread is baked daily. You have to be there early in case they sell out. This multi-seed bread is so good that it has to be eaten without butter! (And it makes for the best toast).

Dear Benny November 23 rd 2006 is a day that will live in my heart. When I met you that day in Rome, it was love at first sight. I dared to hope and believe that you too would love me and that one day we would be able to enter into a holy union of Rome and Canterbury. I also hoped that on that future day you would give me one of those lovely red hats. (No, I am not a red-hat lady, but I do value Cardinal principles). I would be happy to be another New-man. Darling Benny, I am so excited that you will soon visit us in England. I am, as you have read, the Primate of All England, so I will be at the airport to greet you and to kiss your ring (off-camera of course). And, sweetie-pie, do try to develop an hiraeth for Wales. You may not know this, but Wales is my home, and it is not a part of England. Maybe we could spend ten minutes in Monmouth where at one time I was the Bishop. The nice thing about Monmouth is that it has never known whether it is Welsh or English. That remi...

Cat egorically My cats look as though they are sisters. Each is jet black with nary a spot of white. Each has those charming yellow green eyes. They are not from the same litter. Ada, the “Senior Cat” as I call her, is a couple of years older that Adelaide, the “Junior Cat”. I am learning from them. Adelaide is a prowler. She is always on the move, looking for something – I know not what. When I try to pick her up she runs away from me, and we have great fun as I follow her around the house. If I manage to grab her she is more than amenable to a dose of TLC. Ada is a sleeper. She spends most of her day perched on the back of the sofa. Every now and then she will venture forth to eat, or to use her litter box. But mostly she hangs around, hoping that I will caress or stroke her as I pass her perch. ‘Tis a bit like me and God, or Love, or whatever you call it. If God/Love chases after me a la Adelaide then I will run and hide. “Leave me alone” is my song. But sometimes when I am...

There are two purchases I have to make which fill me with dread. One is to get a new or pre-owned car. The other is to buy furniture – especially a mattress. My style of shopping for large items is to browse, and graze. I like to visit four or five showrooms, and to wander around each of them, making mental or written notes of possibilities and prices. That’s impossible when looking for a car or an item of furniture. No sooner has one’s toe crossed the threshold of car lots or furniture stores, than some salesperson or another wants to become one’s best friend. Each such person has an “angle” - which is always “trust me, I am your friend, I will get you the best bargain possible”. I suppose this is because the salespeople work on commission. That tells me something about the nature of car and furniture sales, and the owners of such businesses. It smells of sleaze. It would smell much sweeter to me if salespersons worked for a good salary, (with bonuses for e...

38 years ago when I worked for the National Westminster Bank at their staff training college at Heythrop Hall in Oxfordshire I said something about “Worcester Sauce”. Fellow-tutor David R. Poole immediately corrected me. “It’s Worcestershire Sauce”. He, being from Worcestershire knew what he was talking about! The very name “Worcestershire Sauce” is eponymous with “Lea and Perrins”. I opened a new bottle of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce this evening to add a bit of zest to some stir-fry. Of course the bottle was clad in that familiar brown paper wrapper. I read the fine print. The product was created in Worcester U.K. in 1835. It was being exported by 1837. In New York City it became the special ingredient in “Bloody Mary” drinks. The Lea and Perrins firm is now owned by H.J. Heinz. There are two varieties. American made sauce uses high fructose corn syrup and white vinegar. English made sauce uses sugar and malt vinegar. (Send me some English made immediately. It’s availa...

THEY ALSO SERVE St. Boniface on Siesta Key, FL is my home parish. But I have another “once a month” parish which I attended this morning – All Angels on Longboat Key, FL. The very good Rector at All Angels was away, and the Eucharist was led by a retired colleague, The Revd.Bill McLean. The Director of Music, Dale Hooey dragooned me into singing in the Choir. I was more than willing to be press-ganged! At Coffee Hour I chatted with a couple who I thought to be new to the parish. It turned out they are related to the Revd. Bill McLean. They are each a school teacher at Sarasota’s “Booker Middle School”. My conversation with them led me to muse. My thoughts led me this way. “We often honour those who ‘serve their country’, and in doing so we mostly think of the fine women and men in our Armed Forces. But ‘they also serve’ who are school teachers. They are honourable men and women who serve us so well in oft-times difficult circumstances. They are answerable to pol...