Povey Prattle

1.  Penne loves to walk. 2.Live Oaks are fabulous shade trees. 3. In flat Florida the clouds are our hills and mountains. 4.  Our Jacaranda trees are so lovely

In  regard to the British General Election. I left Great Britain 34 years ago, so what the heck do I know!  Here are my guesses. 1.       The election is indeed hung.  2.      The Tory party received the largest number of votes cast, and has won the most seats. 3.      The Tories are way short of a parliamentary majority. 4.      The Liberal-Democrat party had a less than hoped for number of votes, and lost one parliamentary seat. 5.      The Labour party lost many parliamentary seats, but did not receive the expected “knock-out- blow”. 6.      Far right parties (The British National Party and the United Kingdom Independence Party) did not attract more than 5% of the vote, and did not win any parliamentary seats. 7.      Those parties (B.N.P. and UKIP) lost seats at the local government level (City and County Councils)...

By the time most of you read this we shall know the “result” of the British General Election. Much of the American media has engaged in an orgy of “punditry” as various “experts” have expounded their theories as to what might should there be (to use that delicious British description) a “hung parliament” . We’ve had very little information on the substance of the election campaign. I am led to believe that the three main political parties are each more or less centre-right (with the Liberal Democrats being a wee bit centre-left), and the voters are deciding based on the charisma or lack thereof in the three party leaders. Certainly from this side of the pond the campaign has appeared to be the most “presidential” in British history thanks to the three televised “debates”. In the British constitution (it is a constitution of precedent – not a written document) the Sovereign has the prerogative of asking any Member of Parliament to form a Government. If that member is able to ...

I awoke sometime in the middle of last night ( May 4 th /5 th 2010) because someone had slapped the top of my right foot. In a semi-somnolent state I cried out “who is it?” When I eventually awakened fully I realized that I had slapped the top of my right foot with the sole of my left foot.    Then I started to giggle at the thought of my anxious cry:   “who is it?” I am a very restless sleeper! Later, in the mid afternoon of May 5 th , I got about 20 electric shocks. Being slapped and electric-shocked all in one day is a bit much. But the shocks were administered by a Neurologist who was trying to find out why my left hand has become numb and tingly. He also stuck some pins in the muscles of my hand and arm to measure their activity. Was it “Parkinson’s Disease?” – No Or “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome” – No again ‘Tis all much more simple. It turns out that a nerve my in left elbow is a bit bruised.  This is most likely because I spend so very many h...

Even shy people can "get it" For much of my life I dreaded parties. My gregarious “outside” hides a shy “inside”, so I would attend parties with the certainty that I’d be off in a corner on my own. Of course this never happened and I most often enjoyed the event far more than I could have imagined. I was at a party last Saturday evening. It was a catered affair to mark the retirement of Wes and Cindi Wasdyke from St. Boniface Church. We were in a lovely home in the not very well known “Oyster Bay” section of Sarasota. Here is how one local Realtor describes Oyster Bay Oyster Bay Estates is a highly desirable west-of-trail waterfront neighborhood. The tree lined streets are graced by traditional Florida homes which are slowly giving way to new estate homes on spacious lots. These are quiet, tree lined bayfront community for those who desire a taste of the old Florida lifestyle. In Oyster Bay, many homes are either bayfront or on canals which l...

SCENES ON THE MYAKKA RIVER - just a 30 minute drive from my home. So many folks have no conception that many parts of Florida are as lovely as this. We are more than Disney and beaches!