Povey Prattle

When my brother Martyn and nephew Sam visited me in late May/early June I commented to them about my friend “B”, and his hearing problem.  I said that “B” always asserts that "he does not have a hearing problem", and it’s that other people do not enunciate clearly. My brother Martyn smiled and told me that I frequently asked him and/or Sam to repeat something one of them had just said. I was nice enough to Martyn, but my thoughts ran like this “I wish that he and Sam would enunciate more clearly”. That was then.   This is now. The “now” is that during the past week I have become aware of a great change in my ability to hear. 1.     I can no longer hear the comforting ticking of my two wind-up clocks. 2.     I cannot hear the ticking of my watch, even if I hold it next to either ear. 3.     In a group setting I find it hard to follow the conversations. 4.     The sounds of water flowing from the f...

In a recent blog entry I asserted that the “Tea Party” and “Religious Right” gangs are not nice people.   I stand by that assertion. Those who deny the rights of women to make their own choices regarding reproductive health are not nice.   In fact they are oppressors. The denial of the full rights of women may well be the debased currency of the Taliban, of the corrupt Saudi regime, and of ghastly men in such places as Somalia. But those denials goes against all the heritages of democratic(?) nations such as the U.S.A. They go against all that is inherent in our (U.S.A.) Declaration of Independence; Constitution; and Bill of Rights. I have come to believe that the extreme right / christian fundamentalist/roman catholic agenda is a threat to all our freedoms.     I know that their agenda is dangerous for the health, welfare, and freedom of women. Indeed I think of the religious right in the U.S.A. as “America’s Taliban”. This oppression has been on my min...

On my penultimate Sunday as Rector of St. Stephen's, Pittsfield, MA the Church bulletin should have announced a farewell event as a "Eucharist and Tea for Seniors and Shut-Ins". Mirthfully to say the letter "u" in the word "shut" was printed as the letter "i". ......................................... One of my former colleagues tells me that, back in the days when local newspapers printed every detail about wedding ceremonies, the "Greenfield (MA) Recorder"  wrote that during a particular wedding a soloist sang the Cesar Franck version of the ancient text  "Panis Angelicus"  (Bread of Angels). Giggle with me will you, as I report my colleague's story  that the newspaper had an "e" in the word "Panis" instead of an "a" It does not get much better than this!

 This may not be true, but it makes for a good and giggly read.  (My friends who do not live in  the U.S.A. may not recognise the slogans for the products which are used as the basis for this humour) The boss of a Madison Avenue advertising agency called a spontaneous staff meeting in the middle of a particularly stressful week. (This is one pretty sharp boss!) When everyone gathered, the boss, who understood the benefits of having fun, told the burnt out staff the purpose of the meeting was to have a quick contest. The theme: Viagra advertising slogans. The only rule was they had to use past ad slogans, originally written for other products that captured the essence of Viagra. Slight variations were acceptable. About 7 minutes later, they turned in their suggestions and created a Top 10 List.. With all the laughter and camaraderie, the rest of the week went very well for everyone! The top 10 were: 10. Viagra, Whaazzzz up! 9. Viagra, The...

July 18 th 2011 Thunder rumbling in the distance: -  a lovely sound. A brief rain-shower. At least 30 ducks paddling in our pond. Edamame peas, sweet  potatoes, and a bit of baked cod for dinner. Sometimes the best things in life are free and/or simple!

The cartoon comes via my friend, the Revd. Bob Ginn. Its immediate reference is to the closure of Roman Catholic Churches in Massachusetts. But it could also be apropos to Episcopal Parishes in the Diocese of Western Mass, (where I served for 24 years), three of which have recently been closed, and many  of which are marginal and “hanging on by a thread”. In the Diocese of Massachusetts where I served for six years, three parishes have recently been closed - long after their “sale by” dates. Meanwhile back in my native city of Bristol, U.K. I can think of a score or more of C of E, Baptist, Congregational/URC, and Methodist Churches which have been shuttered in east Bristol (localities such as Lawrence Hill, Barton Hill, Easton, Whitehall, Eastville, St. George, Fishponds, Hanham, Kingswood, & c). Protest as we may, none of these closures have happened because of matters of doctrine or belief.   Churches are also closing because fewer and fewer of us a...

At my parish this morning the bulletin included the text of an anthem the choir sang. One line should have read  "I shall not fear the battle if thou art by my side" Instead it read "I shall not fear the ballet if thou art by my side"