Povey Prattle

In Sarasota we have a weekly “freebie” newspaper which is published in four editions: Sarasota, East County, Longboat Key and Siesta Key.  It is distributed on racks in various stores, and in our local libraries.  Thus I do not get to read it every week  - it all depends whether I happen to be in a store or the library towards the end of each week. The editorial policy of the paper is drearily predictable.  It has a manifestly libertarian slant. I read the December 29 th edition on 5 th January – the day on which I picked it up at a health food store. The editorial had a “Wish List” for 2012 which included the following; •   That the right candidate   is elected to lead the country and reverse the destructive, anti-American agenda of the present administration.   That pissed me off.  So here is what I wrote to the editor.(I have masked the name of the paper since I have no desire to give it any free publicity).  Locals will know! Dear...

Just ahead of me at the check-out in my local Winn-Dixie were an older couple -  he rather gaunt and skinny, she quite short and needing to use a walking stick. I soon sussed that they were French Canadians, with but a smattering of the English language.  Their transaction took a long time as they tried to figure out how many American dollars were needed.  The shop clerk stood impassive, with not a hint of expression on her face. The older woman dropped her walking stick.  I retrieved it.  The shop manager had inadvertently removed their cart, so the old man walked slowly to get another one.  They began their walk out of the store. The woman, wearied by all of this sat down to rest a while on a bench near the store front. As I walked passed them I summoned my limited French language, and uttered a cheery “au revoir, bon chance”. That will not secure my nomination to L'Académie française,  but it did evoke warm smiles from these Canadian shoppe...

If you have checked out the photo’s of my trip to Australia on Flickr, do hit the tab which reads “details”.  There you will discover that each photo’ is identified, and that here and now I have added comments which describe the context. My diet is fairly strict. It includes lots of fruit, vegetables, grains and beans. I eat mostly white meat. I restrict my intake of dairy products – though I have a soft spot for cheese.  Once in a while I break out.  For lunch today I ate eggs and bacon with toasted Ciabatta bread.  It was “heavenly”! Why is it that people with right wing political convictions are all against regulations until they are elected to condominium/housing association boards?    Then they become the strictest enforcers of rules and regulations. My neighbour across the street is Betty.  She is unfailingly cheerful.  She is always filled with good will and gracious thoughts.  I am glad that we are neighbours. I have a splendid Pr...

I suppose that as we get older a number of things happen: 1.      We are reunited with memories from earlier days. 2.      Those memories seem to be very tender/precious/valuable. 3.      We remember that our parents’ memories from their earlier days used to bore us, but now we wish that our Mums and Dads were still with us so that we could hear their memories all over again. 4.      We know that the oral tradition is as valuable as is that which is written. So it is that we know that story-telling is a powerful way of linking generation to generation.  (For instance, I treasure the memory of the stories from my paternal grand-mother Sarah – [Sally] - Bennett Povey. a.k.a. “Nanny”. Her father was a coal miner in the open cast pits in Easton.  She, as a school-girl, saw Queen Victoria. Can you imagine that!)    Now in 2012 I remember Queen Victoria as if I ( not my “Nanny” ) had ...

As a result of the marvels of the internet I have been cyberly reunited with my earliest “best  friend” Jeff Davies.   He and I hung around together for many years, starting when I was six years old (1950) and he was five, and continuing until we were in our early twenties.  We never fell apart, we simply drifted apart. In recent months Jeff and I have indulged in a veritable orgy of our memories of the “good old days”, (just to say that makes me feel very old!). Jeff came across a photo’ which he had taken in about 1957/58.  The scene is Marsh Farm, near Devizes, Wiltshire, UK.  There lived his father’s Aunt May (sister to Jeff’s grandmother), with her husband Uncle George.  It was one of those old fashioned small, and mostly dairy farms which were the backbone of British agriculture until the more recent days of agribusiness. Jeff and I went out to Marsh Farm and stayed there on not a few occasions. We remember collecting eggs which had been la...

I had such a good visit.  I am even dreaming some nights that I am back in Australia. Adelaide was my favourite City.   I enjoyed being in Melbourne as I have friends there, (and the City has great trams!) And everyone, but everyone has to visit Sydney . I've applied most of my photo's to my flickr page.  They are in three sets, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Each set can be easily watched as a slide show. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hugapoveytoday/sets/ Love and blessings, Michael