Povey Prattle

Friesian Horses   These horses were originally bred as "war horses" in the days of knights and armour.  As armour got heavier, bigger horses were needed and the Friesian almost became extinct. They are back and are one of the prettiest horses in stature as well as gait. What gorgeous animals!   Just watching them becomes an emotional experience. Can you imagine what it would be like to ride one?   Their manes and tails are probably the longest of all horses.  When performing on grass, their hoofs do not kick up a divot (they land flat footed).  Watch their feet during the movie.   Creatures such as these are what makes this world so special. These horses are native to the Netherlands.  Be sure and turn your audio on. http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Y5XJbSqwriM?rel=0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_k-eVtElO0&feature=youtu.be

The report  (below) is from the New York Times. It recounts that the Senate ( Republicans  and Democrats alike) would not agree to a  reasonable   proposal  to expand background checks on would be gun purchasers. ====================================================================== I am not  surprised.  These  United States  (of which I am proud to be a citizen) are rooted in violence 1. Against the peoples who lived here before Europeans arrived.  Our Declaration of Independence describes them as "savages", 2. Against the Spanish speaking residents in  the South West ( Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California etc ) which  we stole from Mexico  (by foul means). 3. Against the Negroes we  imported from Africa to become our slaves. 4. Against the peoples of the Philippines and of Puert...

I'd planned to post this lovely story yesterday but the Boston news pre-empted it..   So here it is today to warms your hearts. 'I'll be home in 3 days, let's get married' – the wartime telegram that led to 70 years of happy marriage for Bristol couple Arthur and Audrey Brassington By Rachel Gardner WHEN Arthur Brassington sent his sweetheart a telegram from aboard the boat he served on in the North Atlantic Convoy during the Second World War he hoped it would reach her. He had met Audrey at an army training camp in St Agnes, Cornwall, where she would serve him food and drink but they had never been on a date. He had already sent her engagement ring by post a few weeks before while he was stationed in South Africa, and his telegram simply read: "Back in three days, let's get married." Audrey rushed back from her new job at an aircraft factory in Melksham to her parents' home in Bristol. She paid £5 for a special licence so that the pair...

The Boston Marathon is the oldest modern marathon in the world.  This year marked the 116 th race. It is always run on the third Monday in April – (a public holiday in Massachusetts and Maine known as “Patriots Day”). I have always been impressed with the organisers of this race who, when the media tycoons asked them to run the Marathon on a Sunday in order to get better T.V. coverage, said “No, our race has always been on a Monday”.  (Sportsmanship trumped ratings). Today the whole world knows about the Boston Marathon and has become aware of the horrendous explosions at the end of today’s race. The figures keep changing, but it seems that more than 100 spectators were injured (some of them extremely seriously), and that two people were killed (one of them an 8 year old boy). I grieve for that boy, even as I grieve for the eight year old children who are killed by missiles fired from American drones in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Yemen. ...

Critters 1. I  heard the patter of tiny feet in the attic. Indeed, this morning, when I shut my bedroom door very firmly I heard what seemed to be a semi-platoon of critters. I have also heard  critter noises from other parts of the attic, and from crawl spaces at the front of my home, and next door. I reported this to the Condominium Association, and c.cd my neighbours Edythe Thomas, and Dawn Chimes (yes that is her name). The three of us "happened" upon each other this afternoon. Turns out that Edythe and Dawn have also heard the patter.  (We are in a pod of three single story units, and the chances were fairly strong that if I had unwelcome guests, the same would be true for Edythe and Dawn. So (thank goodness) it will be the responsibility of the Condo. Association to deal with this problem. The critters could be bats. Other condo pods had a "bat problem" last year. (Yet I have not seen bats flying ...