Povey Prattle

I had forgotten the connection between the two words, Hashish and Assassin. I was reminded of the connection whilst reading  a novel by Edeet Ravel. See this: "The Arabic (and now international) word "hashish" also acquired a new meaning at the time of the Crusades. A twelfth-century sect of hashish users who lived in the area of the Golan Heights and who were in the habit of toking up before they set out on secret missions to assassinate their various enemies came to be known as   hashshashin . Hence the word 'assassin'" Source "Ten Thousand Lovers" a novel by Edeet Ravel. Copyright 2003 by Edeet Ravel.  First USA publication by Perennial Books (Harper Collins) 2003

........ advertised in an old fashioned way (just for fun)

May 7th 1912  -  August 29th 2001 This photo' was taken just a few months before her death.

When 'phones got fancy - and moved away from the colour black only WW II Britain B.B.C. "Radio Times" 1925 American advertisement for Weston Super Mare "Must Have" publication 1895

I went up to western North Carolina for a few days, there to stay with my Sarasota friends Ed Green and Eddie Palmer.  They have a delightful little house in the town of Laurel Park, just outside Hendersonville. Their home is set in about 1 1/2 acres of wonderful woodland. They took me up onto the Blue Ridge Parkway (in the Mt Pisgah area). Such lovely country. We spent some time in Asheville, a bustling City with many fine late 19th/early 20th century buildings (and some ghastly late 20th century monstrosities). We visited the fabulous Farmer's Market in Asheville, then after  Saturday lunch we wandered the streets and enjoyed the street entertainers.  (No time for Biltmore). Dinner in Hendersonville at a Restaurant called "The Green Room" was terrific  (I had crab cakes in which I could actually see and taste the crab meat -  not  like many crabcakes which consist mostly of "filler" over which a crab has been waved). After dinner we could not re...

I headed back home today after my brief and very lovely visit with friends in North Carolina (more about this tomorrow). At the Greensboro airport (officially the "Piedmont Triad International Airport [ GSO ])  I waited to board the Allegiant Air flight 835 from GSO to St Pete/Clearwater International Airport ( PIE ). Allegiant has a unique and very efficient system for boarding passengers by zone. I was in zone 6, so I knew from experience that I would be amongst the last to board. A man standing next to me said "this system seems like Russian roulette" .   As I began to explain the system to him he asked  "what is your name?".  I told him "Michael Povey" and he said "Michael, I thought it was you, but I was not certain.  I am David Morrissey". At  which I got teary eyed, as did he. David and his children Meghan and Tyler attended St. Stephen's Pittsfield when I was the Rector there. It was a particularly diffic...