Party time with family continues........
My sisters Maureen and Jean, with their husbands Bern and John went to the Myakka River State Park this morning and took the air-boat ride. They saw a score or so alligators, and eagles, ospreys, and so many other gorgeous birds.
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After a quiet afternoon they came to my home for dinner. At first we chatted for a while about British Political History in our era.
Bern and I have good memories, so we led the talk about some of the currents in British political life before and during our lifetimes, e.g.
1. Why Churchill suffered a great political defeat in 1945 (Bern remembers that the women of Knowle West, Bristol chased Churchill out of their neighbourhood);
* American readers might want to learn why Churchill was so unpopular after WW II
2. the reforming 1945-1951 government led by Clement Atlee;
3. the end of the Churchill era (1955),
4, the Suez debacle (1956) ,
5. the fabulous working class leaders such as Aneurin (NY) Bevan, his wife Jennie Lee, and the great Bristol area boy Ernie Bevin, who as a kid sold firewood to support his family and became a leader in Churchill's war time cabinet: See this from the "web":
We are each at the age when we know that to "shuff off our mortal coil(s)" is not a vague theory.
Indeed it is an utter certainty.
Therefore this is indeed the time for us to remember the hard times, to laugh about the silly times, to be grateful for all that is good in our family history - and most of all to be so very thankful for our Dad and Mum - Henry John Povey and Evelyn Maud Finch.
===============================================================
After a quiet afternoon they came to my home for dinner. At first we chatted for a while about British Political History in our era.
Bern and I have good memories, so we led the talk about some of the currents in British political life before and during our lifetimes, e.g.
1. Why Churchill suffered a great political defeat in 1945 (Bern remembers that the women of Knowle West, Bristol chased Churchill out of their neighbourhood);
* American readers might want to learn why Churchill was so unpopular after WW II
2. the reforming 1945-1951 government led by Clement Atlee;
3. the end of the Churchill era (1955),
4, the Suez debacle (1956) ,
5. the fabulous working class leaders such as Aneurin (NY) Bevan, his wife Jennie Lee, and the great Bristol area boy Ernie Bevin, who as a kid sold firewood to support his family and became a leader in Churchill's war time cabinet: See this from the "web":
In 1940 Bevin was appointed minister of labour by Winston Churchill in the wartime coalition government, and he shortly afterwards became member of parliament for Central Wandsworth. This appointment proved to be one of Churchill's most imaginative and effective actions as premier. Bevin succeeded in transforming Britain into a total war economy, in which all human and material resources were focused on the war effort.
N.B. Don't tell a soul that Bevin was a Socialist.
Sister Maureen was fascinated by our conversation which matched her own memories.
Brother-in-law John learned a lot - he admitted that he knew very little about this era in U.K. political history.
Brother-in-law Bern and I were tickled pink as we reminisced about the political events which shaped our lives. What fun it was for he and I to re-enforce or correct each others' memories.
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Then --- at last --- I cooked dinner.
We ate:
Roasted baby potatoes,
Steamed green beans (with the crunchy factor intact)
Corn (off the cob), simmered with Fava beans (known as Broad beans in the U.K).
and poached wild salmon (with a roasted chicken thigh for Bern, who not a great fan of salmon).
As the "chef" I was less than pleased with my cooking.
As guests, M, B, J and J uttered flattering comments!
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AFTER DINNER Maureen, Jean and I prattled on about our memories of growing up as Povey kids in east Bristol, U.K.
This was family "chat" at its best. We remembered the hard times. We laughed about the silly times.
LISTEN DAMMIT!
Brother in law Bern in in his 80's.
Maureen, Jean, brother in law John, and I are in our 70's.
As the "chef" I was less than pleased with my cooking.
As guests, M, B, J and J uttered flattering comments!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER DINNER Maureen, Jean and I prattled on about our memories of growing up as Povey kids in east Bristol, U.K.
This was family "chat" at its best. We remembered the hard times. We laughed about the silly times.
LISTEN DAMMIT!
Brother in law Bern in in his 80's.
Maureen, Jean, brother in law John, and I are in our 70's.
We are each at the age when we know that to "shuff off our mortal coil(s)" is not a vague theory.
Indeed it is an utter certainty.
Therefore this is indeed the time for us to remember the hard times, to laugh about the silly times, to be grateful for all that is good in our family history - and most of all to be so very thankful for our Dad and Mum - Henry John Povey and Evelyn Maud Finch.
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