Povey Prattle

Mum in 2001 Mum was born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, U.K. on 7th May 1913. Her family moved to Bristol in 1916, where she was raised with one sister (who died of tetanus poisoning), and six brothers, (the youngest of who was killed in Normandy in August 1944). Mum was the daughter of  John Francis Finch and Kate (Ames) Finch. They named her Evelyn Maud. She married Henry John Povey (son of Henry George Povey and Sarah [Bennett] Povey)  at Eastville Methodist Church, Bristol on Boxing Day in 1935. Together they had ten children (nine of whom are still alive). Maureen Joy Jean Diane Sylvia  (died in infancy) John Michael /  Elizabeth Anne (twins) Andrew James David Francis Henry Stephen Charles Martyn Phillip Ruth Lilian In common with all working class people of their era in Great Britain, Mum and Dad never had it easy.  They were born just before World War One  (day in 1911); they grew to maturity during the Great Depression; they e...

Elihu B. Washburne (1816-1877) was the American Minister (Ambassador) to France at the time of the Franco-Prussian War: i.e.  during the horrendous siege of Paris and the equally awful, but short-lived Paris Commune. He was the only foreign Ambassador to stay in France "for the duration", and in the face of great privation he served with enormous strength, dignity and courage.  All but forgotten, he rests in my mind as a true American hero. You can read a bit about him here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elihu_B._Washburne and for a telling account of Washburne's time in Paris see David McCullough's "The Greater Journey". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_McCullough --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Gilbert Winant 1889-1947 was the U.S. Ambassador to London, 1941-1946. He followed the anti-British and defeatist Joe Kennedy " Britain is finished".  Kennedy's app...

Fish Pie  (not the one I ate tonight)  this pic, is from the web, My girl-friend Betty and I had an early dinner this evening at the Madfish Grill on Cattlemen Rd, SRQ. She ate Herb Crusted Cod Panko and herb crusted cod, tomato-basil sauce, sautéed spinach + mashed potatoe s, with enough to take home for her next two meals. I opted for Seafood Pie Our original house favorite for over 11 years! Lobster, shrimp, scallops, sherry cream, scallions,  mushrooms, fresh baked "puff" (sic)  pastry + mashed potatoes,   (with)  vegetables .   ( I chose to have  asparagus as a substitute for the mashed potatoes). My dinner was good, but not excellent.  I think that for this kind of pie it's  better to have the puffed pastry as a "topping",  not as an entire pie casing - which tends to gets soggy on the edges and bottom of the pie.   But I ate it all! ------------------------------------------------------------...

When I adopted my cats (some eight years ago), and my darling dog Penne (a year later),  I chose to use a local Veterinarian on the basis that his practice was located just 1.8 miles from my home. I have been utterly pleased with his services. He has been utterly reliable. This  good Veterinarian (who shall be nameless) has been very ill during the past 18  months, suffering from some horrid complications as a result of Gout. Thus he has needed to hire various locum tenens  to keep his practice alive. He began to recover.  I last saw him on August 12th when I took Penne in, worried as I was about her breathing.. He seemed to be a bit  unfocused, but since Penne's temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate were normal, I accepted his diagnosis that she might well be suffering from a bit of arthritis, ------------------------------------------------------------------ I called his Office again yesterday to book Penne in for a  bath...

At 6:30 p.m . on Sunday 23rd August 2015 I took my dog Penne out for a a "pee walk". Evidently I had not secured the clip on her harness.  Thus she was able slip away from me, and disappear from my sight. I searched for her and called her name.  I  could not see her, nor did she respond to my calls. I was not too worried, thinking that she would come home within minutes. By 7:30 p.m    my Penne was still absent. I began to get very anxious. I went outside, and once again I searched for her and called her name, all in vain I wondered: "did she chased after a Fox and got lost, or did she corner a Raccoon or Possum, and get into in a fight?". By  8:30 p.m  she was still not at home. I drove the neighbourhood, tracing the routes we take on our daily walks.  There was no sign of Penne.  By this time I was panicking Had she been injured?  Was she lost?  Would I ever see her again? Dammit, I was not panicking, I...

What say you?