Povey Prattle

Back in the early 1970's my pals Richard, Eric, (sometimes Jeff), various girl-friends and I would see the New Year in at the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. U.K. We were all very evangelical Christians, very pious, and utterly abstemious. Thus our celebration of the turn of the year was utterly safe. We would stand on the Bridge until we heard the singing of  Auld Lang Syne at the very racy (for us) Grand Spa Hotel Old photo' of the Hotel's Terrace then we would walk home.  It was a four mile walk for me. NICE MEMORIES! -------------------------------------------------- In 2015 I visited with my friend Betty at 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve  I was at home by 6:30 p.m,, and in bed two hour later.  When I woke up at 4:30 the next morning, it was already January 1st 2016. NICE SLEEP! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sans any other pressing engagements...

On December 31st  2015 I remembered that I had not cooked  "Hoppin' John"  for the New Year as  I done in the  years since I moved to "The South". Here is a bit about "Hoppin' John". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoppin%27_John Fortunately I do not believe in good luck, or bad luck, or Karma , so I will not fret at my failure to cook Hoppin' John this time. Instead I will create a new tradition. Sine 2016 is a Leap Year I will pretend that  Hoppin' John is a dish for February 29th, and  cook some on February 28th  (if you remind me!).    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Despite my Dec 31st/Jan 1st failure   I realised that have been making my modernised version of the dish    in recent weeks. Here is the recipe: Equal amounts of  Quinoa, Lentils and Black Eye'd Peas. Cook the Quinoa in water or broth according to the directions on the pack...

1. "The Lantern" is a venue which  was previously known as Hall Two at the Bristol (U.K.) concert hall; the Colston Hall. "Hall Two" has been renovated and re-named. The Bristol Post (on line edition)  greeted this renovation with the following headline: "Lantern aims to be Colston Hall's shinning light". (Enjoy music, but wear your shin-pads?) ======================================================= 2 My local United States Post Office at   935 N Beneva Rd Ste 801 ,  Sarasota ,  FL   34232 is officially designated as the   GLENGARRY STATION POST OFFICE.   It is NOWHERE near  Sarasota's Glengary Street, nor is it near the town of glengarry station in ontario, Canada. Does anyone know why my local USPO bears this name? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aisle sign at the Winn-Dixie Supermarket (South Trail and Bah...

Monday morning saw me at my local Post Office on North Beneva Road (about a mile from my home). I had an awkward sized envelope filled with Christmas Cards which had arrived to the home of my neighbours Bert and Polly after they'd gone back to Fishers, IN  to live with their son. (Bert and Polly can no longer take care of themselves). There were two clerks on duty. Each was attending to a customer.  There were two people in line ahead of me. I heard some back office grumbling which led me to believe that there had been a massive failure in the scheduling of counter clerks. This showed on the face of one of the clerks, I'll call him "Mr. I Don't Want To Be Here". The woman clerk, having attended to her customer said, with a smile and a tone of regret, "I am sorry, I have to close down now". Mr. I Don't Want To Be Here was doing his best to explain to a non-English speaking customer that a USPS notification that he had mail awaiting had be...

When my two older sisters and their husbands visited me in November, (and used my car) they got lost more than once. We had a standing joke about this when we were driving together. On one journey, brother-in-law Bernard snapped some coot as the old fella was driving.  Bern put the photo' on Facebook with the caption  "I am sure this is the way to Trader Joes". When I first saw Bern's photo' I thought "who the heck is that?.   Then I recognised my shirt, then my hat from Vietnam, then my scrawny neck. Oh dear! Poor old codger! On Christmas Day I was the guest of my friends Fred and Diana for a superb buffet dinner at a Country Club on Longboat Key. Diana thought that a photo' with "Santa" would be nice ( and when I discovered that the photo's were gratis I was more than happy to take one home). Delightful!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gospel Reading:  (from the King James/Authorised translation, at my request. Luke 2:1-20 2  And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there w...