Povey Prattle

We will begin our "ministry" in the Memory Unit at Anchin Pavilion, North Honore Rd, Sarasota on Friday 9th March. I get dewy eyes at his beauty and his tender and gentle spirit

Ben's Bar is a weekly gathering of older gay men in the Glen Oaks Manor and Glen Oaks Ridge development in Sarasota FL. We take it in turns to host. It was my turn today. I wanted to make sure that my guests felt welcomed, so I left this sign on my front door. I had advised my guest in advance that we would continue our deeply intellectual conversations (HAH!)   and that this week we would concentrate on some of the great philosophers of the western world. I printed some quotations to stimulate our conversation. This: And this: Good night all!

Heavy snow in many parts of the U.K. today. At least 10" of sunshine in Sarasota today. Pictured above:  Siesta Beach's famous "sugar sand".

The soil in this part of Florida is not good.  Dig for about two inches and then there is sand. So it's not fertile soil for annuals or for flowering perennials.  I plant various shrubs, especially drought resistant Jatrophas or Mexican Fire Bushes. Jatropha Mexican Firebush Mulch is important to prevent weeds and to retain moisture. I hired F from Mexico (the Man Friday for my neighbours J and J for more than fifteen years) to spread some mulch for me today .  It's back breaking work. Mulch (with my shadow) Darn, he is such a hard worker. He did what I did not want to do. Thank goodness for immigrants. They  add more to our common good than they take away! -------------------------------------------------------- I was off to Sarasota's Fruitville Library today to borrow a book Here is a spiel about it The Cod. Wars have been fought over it, revolutions have been triggered by it, nati...

Traditional southerners in the US.A. are often good at knowing all their cousins, however distant.  There is often a Matriarch ( and sometimes a Patriarch ) who at a family reunion can say "Well she's your third cousin twice removed on your fathers side" or something to that effect. I have no cousins on my father's side.  He was an only child. My mother was one of eight.  Her older sister Kate died of what was then called "lockjaw" (in the 1920's/30's?) Her youngest brother Albert was killed in Normandy is August 1944. (We took my mother to see his grave in Bayeux, Normandy in September 1994.  It was a solemn moment.) Her brother Reg and his wife Dorothy did not have children. That leaves her brother Harold and his wife Doll.  They had two children, my cousins Sheila and John. I think that I met John many years ago.  I do not know if he is still alive.  Cousin Sheila became a frequent visitor to our home after a divorce, and...

I heard Billy Graham in London, 1965. My denomination did not approve of him. They were peeved because his organisation did not refer converts to "Bible believing Chuches".  One woman in my local Church did not like him because she said  "he has very cold eyes" (based on a photograph!) Nevertheless some of we younger folks went up to London to see and hear him.  Here is where memory is tricky. The 1965 Crusade was held at the Earl's Court Exhibition hall, but my memory is of being at the (old) Wembley Stadium.  Maybe we were there for the final night which was at Wembley. I was distinctly unimpressed with his sermon.  It was long, rambling and boring. But at the end, when we all sang "Just as I am" hundreds streamed forward to "accept Christ".  We have no idea of what percentage were "off the street" unbelievers, and what percentage were existing Church goers.  We do know that the Graham Organization were past-maste...