Povey Prattle

Back in the dark ages one of the seasonal pleasures of life was to go "black berrying".  There were still pockets of rural land in Bristol (the Clay Bottom area being one) where the berries grew wild and free. When they were ripe, sweet and juicy we would harvest some in small pails and try not to eat then all before we got home (all purple/ black fingers, lips and tongues!) Then Mum would make Blackberry and Apple Pie (or Crumble) one of the best known blending of fruits and flavours in the entire Universe - so to speak. Wild blackberries. The last time I saw and ate them was in Normandy (circa 1996)  when members of my family and I rented a small cottage in a quiet country lane, far from even a village or hamlet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Then "someone" decided that we had a right to seasonal fruits year round.  We took the bait and now expect and eat fruits and vegetables which are grown and h...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Silly -  but in these days Chuck would not be working for the Government, but for one of the unpatriotic, greedy, money-grubbing  and disloyal Oligarchs who are now running and ruining  our Country.

I've done so very little baking over the years --- partly because I've never taken the time to learn how to make pastry/crust (my fault), partly because I know that any crust I made would be utterly inferior to that which my oldest sister makes (it melts in your mouth) -  I always "demand" her apple pie when I go home to England!  She obliges with a smile, partly because my aging kitchen in SRQ is notably short of counter space on which to roll out pastry -   excuses, excuses! my Mum made excellent pastry crust when kitchen counter space had not even been invented! I've occasionally bought those supermarket frozen crusts and found them to be -  well "crummy". ---------------------------------------------------------------------- So this morning, with rhubarb and apples at hand I decided to make a R and A Crisp. Lordy, lordy, I didn't even own an an oven proof pie dish. So I bought one.. It cost me the princely sum of $2.79 (yes...

I thought for a moment that I was near the U.K. House of Commons **** Then I came to myself and realised that I was at Detwiler's Farm Market in SRQ,  and that they were selling rhubarb, lovely rhubarb, not often seen in local markets. Rhubarb, lovely rhubarb!   I am not much of a baker but I plan to use the rhubarb I bought today, together with some apples,  to make rhubarb and apple crisp.  If it turns out well you'll see a picture tomorrow. If it flops then we'll never speak of this again! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But why did I think that I was near the U.K. House of Commons and why   ****  "a  load of rhubarb ". There is a story that in crowd scenes in a movie,the background actors appear to be chatting but in fact they are simply saying "rhubarb, rhubarb". Hence,  in the U.K.,  when folks spout nonsense about all and everything, it is said that the...

My Sarasota friend David S. spotted a poster at The Ringling.  He thinks that one of the characters looks a bit like    me.   I agree!  I call it Rabbi Povey! -------------------------------------------- Here is the full poster.

Canine/Human Shadows.  Arlington Park, early morning Saturday 11th May 2019 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dew covered cobweb .  Glen Oaks Manor, Sarasota.  6:35 a.m. 12th May 2019 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Intense focus , Arlington Park Sarasota, 7:20 a.m. 12th May 2019 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Object of focus,  Arlington Park Sarasota, 7:20 a.m. 12th May 2019