Povey Prattle

Dinner last evening (March 20th) was with Pat and Jack McLaughlin and with  Cindy and Wes Wasdyke.   Pat and Jack live in Wolfboro' NH and spend 3 weeks each year on Longboat Key, FL so  I get to visit with them every year.   We were friends and colleagues at St. Stephen's  Parish, Pittsfield, MA   Wes  (a retired Anesthesiologist and a retired Priest)   and Cindy have a home in Nashua NH and another in Lakewood Ranch, FL.   We are friends and colleagues at St. Boniface Church, Sarasota FL They joined with me last evening for a lovely dinner at Pho Cali, a Vietnamese restaurant here in Sarasota. The food was gooood! The Mclaughlins and Wasdykes  soon discovered that they have mutual friends in the Diocese of New Hampshire, and in the Medical community in Manchester NH   I beamed as we enjoyed a super meal, and as my friends the McLaughlins and Wasdykes made good connections.  jmp     Jack, Cindy, Wes, Pat

I enjoyed coffee this morning with Lord and Lady Carey who have been visiting Sarasota from their home in Newbury, U.K. Lord Carey is also known as the Most Reverend George L Carey.  He was the Archbishop of Canterbury between 1991 and 2002. I know the Careys better as George and Eileen.  George was one of the Tutors (professors in American parlance) at St. John's Theological College in Nottingham U.K. where I was student between 1972 and 1976. George went on from St. John's to be the Vicar of St. Nicholas Church in Durham, U.K. , then Principal of Trinity Theological College in my home City of Bristol, then Bishop of Bath and Wells, and finally what we call the ABC  - the Archbishop of Canterbury. I last saw the Careys in 1999 when I happened to be in England and was able to attend a student and staff reunion in Nottingham. The Archbishop and his wife have been in the area for a series of events and some preaching at the Church of the Redeemer, a High Church (and thr

Life size knitting  (truly)  from my home City, Bristol, U.K. Yes indeed  entirely knitted.  What fun!

Out on a lanai on 14th October 2012. 'Twas Jack Chrisman's birthday.  He and Donna treated seventeen of  us to a fabulous brunch at their home. Great food.  Superb hospitality.  Fine friends. To my left, a gentleman from Naples FL  (I forget his name), then Ken from New York and Sarasota  (he attends St. Boniface when he is in town), then Jack Chrisman and Donna Chrisman (our hosts)

It was a grand start to the day as I walked my dog at 7:00 a.m. There was a gorgeous mist/fog. The sun “struggled” to break through. Maybe it’s the Englishman in me, for  I truly enjoyed walking through the mist.

As brother Martyn flew back to SRQ from Massachusetts, Sam, Toby and I had the thrill of a lifetime as we took a one hour helicopter trip out of SRQ airport. Our flight path took us over my home, east to Myakka State Park (where we flew above the Eagles), and then west to Casey Key..  We then flew up the coast – over Siesta, Bird, St. Armand’s and Longboat Keys -  up as far as the Cortez Bridge, and then back to the airport. We had a cool, calm and collected pilot. It was a wonderful trip for the lads  -  and as for me – even though a helicopter ride was not in my bucket list, I grinned from ear to ear for the entire trip. It was utterly thrilling. Here are a few pics.  There will be more next week Toby, Dale our Pilot, and Sam Toby, jmp and Sam My home St. Boniface Church Manatees off Siesta Key

We had a lovely cruise from Miami, FL to the Bahamas and back, more about that later. For now  -  to thank my friends  Ron and Charlotte Thompson who took care of Penne at their home  (they and Penne enjoyed this every much), and to my neighbour Barbara who stopped by my home each day to look in on the cats. Good friends. A good neighbour. GREAT!

My youngest brother Martyn, his son Sam (16) , and Sam’s best pal Toby (16) are coming from Bristol, U.K. to visit with me in SRQ, U.S.A.in September. Way to go!  Whoop-de-doo!  Cool!  Great! Brilliant! (As you can see, this planned visit does not excite me a bit). (My sister-in-law Wendy hates to fly, so sadly she will not be with us).

Via my Staten Island "cousin, Kippy Altini. "Digging down" reveals all!  This is stupendous.

My friends Bill Byers and Patrick Cosgrove made a successful bid for an evening of fine dining with a host chef.  Their winning bid was destined to support a charity for needy children. The chef created the menu and provided and prepared the food free of charge as his way of supporting the charity (and getting some good publicity). Bill and Patrick decided that the dinner would be in honour of the 88th birthday of our mutual friend Ben  Morse.  I was fortunate enough to be invited. Here are some pics from the fabulous dinner -  which we enjoyed last evening 22nd June 2012.   "We" were nine gay men, plus Kay who is the favourite waitress of the men who eat each Thursday evening at the Hillview Grill. Kay, Gordon, John. Front Row: Greg, Ben, Bill, Bob. Back row: Patrick, John, Kay, Gordon, Chris. Same cast of characters, avec moi Chef Blake Menu Salmon cake with Lobster Salad Beef tenderloin etc Dessert

Dean Taylor, Interim Rector. Andi Taylor, Associate Rector. Old Priest who needs a haircut Old Priest and Andi Taylor These two photo's by Elisabeth Hamilton Meyer

The Revd. Andrea (Andi) Taylor is the Associate Rector at St. Boniface Church, Siseta Key FL. Yesterday was her 45th birthday. Andi’s husband Jonathan is in New Mexico with their younger son Jacob (on a Boy Scout hiking trip), whilst their older son Noah is studying Arabic in north Georgia. So Andi created an instant family.  Last evening nine of us joined her on a “sunset cruise” on Sarasota Bay.  A grand time was had by all! Here are some of the photo’s. Andi in her glory. Bonnie Doell in background Ralph McGimpsey Retired Priest Associate Our lovely Ringling Bridge "Mansion" on Bird Key Kay McGimpsey leader of Boniface Eco-Stewardship Group, and volunteer at Resurrection House Andi again, Henry Rhodes in background Going down.. Almost gone Final glory More pics tomorrow.

On 3rd August 2002 I officiated at the wedding of Kristen Harris and James Nerich at St. James’s in Porter Square, Cambridge, MA The service itself was both reverent and joyful. The reception was a blast!  It began with a Parrott Head (Jimmy Buffet) theme. Then half way through the event, the entire wedding party changed into Boston Red Sox gear. Then James and Kristen set off for a three week honeymoon in Italy and France. By nice happenstance they found themselves to be on a ‘bus tour in Italy with an old friend of mine, Jessie Hale. She (now deceased) was the widow of the Revd. Sam Hale, a colleague in Fitchburg MA. A week after the wedding I set out for a vacation in France. On the penultimate day of my holiday I took the Parisian Metro to St-Michel/Notre Dame station to get my bearings for a day of walking in Paris.  I sat myself down at a cafe on Quai de la Turnelle, ordered a cafe au lait, looked down the street. Lo and behold, there they were, walking towards the c

I had planned a party for today (13 th November 2011).   I'd called it the “Back from Down under Party”, a celebration of a trip to Australia. But because of the shut-down of the Australian Airline (QANTAS) last month ( as a result of the stupid actions of an anti-Union Qantas CEO ) I was not able to take the trip.  It will take place later. But I did not cancel the party.  I re-named it a “Not Back from Australia Party” and hosted it after all.  For you see, to get fourteen of my Sarasota friends in one place at one time is all but impossible. Receiving fourteen acceptances and not one regret is little short of miraculous. It was a lovely party with wine, liquor and soft drinks for every taste and need; together with chips and dips, “chex mix” munchies, mixed roasted nuts, good crackers and three fancy cheeses.  I used plastic cups and paper plates, so clean-up was easy. Of my fourteen guests, seven were female and seven male. Twelve of them were couples, straight an

Truly, I saw this horse today.  It was set up near a road in my neighbourhood, quite far from any houses. I could not resist taking a photo'.  But I could not find a Princess.

The meteorologists called it a “cold front”. It came through South West Florida on Friday. Having lived most of my life (so far) in more northern climes I thought of it as a “ cooler front”. Early morning temperatures on Saturday and Sunday dropped to 59 F (15 C), and the “heat of the day” reached about 80 F (26 C), each day being sans humidity. This is wonderful “walking weather”, and I think of it as S.W. Florida climate at its best. Penne and I walked out mid-morning today. It was balmy and breezy – maybe about 75 F (23 C). We heard birds singing in the shrubs, bushes and trees. Butterflies with pale yellow wings danced in the air (often there were two of them, engaging in lovely aerial ballets). Double-winged insects were swirling all around. They were impossible to identify "on the wing s ", but perhaps they were "Broad Winged Chasers" (see below) We heard the cry of a hawk, and the chatter of an osprey. The pond around which we walked ga

My niece Anne and her husband Stuart  (Anne and Stuart Weston) are visiting from London UK and are at Disney in Orlando, with their daughter Olivia.  So they drove over to see me today.  We went down to Sarasota's Marina and had a tasty enough lunch at "Marina Jacks" restaurant. We were delighted to be together.  ( I assisted the English Parson when Stuart and Anne got wed in Bristol, U.K.) (Anne is the youngest daughter of my oldest sister Maureen)

One of the finest programmes on America’s NPR (National Public Radio) is the “Diane Rehm Show” out of WAMU and NPR. See http://thedianerehmshow.org/ Diane is a superb interviewer and interlocutor.   She is fantastically honest and balanced in the questions she asks of her guests.   She has a great skill in teasing out honest answers. It is wondrous that Diane Rehm (aged 73) still has a broadcasting career given her health history (see more about this on the website). Diane never comes across as an ideological feminist (not that such a position is wrong -   we need many more feminists in the public realm) . YET I am always delighted to hear the list of the producers of her show, viz: Sandra Pinkhart, Nancy Robertson, Susan Nabors, Denise Couture, Monique Nazareth, and Sarah Ashworth. What a delight it is to listen to a programme which is hosted by a woman, and produced by six other women! It’s a vital, necessary, and important counter balance to the testosterone

Five years ago today (June 14 th 2006) the Movers came to my home in Medford, MA and packed their truck with all my furniture and other belongings. It was the last day of my ownership of 520 High St, Medford, MA. Later that day the new owner did her “walk through”, and declared herself to be satisfied. My brothers Stephen and Martyn were visiting me from England – having wonderfully decided to be with me at the time of my retirement. “Homeless” for the while, I stayed that night in a Motel in Bedford, MA, as did Stephen and Martyn.    That evening we drove from Bedford into the North End of Boston and had dinner at “La Famiglia Giorgio”. The next morning (June 15 th 2006) I signed the final papers for the sale of 520 High St, Medford, MA, and then flew down to Sarasota to sign the papers for my purchase of 3901 Glen Oaks Drive, Sarasota, FL. So I have now been “retired” for five years.   I am “gladder than glad” that I was able to do so at the relatively young age of 62. These

I enjoy ironing.  I conserve electricity by drying my clothes on a rack which is stationed in the spare bedroom.  Would to God that I could hang them out to dry on a decent clothes line, but our prissy “Condo Association Rules” forbid such flagrant displays of laundry. So my shirts and pants need to be ironed after they have dried out, and that’s just as well, because I enjoy ironing . In the “olden days”  1976-80 I would even iron my undershirts/vests, and underpants/shorts.  Believe it or not (and please believe it), in those days I also ironed sheets.  Indeed I like ironing ! My enjoyment of ironing is most likely rooted in two places. First:  as a parish Pastor I dealt with beginnings (baptisms); middles (weddings); and endings (funerals).   So I ministered with “bits” of human lives, but never with the whole.  When I iron I am able to begin, continue, and end an activity. Ironing is a “whole” activity. Second:  I am (to my embarrassment), something of a perfectionist