More Prattle from Povey

  https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Roccatederighi I spent a week there with my friend Joe S during a 1991 sabbatical leave. We were in a old house in the highest part of the old Town.  The house was owned by one Larry H.  who had grown up at St. Stephen's Pittsfield, MA.  ( Larry said that the house was on the wrong side of the tracks in Tuscany, and all the better for that!). J and I parked my rental car in the new town and then climbed up stone  pathways and steps to Larry's home.  Roccatederighi is/was a dying hill top town ( of which there are many in Italy). The new town (Victorian?) had a store or two, and a bar or two where the old boys drank Grappa and played Dominoes.  The old town also had a small store. J and I would wander down to it each morning  to buy freshly baked bread for breakfast. And here is the good part.  We'd return in the evening to get fresh baked bread to eat with dinner. The very best rural Italian Bread has a half-day shelf life!

Raclette Wildkrauter- JUMI, Raw Cow's milk, Switzerland I bought it at https://www.artisancheesecompany.com   A great array of superb cheeses from home and abroad; and other superb comestibles.  Pricey of course,  so I buy it at splurge time. I'd rather splurge on excellent cheese than on Chicken nuggets!   Another splurge-worthy cheese from Artisan Cheese Co. is Californian  HUMBOLDT FOG Humboldt Fog, Cypress Grove, CA, Goat, MR Artisan Cheese Co has a limited but good array of Mail Order products.

  Sarasota has a downtown  "Farmers  Market"  every Saturday.  It's hardly your local Farm Market. It's a place to see and be seen, especially if you have a designer dog.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Much nearer to my home (two miles away) is the Farmers Market at "The Meadows"  - a community with many small "villages". Zion and I went there this morning.  What a let down!  There was but one produce stall, with cleaned up and shiny vegies. I could have bought Magical Crystals, Health Insurance, Lobstee Rolls ( at 1030 a.m?) but no great Bread. That was until I came across the Italian Woman who bakes bread at her home. er Such good wheat bread - not for sandwiches or toast; but to be slathered  with butter; to be dipped in the very best olive oil;  or maybe to mop up the sauces left on your plate after dinner. It's the very best, with a crispy crust and a well flavoured  and textured  flesh.   The bak

  Wasbund                  A divorced woman's former husband. -------------------------------------------------------------- Created and Used by  by   Faith Salie  on this week's  wonderful NPR broadcasted programme of story telling: "The Moth". I enjoy "The Moth" each Saturday on my local NPR Station WUSF The art of Story Telling is ancient. 'Tis wonderful!    I hope that your local NPR station carries "The Moth" The   Moth was founded by the novelist George Dawes Green, who wanted to recreate in New York the feeling of sultry summer evenings in his native Georgia, when moths were attracted to the light on the porch where he and his friends would gather to spin spellbinding tales. The first New York Moth event was held in George’s living room and the story events quickly spread to larger venues throughout the city.

  Lentil Loaf I am not a Vegetarian but this Loaf is good in its own right, not merely as a substitute for Meat Loaf.  (Except for those who are Vegetarian!) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

  Here I am at Fort DeSoto County Park with Zion and my friend Patrick.   What a sight.   A big brimmed hat with a neck protector.  My Dermatologist would be pleased. The hat was a gift from my cousin Kippy  (Catherine). Black Iona sweat shirt, Navy Blue shorts, White Legs, Black sneakers. What a sight! Zion can't believe his eyes. Hardly G.Q. material.   But maybe a good model for a Garden Gnome.

https://pinellas.gov/parks/fort-de-soto-park Fort DeSoto County Park is a gem of unspoiled, and deliberately not "developed" coastal land in South West Florida. My Cambridge MA friends Pat and Laurie are having a wee vacation in Dunedin FL, so we met at the County Park,  about half way between Dunedin and Sarasota.  We each took a picnic lunch. Pat is the Minister of Music Extraordinaire at St. James's, Cambridge MA.  (The Revd.) Laurie is an Episcopal Priest. At one time I asked Laurie to join the Parish team as Minister for Christian Education.  She asked  "do you really want a husband and wife on the team"?    Of course I did. Such is their professional and personal integrity that I knew they wouldn't chew over parish staff matters at home. ... and a Dog!  P and L are old pals of Zion.  They met him when they were in SRQ a few years ago; and Z was new to me. I thought of other meetings at the Park. One with my Cambridge friend Mary C. when we rented bicyc

Learning how to use my new Air Fryer. 1  I defrosted some Chicken Cutlets to use in Chicken Salad.  From frozen to cooked in about 25 minutes. 2. The BIG TEST, making "Pigs in a Blanket" - Sausage wrapped in Bacon. Here it is with the Irish Company Bachelor's baked beans, The flavour was good. The Sausage is the English Style Lincolnshire Chipolatas, made in Chicago  with A1 ingredients by  https://jollyposhfoods.com   Highly recommended. The Bacon was a bit problematic.  It's American Bacon for sure (we Brits would call it "Streaky Bacon" ) I bought it "on sale" - a bargain I thought, in these days of food cost inflation.  I discovered that it was on sale because it was more fat than flesh! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I enjoyed the meal, but I'll eschew B argain B asement B acon when next I cook Pigs in a Blanket.

  I'll award myself five out of ten for my first use of my Ninja Air Fryer. The Veggies -  leftovers cooked in a saucepan. The Hasselback Potato - cooked to perfection, with a terrifically crisp skin. The Duck Breast -  crunchy skin, but with over-cooked flesh. A steep but worth-while learning curve. It is not a lonesome journey.  By a cool coincidence my dearest, and oldest sister Maureen in England bought a Ninja Air Fryer, identical to mine, in the same week as I bought mine. KEWL!

  I've resisted buying an Air Fryer on account of the name.  I am not a great fan of fried food. Then I discovered that they are in fact Induction Ovens .  I am told that Induction is a fine way to cook.  It cooks all round (i.e. main heat sources is not above or below that which is being cooked). The Ninja has Air Broil; Air Fry; Roast; Reheat; Dehydrate; and Bake settings  - more versatile than the counter top Toaster Oven which it has replaced. I'll use it on Sunday to cook Duck Breast, with a Hasselback Potato, each in its own tray.  Watch this space!    P.S,  I do not wish to own a Microwave Oven.

  The Good News is four fold  1.  I now know the route to Eye Associates in Bradenton. A forty or so minutes drive. 2.  The Eye measurements procedure went well.   But oh how hard it is to be told "don't blink".  We blink without thinking. 3. The burst blood vessel in my left eye did not impair the measuring.  I thought that I'd caused the problem by being clumsy with the eye drop "spout" .  The Technician was dubious.  She told me that such bursts can be caused by e.g.:  a  coughing fit; lifting a heavy object; a strained bowel movement  (she said it not I!).  She added that she had such an ocular blood vessel as a bye product of hard labour in child birth . I'll opt for the coughing fit! 4.   The surgeries will be by Dr. Foster, but in Sarasota, not Bradenton.  The logistics will be simpler, The Bad News is that Surgery #1 (left eye) will not be until April 6th.  Surgery #2 (right eye) April 20th. I had hoped for much sooner! So "God grant me the

  ....... this gorgeous and happy boy came into my life.  It was mutual love at first sight.

  Duck Breast and Kumatos:  Broiled together It's hard to make the skin crispy without over-cooking the flesh.  I failed!                  SARASOTA AND DISTRICT FRIENDS Siam Gulf on 12th St and Tuttle Ave is the tops when it comes to Thai food.  Their Crispy Skin Duck Breast (available in Curries and Salads) is the Gold Standard.

    L - R The new Queen Elisabeth.  The Dowager Queen Mary.  The Queen Mother Elizabeth. At the 1952 Funeral of King George VI. L-R His daughter. His mother, His wife.

I am postponing my rant about the many privileged brats of the U.K. Royal Family. For now here is a bit about the almost hidden, and certainly forgotten Prince John, son of King George V and Queen Mary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_John_of_the_United_Kingdom

I plan to rant about the Windsor-Mountbatten nonsense tomorrow.  But for now.... I attended Bristol's Fairfield Grammar School  (High School in American terms) between 1955 and 1960.  They were miserable years.  One of the few bright spots was my membership in the School Choir under the great W.J. "Dickie" Richards. We were good -  so very good that the BBC radio chose us to record a Sunday evening programme called "Sunday Half-Hour", a programme of Hymn singing.  Back when the U.K. was still semi-Christian it was a friendly staple in many homes.  There was nothing adventurous about it - it was a comfortable encounter with well known hymns, usually recorded in a Church or Chapel with local Choirs and congregational singing. So it was an unusual honour for the FGS choir to be the featured choir, with our family members and friends as the congregation.  It was recorded in the Chapel of Clifton College, an exclusive (in American terminology)   Prep School. I think

  Brhh.    It's cold by S.W. Florida standards.  42f would feel good at this time of year in New England.    Here we are in bundle up and shiver mode. Time for Hot Chocolate from Vermont.  (No whipped cream in the house). Damn! I have to use eye drops four times a day in prep for my cataract measurement appointment with the Eye Surgeon on Friday 20th. I must have banged my left eye this morning.  What a bloody mess!  It's sore but not painful. There is no additional impairment to my already compromised vision.  I think that it will clear up before Friday. P.S.  I am a fan of my unruly eyebrows and will not allow my Barber to tidy them!  And this photo' shows the remnants of my former bright red (almost Belisha Beacon Orange ) locks.

  **  Chartist - historical reference. The Cataracts in both my eyes were diagnosed on Nov 2nd 2022. It's been a winding and slow journey since then. I am now in the stretch before the home stretch.  Today I began a week of preparation to get me ready for the necessary measurements, which will be taken on Jan 20th.  Then and only then will I be given dates for the surgery,  ..... if my eyes are moist enough. That's why I am a Chartist.  I am on a regimen of eye drops four times each day, plus the insertion of an oily substance (Systane)  before bed time each day.  My neighbour Ruth Ann suggested that I should make a chart lest I lose track each day.  That was wise. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Of course I could keep my eyes moist by thinking about Gov. DeSantis, and U.K. Premier   Rishi Sunak each day.   BUT that might damage my soul .

  He is in heaven when I tickle his left leg  pit with my thumb, and his righty leg pit with my fingers.

 

  The Good News is that when I went to Sarasota's Apple Store today, thinking that I needed to buy a new i-Phone, the staff member would do no such thing.  She pointed out that my problem is that my i-Cloud storage plan was in dire need of updating. Later in the day the hard stuff began.  I called Apple support.  Kudos to Apple who gave me choices re waiting on line music!  I chose Classical. Then I went down the rabbit hole.  Apple's First Responder was great.  She put me in touch with an Expert.    Expert as she was,  there was a problem.   Nothing to do with Apple.    Everything to do with me.   Try as I might I could not correctly enter my user name.  I am not dumb, but my eyes are dim and the screen is small. First things first. My eye sight is more precious than my cyberspace life.  When the cataracts have been blasted out of my eyes (dates not yet set) I'll be ready and prepared to "talk" with Apple. I (and you) can be cool  about this.  After all we did

 

  I was privileged to spend a week at the Taize Community on a Sabbatical leave in 1999. c/f   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taizé_Community I continue to be  haunted and blessed by the Taize chants, especially as I grieve for my sister Elizabeth, and for Gwen Sears. La ténèbre n'est point ténèbre devant toi: la nuit comme le jour est lumièr/  Darkness is not darkness before you: night as day is light. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVZ0bTCRHW4

  Today, Jan 9th. is her birthday.  I will sing to her. My dearest friend left this life on 12th Aug 2022.  Not a day goes by without my thinking about her. I realised yesterday that when I got the news that my twin Elizabeth had died (Jan 3rd)  my very first call would have been to Gwen. A twisted knot of grief. Rev. Gwen W. Sears 1928 - 2022

  Fava Bean with Sour Cream and Cardamom.   Recipe in my mind.

                                                    Wenceslas Square, Prague. The ear worm has been "Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen"  that somewhat silly song which we rarely sing (thank goodness) because the Feast of Stephen (Dec 26th) is most likely to be observed as Boxing Day; or as my sister Ruth's birthday. It was in Junior School that our Music Teacher told us that the song did not begin "Good King Wences Last looked out". Here is a jolly version https://youtu.be/_-b4bo4YOvQ In truth, Wenceslas was a pretty good King, or maybe not! https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/real-story-good-king-wenceslas-carol/

 I'd been led to believe that the surgery for my cataracts would be "drive through, do it yourself" 😂 I was disabused of that notion this morning when I had my first appointment with Eye Associates at their Bradenton Office. I was shuttled from one technician to another until eventually I met the Surgeon, Dr. Foster. I liked him.  He is personable. He gave very clear information. He listened well.   So what is next?    I will be back at the Clinic on January 20th for IOL measurements, after which the dates for my surgeries will be set BUT    beginning on Jan 13th I will undertake a rigorous set of daily preparations. 1.  Eye Drops four times per day  (but not with common or garden eye drops, but WITH those which are medically approved; e.g. "Blink') 2.  Starting Jan 7th daily use of Systane Gel;  and the application of hot water compresses on both eyes twice a day.  Apart from the Cataracts my Corneas (?) are horribly dry. If I do what needs to be done the IOL m

  Lance and Pat are an English couple who walk each day at Bayfront Park.  Pat keeps up with English customs.  This is her Christmas Cake  (made from her mother's recipe).  Oh so good.  Rich fruit cake  (with shredded carrot to keep it moist), surmounted with Marzipan and Hard Icing.    I should be so lucky! Dragon fruit  (from a Cactus), recommended by the produce Manager at Detwiler's Farm Market. He sang the praises of its flavour. It's easily cut into quarters, revealing the inner fruit.  'Tis easy to peel?  But as for flavour?  " Wot flavour?" I ask. "Nowt" as they might say in Yorkshire, So   I cut it up with an apple for my lunch today - "waste not want not!" I am told that it can be grilled as a Kebab  (but I don't have a grill). All is not lost  -  it is rich with iron.  But at nearly $3 per fruit  I'll find a less expensive way to enrich my blood. I have some leftover.  I'll baptise it with honey and have it for breakf

As many know I am one of ten children, born in Bristol U.K.  to Evelyn Maud Povey and Henry John (Jack) Povey. My sister Sylvia (1942?) lived for but a short while. her wee body contorted with Spina Bifida. Brother  Steve died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2016 at aged 63. We think of him every day. My twin sister Elizabeth   (Liz) died during the night of Jan 2nd/3rd 2023 after many years of declining health. We were born in War Time (May 1944).  I came first, a fact that was useful in later days "Anyway, I'm older than you!" I remember us sitting side by side in a barebones twin pushchair with a wooden seat and back. Young as I was, I got irked with the people who engaged Mum in conversation and admired our glorious red hair. I remember too the Christmas when we each got a scooter (again barebones - nothing like today's supersonic ones). Maybe we were nine or ten.   One scooter was red, the other blue. We got along pretty well as children and playmates. We went to t