Oh! To be Young!

Steps of Wisdom - Schnitkunst by Nigel A.  JAMES

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From The Shropshire Lad

A poetical work by Alfred Edward Houseman

When I was one-and-twenty

I heard a wise man say,

“Give crowns and pounds and guineas

But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies

But keep your fancy free.”

But I was one-and-twenty

No use to talk to me.

My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Christine Peschek

Christine Peschek - photo by Nigel A.  JAMES

Away from the Gathering Clouds

Bad moods and ill tempers belong to the landscape of everyday life; and, getting through them can often mean a trip to the bottom and back! So, when Christine Peschek sees the gathering clouds upon the horizon of her thinking, she simply takes a deep breath and reaches for her sticks!

Nordic Walking is probably one of the most pleasant and easiest ways to exercise. It trains all of our muscles at once; and, by way of doing nothing other than pleasantly strolling around, we can become super-fit and ready for all of life’s ups, and, of course, all of its menacing downs! But, there’s more to Nordic Walking than the building of muscles – there are the feelings!

Shortly after being called to the sport, Christine became aware of another type of change taking place. She not only felt fitter, but also much happier, too! And so, she started going more often; the more frequent the better; and it didn’t take long before the effects of her walking were there - shining brightly - for all of the world to see!

Happiness is contagious! So, if you’re feeling not the full shilling, take a look to Christine and pick up your sticks. You will see how your cheerfulness spreads; and, in case you were worrying, age is no problem at all - in fact, Christine’s dear old mum has started it, too.

So, bad moods and ill tempers are all for the trash-can of life; the fresh air is free, and the great outdoors is the best place of all. All you need are the sticks, and, perhaps, a carrot to follow! Good luck!

My e-mail address is, - njmailboy@gmail.com

The Advent of Sun

Summer Fun - Schnittkunst by Nigel A.  JAMES

Summer time will soon be here, and, with it, the promise of reward for all our toil of now. Nj

Hans Kratky

Hans Kratky - photo by Nigel A.  JAMES

Shooting High

Hans Kratky is a high thinking man, and, one of his ideas almost cost him a very expensive Christmas present – the one that his wife gave him!

It was some years ago that Hans’s wife, Petra gave him a super cam-corder (video camera) for Christmas; and, believe it or not, it was something that he really wanted; and, what he had in mind was something quite daring.

Now, Hans and Petra have a very small house in the country near Vienna, and Hans thought that a bird’s eye view of it would be just the thing; and so, he set to work on his idea.

It wasn’t long before his brand new - home made - larger than life kite was ready for its maiden flight; and so, with cam-corder attached, Hans successfully launched his colourful kite - which he had christened Eagle - into the heavens. Then, soaring on high, it began, by remote control, to shoot their weekend retreat. So far, all was going to plan.

But, things that go according to plan can also go wrong. For, as Hans was about to wind in the Eagle, a great wind arose and snatched the string from right out of his hands! All he could do was to stand and stare as the Eagle danced and swayed and turned and rose and fell with speed as the wind took it on its liberated way. That’s the end of my kite, my camera and my pictures, thought Hans. Things were looking bad.

But not all endings are bad, and, just a little while later the Eagle was spotted in a tree and Hans was able to go and retrieve it. The kite was completely ruined, but, thankfully, the camera had survived its flight into danger and was still taking pictures – and the pictures that it had taken were really remarkable!

From high in the sky, Han’s and Petra’s little house seemed even smaller than it really was; and the surrounding countryside was really quite breathtakingly beautiful. And then came the Eagle’s escape into freedom! There, in full Technicolor and packed with mobile action, was the looping-the-loop, the diving and the swinging, and the ups and the downs and the painful seconds before its final crash – and Hans!

Because the camera had ended up upside-down in the tree, Hans, instead of coming up from below, appeared, instead to be coming down from above. Everything was the wrong way round and back to front as well. A master piece of amateur filming –and Hans had only just started!

But, both Hans and Petra are still laughing about it; the day that Han’s high soaring thinking came back down to earth - and ended up high in a tree!

My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Ice Dream

Ice Dream


I took this picture at the Vienna Ice Skating Club just a few days ago.  Being bang in the centre of town, the club has a tremendous following and has, over the years, produced some of the best Austrian ice-skaters.  I wonder where all of these people in the picture will be in a few yeaar's time!

Ellen Müller

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Smile Please - photo by Nigel A.  JAMES

Far From a Laughing Matter

2011 is still relatively young, and, it’s still not too late to add yet another New Year’s resolution to your already existing list of sincere and noble intentions; and, so it was, that as 2010 was just about to move on to 2011, I read about something that gave me an idea.

As New Year’s resolutions go, this idea is well worth a try. It is quite unlike giving up smoking, it’s impossible to compare it with cutting down on drink or going on a diet; and it’s much more fun than writing your memoirs – in fact it is fun – and it’s easier to keep than to break - and it’s a laugh all the way; and the results, for the little effort that is needed, are enormous!

It was in the Wiener Zeitung (a Viennese newspaper of repute) that I read all about it. In its last edition of last year, the paper published an interview with Ellen Müller, a Laugh Yoga instructress. What she had to say was remarkably interesting, and, a lot of it was far from a laughing matter.

Ellen Müller stumbled upon Laugh Yoga whilst looking for a remedy for the chronic pain which she was having at the time; and, one of the stones she turned over was Dr. Madan Kataria, a medical doctor from India.

It was in the 1990’s that Dr. Kataria started including laughter in the treatment which he was giving his patients. Laughter, he proved, was the best medicine; and now, laugh clubs and laugh yoga groups are to be found all over the world.

Laughing is good for you, and, it was whilst laughing that Ellen Muller’s pains, as if by magic, dissolved away into nothing!

And the magic of Laugh Yoga lies in its simplicity. The movements are easy and there is no one on earth – not even you – who can’t do them or take part. So, if you’re suffering, or you simply want to have fun, Laugh Yoga is something for you!

And, it doesn’t stop there. All over the world, people are benefiting from the positive results of Laugh Yoga and Laugh clubs. Laughter reduces stress and provides a much needed balance – and – this is the best of all – it restores happiness – THE feeling that makes life worth living!

To find out more, you can google Ellen Müller and Dr. Madan Kataria, or, you can check out the following link, - www.lachyoga.at

My email address is, - njmailboy@gmailboy.com





Once again, A Very happy New Year to you all!