Marty Siwy - Charging Boars and the Big Wide World

Please click onto text or picture for full AUDIO/VISUAL page!

Marty Siwy in her English country  garden in Vienna - photo by Nigel A JAMES

 Marty Siwy

Charging Boars and the Big Wide World

listen to ‘Marty Siwy - charging Boars and the Big Wide World!’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Marty Siwy - Slow ’ on Audioboo

There's something that shows in the eyes of a runner. It's an expression of depth that comes from success. For they who go running are everyday winners; and winning, when running, is reaching a goal. Short to begin with and getting longer with fitness. And Marty Siwy's first goal was from here to the corner, and that was a long time ago!

But soon, the corner was a long way behind and Marty was putting on distance. And, with distance comes peace. For the first time in years, she had time to not only think, but plan and make schedules as well. Whatever the weather, be it sunshine, lightening, rain or snow, she was out and alone with her thoughts and her feelings. There were no phones to answer, no boys and no husband. She was there for herself, and that was a wonderful thing! But, the Vienna woods where she trained every day were full of surprises, and not always nice!

And, Marty's surprise was the pigs! And, wild boar can be very wild indeed! She had just run into a clearing, and, there they were, in their hundreds, blocking her path. And, worst of all, they were protecting their young! Marty had no time to think! With charging boars on her heels, she fled back the way she had come. She was no longer thinking of patterns and recipes, she was thinking of getting out of the park in one piece and alive. Her life was the prize, and she wasn't about to give up! And then, with just seconds to spare, she was over the fence and in safety. Her running had saved her!

And speed and condition were essential for her next stage as well. And, that was the world. The biggest goal of them all!

With New York in her sights, Marty went up in gear and took her training to serious new heights. And, it paid off! She not only came first in many of the city runs she went in for, but crossed the finishing line in very good time in every one of her 21 marathons. She had won! Her prize was the world, and it stretched from Hong Kong to Europe with New York and the States in between!

Of course, there were medals and cups and great praise, but, the best things of all were not only the people she met and the friendships that followed, but also the discovering of the little known and out-of-way corners of the far away cities that she went to. Running is fun. It's social, it's slow and it's fast, and you can do it wherever and whenever you want! It's all up to you!

And the future? Marty, with her many years to her credit has no intention of stopping. And, anyway, running won't let her! It's not only essential for good health and clear thinking, it's the best anti-ageing there is! So, why not follow her perfect example? However old or how young you may be, simply put away the creams, forget all the promises and put on your running shoes instead. Just go for the corner, start winning, and the rest will come on its own!

Vocabulary

charging – stürmen

clearing – Lichtung

discover – entdecken

expression – Ausdruck

fled – (to flee/fled/fled) – fliehen

heels – Fersen

paid off – (to pay off/paid off/paid off) – zahlt sich aus

patterns - Schnittmuster

protecting – schützen

recipe – Kochrezept

sights - Sicht

wild boar – Wildschwein

For easy texts with audio, please visit Lexmatica

www.lexmatica.blogspot.com

Of Foreign Lands - A Poem by Robert Louis Stevenson

 For full text and AUDIO, please click onto picture or text!

Looking over the Firth of Fourth from Ediburgh - RLS's home town!

0f Foreign Lands

by Robert Louis Stevenson

listen to ‘Robert Louis Stevenson - Of Foreign Lands’ on Audioboo

Up into the cherry tree

Who should climb but little me?

I held the trunk with both my hands

And looked abroad in foreign lands.

I saw the next door garden lie,

Adorned with flowers, before my eye,

And many pleasant places more

That I had never seen before.

I saw the dimpling river pass

And be the sky’s blue-looking glass;

The dusty roads go up and down

With people tramping into town.

If I could find a higher tree

Farther and farther I should see,

To where the grown-up river slips

Into the sea among the ships,

To where the road on either hand

Lead onward into fairy land,

Where all the children dine at five,

And all the play things come alive.

rls1

Albert Gunter - A Very Hard Landing - In his bus!

Please click onto text or picture for full AUDIO/VISUAL page!

Albert Gunter - Photo thanks to the Daily Mail of 1952

Albert Gunter and a Very Hard Landing

listen to ‘Albert Gunter - A Flyer - A Driver - and a Gentleman’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Albert Gunter - Easy Slow’ on Audioboo

Way-homes on London buses are for taking it easy. These stop and start trips allow for the reading of papers, and, if sitting upstairs, the view of a London evening on its way into darkness is possibly the best in the world! But, passengers to Dulwich in South London got more than their tickets' worth while riding home for their suppers one late afternoon a long time ago. They not only flew, but made headlines as well!

It was the 30^th of December, the last working day of 1952. Albert Gunter had just steered his number 78 bus onto London's famous Tower Bridge when it happened. All of a sudden, he felt his bus going-up! The arm of the bridge upon which he was driving was no longer pointing ahead - it was rising!!! It looked as though Albert's bus was about to make history by becoming the first ever London Transport red double-decker to sink without trace in the dark swirling depths of the Thames! But, Albert's thinking was quicker than the currents of the river, and he went into action!!

He had just gone past the point of no turning back, and automatically he went down in gear and put his foot on the gas. He needed speed. His bus had to fly to survive! There was no other choice. But, would he succeed? The bridge was still going-up and the gap getting bigger as well! Would he be able to take-off in time?

And then, with no seconds left he took off! They were airborne and flying at speed, and Albert was lining them up for a once only landing.

And, down they came with a bang! It was not only dramatic, but almost twice as loud as a 2^nd World War bomb going off! Seats and passengers were thrown about as Albert landed the bus on the other side of the gap. But the sound of the landing was nothing compared to the passenger's cheering and applause for their “captain”. It could be heard all over London! The best and most incredible landing that a red double-decker London Transport bus had ever made! And the driver?

Albert Gunter was decorated for bravery by the Queen. And this, by-the-way, was another “first”. It was the first ever medal that the new young Queen Elizabeth the Second was to award. A medal not only for bravery, but for saving 60 passengers from a watery death as well! Albert Gunter, Britain’s 1952 unofficial man of the year! A driver, a flyer and a gentleman!

Tower Bridge - by Nigel A JAMES

For more listening pleasure, please visit my podcast – najvienna

www.audioboo.fm/najvienna

#londonbridge

#londontransport

#London1952

Vocabulary

all of a sudden – ganz plötzlich

as well – auch

award – (to award/awarded/awarded) – verliehen

bravery – Kühnheit

cheering – Jubeln

currents – Strömungen

decorated – (to decorate/decorated/decorated) - auszeichnen

gap – Spalt / Abstand

gear – Gang

going off, a bomb – (to go off/went off/ gone off) – explodieren

incredible – unglaublich

steered – (to steer/steered/steered) – lenken

swirling depths - Wirbelendtiefen

take off – (to take-off/took-off/taken-off) – abfliegen

way-homes - Heimreise

without trace – ohne 

Tracking the Past - A Narrow Gauge Memory

For full AUDIO/VISUAL, please click onto picture or text!

 Tracking the Past

listen to ‘Tracking the Past - A sad goodbye to a little train!’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Tracking the Past - Slow version with vocabulary’ on Audioboo

There are occasions in life that somehow manage to move certain people to the heights of emotional depths, and, one such event that is guaranteed to stir up such feelings is the closing of a railway.

It happened about a year ago and right here in Vienna. A so-called field railway that used to chug its way round in the grounds of a hospital put its engines and wagons away for the very last time. It was as if someone had died! There was a very deep feeling of sadness as the driver uncoupled the wagons for the very last time, and, as the power was turned off, a speech with a moving nostalgic note telling of the golden times of this narrow gauge beauty was delivered in a tear laden voice.

This small railway was built about 100 years ago in the grounds of Lainz, a very large hospital on the edge of Vienna. And, the job of this little train was to transport hospital meals from a central kitchen to the wards which were housed in separate pavilions. And, not even once, despite two world wars and other great calamities of note, did these hospital meals of great taste ever fail to show up!

But sadly, the hospital decided that other methods of meals on wheels were better, and so came the close! But, for this little train there is a life after death! The engines and trucks, now lovingly restored, have taken their place alongside other greats of the tracks in a railway museum.

And maybe this is the point. There is a trace of nostalgia in us all. Things from the past do have a definite interest. And, even though, we never used them, or travelled in them, or flew in them, we miss them badly when they're no longer here! But, many are still here.

And, it is all thanks to the many enthusiasts who have both the time and the talent to keep the past how it was! These are the heroes of life. It is they who make sure that we never forget.

As long as the inventions of now are preserved for the future, there will always be a past to look back to tomorrow!

Vocabulary

alongside – daneben

calamity - Katastrophe

chug - dampfen

dedication – Hingabe

delivered – (to deliver/delivered/delivered) - gehalten

despite – trotz

enthusiasts – Enthusiasten

even though – obwohl

field railway – Feldbahn

knowledge – Wissen

laden - geladen

miss – (to miss/missed/missed) – vermisst

moving – bewegend

narrow gauge – schmal Spur

show up – (to show up/showed up/showed up) – erscheinen

tear – Tränen

trace – Spur

ward – Krankenstationen

 

Hans Kratky - Strings in the Wind - A story of a high flying kite!

For full audio/visual article, please click onto picture or script!

The tree in Burgenland/Austria which stopped Hans Kratky's kite! 

Strings in the Wind - a story of an unusual kite!

listen to ‘Hans Kratky - A Kite Out of Controll!’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Hans Kratky - Slow version’ on Audioboo

This story took place more than five years ago, but, for Hans Kratky it was if it was only yesterday. It was the day that his kite sailed away on the back of the wind – and with it - something he didn't want to lose!

It was a fresh January Austrian day. Hans was in his garage playing with his brand new video camera which his wife had given him for Christmas when he had an idea. And, it was a very good idea. And so, straight after his typical Austrian country lunch of Wiener schnitzel, he got going. And, three days later, there it was. In the middle of his garage stood an amazing giant red kite, and, all Hans had to do before releasing it to the winds was to attach his brand new video camera. And that was only a matter of moments.

Now, all was ready for launching. Han's idea of making a bird's eye view film of his house was about to come true. And so, into the field next door went Hans, his wife and one or two friends with the red giant camera carrying kite! The count-down began.

And, the take-off was perfect! Up into the sky went the kite, and there it danced and swayed and did what kites generally do, and, as Hans pulled the strings he was happy. His film, he was sure, would be a success. But, then came the wind!

The gust was so strong and so sudden that it took the strings right out of his hands! There was nothing he could do except sadly look-on as his kite and his camera flew away on the wind into the bright blue cold winter sky. And, what was his wife thinking? The camera, after all, had cost her very much money!

But, all's well that ends well, and the kite soon found itself tangled up in a tree with the camera still shooting as if nothing had happened. All was not lost. And, that very same evening, Hans, his wife, and their friends sat down to enjoy Hans's unforgettable film making wonder. And, the surprises weren't long in coming!

The beginning of the film was perfect. There were the wonderful graceful pictures as the kite got higher and higher, and the views of the surrounding countryside were impressive, and the images of Hans's house were really amazing. All, so-far, incredibly good and all according to plan. But, then came the gust, and there on the screen were the aerial divings and swingings and tossings and turnings being taken from Hans's out of control home made beautiful giant red kite. But, the best was to come at the end. It was a finale fit for an Oscar, and, it all took place in the tree which was holding the kite!

Instead of coming up from the ground to rescue his camera and kite, Hans, instead, came down – headfirst - from the top! The camera, still filming, was hanging upside-down in the tree, and everything was back-to-front, upside-down, and the wrong way round! And, so brilliant was this ending, that Petra, Hans's wife, still believes - to this very day – and surprisingly so - that the whole thing was a carefully planned and well carried out bit of film making! Hans, not just a camera man with a future, but also a genius with an eye for the very best shot!

Luck, she still firmly believes, had no part to play!

You can find more texts to listen to on my podcast, najvienna

www.audioboo.fm/najvienna

Vocabulary

according – laut

after all – immerhin

back-to-front – verkehrt

amazing – erstaunlich

giant – riesig

got going - (to get going/got going/got going) – anfangen

graceful – graziös

gust – Windstoß/Bö

impressive – beeindruckend

kite – Drachen

launching – abschießen

lose – (to lose/lost/Lost) – verlieren

rescue – (to rescue/rescued/rescued) – retten

sailed (to sail/sailed/sailed) – segelt

shot – Bild

straight after – direkt nach . ..

swayed – (to sway/swayed/swayed) ) - schwanken

take off, the – Abflug

tangled – (to tangle/tangled/tangled) - eingewickelt

tossings – wälzen

upside-down – verkehrt

Robert Schery is Sizzling Sausages at the End of the Line

Please click onto pictureor text for full AUDIO/VISUAL page!

 Robert Schery byNigel A JAMES

An End of Line Sizzle

listen to ‘Robert Schery - Sizzling Sausages’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Robert Schery - Slow version’ on Audioboo

Hütteldorf is on the edge of Vienna where the town becomes forest, and it is there that the 49 tram takes a break before heading back into town. And, there where the trees provide shade is something worth coming to. It's special, it's good, and is so for two very good prize winning reasons!

The first is its fabulous mouthwateringly good smell, and the second is the taste of what it produces! It's a sausage stand! And, it belongs to Robert Schery!

It was 6 years ago. In order to fulfil a lifelong dream, Robert was on the lookout for a sausage stand to buy, and the 49er, as it was known, was desperately in need of an owner. The people of this neighbourhood were despairingly missing their daily dose of good tasting sausage. Their 49er had been closed for more than ten never-ending years, and, bit by bit, hope had given way to the sad realization that their much beloved sausage stand would never more awake from its permanent sleep of heart-breaking sorrow! But, then came Robert, and just like a knight in bright shining armour kissed the 49er back into life!

And now, everyone's happy again! It's just like old times and the 49er can’t be imagined away! It has become so popular with its traditionally prepared old fashioned sausages that people are now making their way there from all over Vienna to enjoy the sizzling uniqueness of Roberts phenomenal roasters! And, so well does he do it, that his sausage stand has now been voted the best in Vienna! A prize which, when considering the competition, is very hard to achieve!

So, if you happen to be in Vienna and are hungry, take the 49 tram from the ring to its final stop in the forest. And there you will find Robert with not only the best sausages there are, but a super choice of other just as tempting temptations as well. There's something for everyone – and that's the secret of Robert's success.

And eating alone is no fun, and, whatever the weather, one is never short of company. Good people attract great people and Robert's a perfect example. His guests are simply very, very nice people! And, I'm sure that you, too, will fit in!

Bon Appetite!

Der 49er Würstelstand

www.burenwurst.biz

Vocabulary

armour – Panzer

choice – Auswahl

competition – Konkurrenz

considering – betrachten

despairingly – verzweifelt

forest – Wald

heart-breaking – herzleidend

knight – Ritter

mouthwateringly – lecker

old fashioned – altmodisch

realization – Erkennung

roasters - Würste

sausage stand – Würstelstand

sizzling – bratenden

tempting – verlockend/verführerisch

temptations – Versuchungen

The Red Star of the Reds - A short story about Plattenbaus

Please click onto picture or text for full AUDIO/VISUAL page!

Veszprem in Hungary - by Nigel A JAMES

The Red Star of the Reds – A short story about plattenbaus

listen to ‘Plattenbaus - A Short Story’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Red Star - Slow recording with read vocabulary’ on Audioboo

The red stars, and statues of Lenin and Stalin may have gone from the face of the old Soviet block, but there is still one reminder that takes us straight back to the heart of the Communist era. And, that is the plattenbaus. They are still to be seen all over the once eastern block.

Built as of the 1950s, these enormous blocks of flats made of concrete slabs were not only designed to make everyone equal in true Leninist style, but also to counter the homelessness caused by the war. And, they were, to a certain extent, successful. Each apartment came with its own WC, bathroom, simple kitchen, hot and cold running water and heating. But, despite these advantages, the plattenbaus were not very popular.

With their grim characterless oneness, they offered very little privacy. The walls were so thin that everyone was able to hear what everyone else was saying and doing. And, on fine summer days with windows wide open, everyone knew what everyone else was having for lunch. The air was alive with a cocktail of kitchen smells, babies crying, children screaming, loud music and talking and squabbling! The smell of cabbage cooking carries a very long way! But, there was something else, too.

The plattenbaus were all part of a plan. A big social plan. Points were needed in order to be awarded an apartment (and, for many people there was no alternative). And the biggest scorers were children. The more children you had, the better your chances. But, unfortunately, big families were not always easy, and, quite often it was the peace of living that suffered. But, that's how things were. And, of course, with children came life!

And life always manages to find its own course. And, because plattenbaus were always built on huge estates on the edges of towns, there was always a long way to go to the nearest shops and facilities. And, so it was, that these estates became the ideal places for small businesses and services. There were, and still are, in and amongst the plattenbaus, many small shops such as hairdressers, small grocery stores and even sometimes friendly bars. And, each estate was provided with a kindergarten, playground and school.

Of course, there are similar constructions in the rest of Europe. Apartment blocks built out of concrete slabs are not unusual. But, wherever you go in the “west”, you will never find anything like the plattenbaus of the “former east”. The character of these buildings is their style, and style is a thing that's unique. And, when it comes to comfort, the plattenbaus have just as much chance as everything else. In your own four walls you can do what you like; nice living is nothing other than taste!

But, of course, life in the plattenbaus has reached its own social level. There are as many close friendships and neighbourly contacts as there are everywhere else. Its human nature. And, therefore, life in the plattenbaus is set to continue. But, not as before!

The plattenbaus are undergoing a renaissance! With generous help from the European Union, these buildings are being brought up to date with insulation and new coats of paint. These once grim estates are now looking better than ever and have so acquired a brand new feeling of “it's nice to be home!”.

And so, what started as a solution has now become a goal in itself. Many young people are now finding their first homes in these flats, and, for the elderly, they have become the perfect place to come home to. A good home is important and a plattenbau can be just as good as anything else! And, sometimes, even much better!

This Red Star of then is set to carry on shining for ever!

Vocabulary

certain extent – gewissermaßen

concrete slabs - Betonplatten

counter (to counter/countered/countered) - entgegnen

eastern block – Ostblock

enormous - riesig

estates – Siedlung

grim – grimmig u. trostlos

homelessness – Obdachlosigkeit

huge – riesig

insulation – Isolierung

once - einmal

oneness – Geschlossenheit

plattenbau - Wohnhaus aus Betonplatten

reminder – Erinnerung

squabbling – Gezänk

undergoing (to undergo/underwent/undergone) - unterziehen

Maria Michael - Eastern Paradise

Please click onto text or picture for full audio/visual page!

Lights Out at Ten! Childhood in the East

listen to ‘ Maria Michael - Lights Out at Ten’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Maria Michael - Slow version with read vocabulary’ on Audioboo

Childhood is the best time of our lives, and, this truth was even more so in the country where Maria Michael grew up. She grew up in Czechoslovakia.

Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) was a communist country in those days, and it was a paradise on earth for all children. And summers even more so.

They were the time for the camps. And these camps for young people, as Mrs. Michael explained, were the perfect place for a perfect holiday. They were places of welcoming feelings and belonging, and provided a wonderful change from everyday life. Every child was treated like a king or a queen and they wanted for nothing! They got 5 very good meals every day and a programme they loved.

Because the camps were all set in the depths of the country, the day time activities all centred around sport and exercise. There was hiking, gymnastics and athletics. And, everything that was done was done together. This was not only good for physical fitness, but for the fun of being together as well. But, what about the mind?

It was the evenings that were for the mind. The end of each day was for music, literature and discussion. And, it was during these evenings that deep and lasting friendships were forged. Points of view and opinions were always much stronger than sport. But, of course, no camp is a camp without rules.

It was up with the sun everyday, and, at the end of the day it was lights out and no more talking at ten! But, no one minded. It was always great to get up in the morning, and going to bed was for dreaming. And, it was the same great fun every year. And, the end of the summer holidays were no problem at all! Next summer was coming, and with it the camps, the fun and the friends!

Vocabulary

change – Abwechseln

depths of the country – tief am Land

despite – trotzdem

exercise – Bewegung

forged (to forge/forged/forged) - schmieden

grew up (to grow up/grew up/grown up) – aufwachsen

gymnastics – Turnen

hiking – Wandern

led (to lead/led/led) – führen

mind – Geist

provided (to provide/provided/provided) – beschaffen/liefern

treated (to treat/treated/treated) – behandelt

wanted for nothing (to want for nothing/wanted for nothing) – es hat nichts gefehlt

From My English Country Garden - A letter from Builder Michael

For full audio/visual - please click onto picture or text.

From My English Country Garden

A letter from  Builder Michael

listen to ‘ From My English Country Garden’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Builder Michael - slow version with read vocabulary’ on Audioboo

I have a little secret. I am not the only normal person in the world, but also, without any doubt at all, the most intelligent as well. This, I am sure, will come as no surprise to you, but, what is surprising is the following – I am not the only person in the world who has succeeded in expanding Einstein's theory of relativity into something of practical use!

There is one other person in the world, who, dare I say it, is possibly even cleverer than I am! You will find it hard to believe, I know, but it's true! Her name is Dagmar and she lives in Baden, a small sleepy town in Austria. And Dagmar's thinking is far in advance of anything that I have ever encountered. For she has developed her own theory of time!

And, not only is her theory good in theory (you understand what I mean!), but it works perfectly well in practice in practice, too. And, the amazing thing is, her theory not only slows down time, but it gives you extra valuable hours as well. And, what is even more astonishing – her theory is incredibly easy to put into practice. It's simplicity itself. Just follow the following and you will always succeed.

On your way to a party, turn your watch back by 2 hours. You will now be where you were 2 hours ago (in time I mean). This will not only ensure your punctual arrival, but will also mean that you can have your first drink 2 hours earlier than usual. Advantage number one.

What happens next is of the greatest importance. After your first drink, you then have to turn your watch forward by four hours. It is in this action that the secret and mystery of Dagmar's theory lies! Instead of being at the party for only twenty minutes (or as long as it takes you to knock back your first G+T (Gin and Tonic)), you have now been there for more than 4 hours – and – you are still sober! Or, if you prefer to put it another way – how time flies when you're enjoying yourself!

But, now comes the real advantage. Instead of having to leave at midnight to catch the last bus home, you can now stay until 4. The bus will now be leaving at 5. You have given yourself an extra 4 hours, now making a total of 6. In effect – you have doubled your time.

But, the biggest advantage of all is the sleep that you will not now be missing. After arriving home at 4.30 in the morning, you will find that you will still have enough time to get a good night's sleep, at least 8 hours, before it is time to get up again at 7.

so, in total, what does this mean? It means that your evening and night would have had at least 18 hours, and not just 12 as is normal. Truly amazing and all very true. Some parties do seem to last for ever, and others are over too soon. It's all a question of what's good and what's bad. It's all relative. And, so what if you miss your last bus? Wait for the first one of course. It will be leaving at 5. But, what if you're Dagmar?

No problem. It is still only 2, or, is it really 6? if you had arrived at 4 – which was – in reality 6, and, after a drink it became 11, what time is it now? I'm confused!

So, what would Dagmar do now? Upon arriving home, she would turn her watch back and sleep through the party that she had just arrived home from! How very simple.

See you next month, Builder Michael

Vocabulary

encounter- begegnen

amazing – erstaunlich

astonishing - erstaunlich

to knock back - schnell trinken

valuable - wertvoll