Depford Market in London by Nigel A JAMES
Lucy Nemitz – Cleaning and a Nice Cup of tea!
There
are things that stick out in one's mind. And, every time that
Lucy Nemetz looks out of her window her thoughts wander back to times
long ago. It was the 1960s of last century and she and her husband
Walter were living in London - and visits to markets were things they
enjoyed. But, there is one particular day she will never forget. It
was a Saturday, it was spring and they were at the market as
usual, and Lucy Nemitz, like all other housewives, was thinking
of cleaning and washing when it happened.
They
had just finished their shopping when something caught Lucy's
attention. It was a gadget for cleaning the outside of
upstairs awkward to get to windows without having to go
outside and climb up a ladder. And so, being struck by the
honesty of the salesman, she bought one of his gadgets! She
was convinced that she would be one of the first to have such a
practical gadget! And so, off she went home with a smile on her
face. And soon, she believed, all of her friends would be smiling
with envy as well!
And,
Lucy's coffee morning on Wednesday came round as usual. And, there
they all were, all of her friends. And then, after coffee and
chatting, they all went upstairs to watch Lucy's demonstration. And,
all went according to plan. Following instructions, Lucy
assembled her gadget, and it was easy.
To
begin with, Lucy had to mount a damp cleaning cloth on one of the
magnetized plates. Then, holding it carefully on the outside of the
window with one hand, she carefully placed the second magnetized
plate over it on the inside of the window with the other hand. The
whole thing was then held together through the glass by the force of
the magnets. And then, after screwing on a broom handle, she was
ready. And, she started. Up and down and from side to side she went.
And it worked! The window was beginning to look just as clean as was
promised! And, Lucy's friends were all smiling as well! And Lucy
thought of the honest man at the market! How right she had been!
But
then, just as Lucy Nemitz had reached the furthest of
corners, the whole thing just fell apart and fell to the ground! Of
course, Lucy thought it was her fault, and went down to the garden
to pick up the pieces.
And
then, 5 minutes later the 2nd attempt was begun. It
failed, as did the 3rd, the 4th and the 5th.
And, being in England, everyone told her not to worry and put on the
kettle. There's nothing like a nice cup of hot tea when everything
fails. And, as they like saying in London, every dark cloud has a
silver lining. And so, they all had a nice cup of hot tea and Lucy
felt better.
And
Lucy's husband was just as understanding as well. The solution was
simple. They would go back to the market and complain. The
salesman, being honest, would change the wonderful gadget for one
that worked as it should. And, that's what they did! Back to the
market they went.
But,
the honest man was nowhere to be found. He had gone! Lucy and her
husband searched everywhere with no luck at all. And, her husband,
still just as nice and understanding as ever told her not to worry.
These things happen. And off they went for a fish and chip lunch at
the pub. And, afterwards, of course, home for a nice cup of hot tea.
But,
all was not lost. This dark cloud did indeed have a lining of
silver. The cloth was very, very good, and, now, all these years
later Lucy is still using it for washing the floor! And, so it is,
that whilst down on her knees in the kitchen, her mind wanders back
to her days spent in London, and the day that she went down to the
market. And that was a long time ago!
Phrases
and Vocabulary
aid
– Hilfe
as
usual – wie gewöhnlich
awkward
– nicht günstig / nicht
leicht zu erreichen
gadget
– Gerät
honesty
– Ehrlichkeit
never
mind – macht nichts
struck
– beeindruckt
things
that stick out in one's mind – things one remembers
Vienna
– Wien
window
pane – Fensterscheibe
Diarikom
is sponsored by Mag. Karl Brieber
Wirtschaftstreuhänder
– Steuerberater – Unternehmensberater
